Proverbs 14:26 Commentary and Bible Study

This new section starts with an introductory verse, containing a deliberate clash of ideas, for fear does not normally lead to confidence and trust, but rather to a strong sense of insecurity. In the kingdom of heaven however, many principles operate which are not what man expects: ‘He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it’ (Matthew 10:39); ‘If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all’ (Mark 9:35); ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35). It is not normal to be afraid of people unless they have a reputation for being unpredictable, arbitrary, ill-tempered, or threatening, but then the fear of the Lord is different to all other fears. This fear recognises the infinite power of God to destroy and to overcome all opposition to his government; it knows that to resist him is futile and to make him our enemy is to bring about our certain destruction. But it also considers the mercy of the Lord and his abundant kindness and grace to those who deserve nothing from him. It is the fear of those who have great respect and reverence for a benefactor who might so easily have behaved towards them in a far more dangerous way, but who has chosen to favour them for reasons beyond their ability to understand. This fear spreads a good influence through all faculties of the soul, for it aligns them with the will of God and makes us careful not to offend him, while being conscious that he is holy and therefore we should be holy also. The result of this fear is that we have a powerful sense that God is for us, that he protects us, and that all things work together for our good. We have confidence in the Lord who is mightier than all our adversaries, and is therefore like a city in which we have taken refuge. The illustration is of a king who ruled over a number of cities and took responsibility for the people living in the country nearby. When an attacking army was in the region, all the people came into the cities for protection for you could not put a wall around the entire countryside. If you acknowledge the king and pay homage then you are in good standing and have a place of refuge. Solomon adds almost incidentally that those who fear the Lord may call themselves the children of God for that is what he has made them, and he keeps each one of them safe from harm, just as any loving father would protect his offspring. If we fear anything else it produces distrust, when you fear the Lord then he becomes your father, and what father does not want to provide a refuge for his children from all danger. He knows far better than they do the dangers they will face in life: the schemes of those who would try to take advantage of them; the coaxing of those who would recruit them to do evil; the small value which men place on them in their endeavour to advantage themselves.If we are unsaved then we need a place of refuge from our great enemy death. God alone can bring us safely to the other side. But in life also we need one we can come to for protection. This cannot be done if we are not in good standing with the Lord, if we have been careless about our conduct and ignored his standards for our lives.