Your Fear and Dread

Regardless how many times we have read the Bible or done in-depth study of it, one can never predict what God will say to us through His word.  Yesterday I received instruction concerning a defining factor in relation to conspiracies or conspiracy theories.  I differentiate the two by the first being one as a matter of fact (like when Absalom declared himself king over Israel whilst king David reigned) and the other as a fanciful, far-fetched report gained second-hand through individuals who claim to have inside information (with regular updates!), have an online presence and often are selling something.

Last night I read Isaiah 8:11-13 (NIV) that says:  "The LORD spoke to me with his strong hand upon me, warning me not to follow the way of this people. He said: ¹² "Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. ¹³ The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread."  Coupled with conspiracy--whether real or imagined--are feelings of fear and dread.  When David heard his son declared himself king, there was an opportunity to justify fear of the future or what action he was to take.  Rather than being afraid of what was out of his control, David was to fear and dread the LORD Almighty whose perfect love casts out all fear.  Knowing God is sovereign and mighty over all, our Good Shepherd, provider and deliverer, we do not need to fear what man or armies can do to us.

One of the common threads in what I would call conspiracy theories is the leveraging of our own fears to spread a message, take action, doubting anything considered established or "mainstream," and to have loyalty and allegiance to those who drip feed incredible claims.  I have observed fear and dread take hold in the church and cause divisions when Y2K was a thing.  Some of those who peddled hysterical claims online or in books that were ultimately proved false (because they did not take place) have continued to profit off sowing doubt and fear in the minds of impressionable people.  The subject matter changes, but the fearmongering continues like a pyramid scheme built of fear and dread.  Dear Christian, let us be discerning about our motives in seeking out and spreading messages that are designed to put people in fear.  It is possible to foolishly wield scriptures to put people in fear of the government, possible loss of freedoms or future suffering when our aim ought to point to the holy God, the one we are to fear and dread.

The Hebrew words translated fear and dread are basically the same, and this is an example of parallelism frequently employed in Hebrew poetry.  It means "fear, terror, awe."  God is worthy to be our central focus and awesome in our eyes, able to do everything without fail.  Those who trust in God knowing He is for us have a sure refuge in time of trouble, the promise of provision and protection, and eternal and abundant life by His grace.  Due to trust in Jesus conspiracies, whether real or imagined, ought not to trouble us at all because Jesus has overcome the world, provided perfect peace and gives us all that pertains to life and godliness.  Your fear and dread is a hallowed space that only the LORD Almighty is worthy of.  When tempted to fear what man can do, praise the LORD for what He has done and has promised to do.