Fear of the Known?
A small group of college students had gathered for a weekly Bible study I taught on campus. I had just prayed for our study time when the door to the room slowly opened. Yet no one entered.
I called out, “Please, come in and join us.”
After a slight pause, a young woman in her early twenties slowly entered the room. Her dark, shoulder-length hair wreathed a face with a curious look.
Within minutes I found out Leah* had come out of curiosity. She had seen a posted invitation for a “Messianic Bible Study” and thought it could be interesting to discover what it was. She was Jewish, and her father a Reform rabbi.
Leah seemed unsure of herself. The group that day was small, and a female Christian student about her age made her feel quite welcome.
“You came on the perfect day, Leah, because we are going to look at Messianic prophecies from the Tanakh,” I told her.
For the next 45 minutes we turned to passages from various books of the Old Testament. Leah seemed to be hanging on every word. Her eyes were glued to the Bible we gave her to use.
Finally, we arrived at Isaiah Chapter 53. I mentioned that over the centuries opinions had differed on who this chapter was speaking about: a person, the Messiah of Israel, the people of Israel, or Isaiah himself. “But I believe by the end of the chapter it will be obvious of whom this chapter speaks,” I stated.
Verse by verse I carefully explained the text, pointing to historical truths and other Scripture passages. As we progressed Leah’s fingers followed the text, staring with a focused intensity. Her lips moved as if silently talking to herself.
I spoke of the picture Isaiah was painting of this rejected servant who was falsely accused, scorned, and even killed. And God Himself was pleased because of what his suffering and death accomplished.
Leah asked a simple question: “Why don’t the rabbis teach this?”
I responded, “I could give you my opinion, but why don’t you ask your father?”
We examined the details at the end of the chapter. This remarkable servant saw life again after death, making forgiveness of sin possible.
As I looked at Leah, I saw – that look. Fear was evident in her countenance as she was gripped by a sudden awareness of whom this chapter was speaking.
I silently prayed. As I started to open my mouth to speak, Leah stiffened. She quickly closed the Bible. Without a word stood up and nearly fled out the door.
I saw Leah a few times after that while on campus, but she never acknowledged me. I always wondered what she did with the fear she experienced that day.
The Bible teaches us that “perfect love casts out all fear.”[1]
Have you come to know the One who paid the price for your sins? Have you acknowledged your own sinfulness before a Holy God and accepted His gracious gift of forgiveness of sin?
If you have placed your faith in His Son as your Savior, then, you too, can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” [2]
If you would like to put fear behind you and abide in God’s love, please let me know.
– Written by Jeff, LIFE Staff
*Name changed
Footnotes:
[1] 1 John 4:14-18
[2] Hebrews 13:6