Galatians 2:12
“For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.”
Fear is a real response. It’s part of all of us. It can pressure us to act a particular way. We fear people and act so as not to upset them. We fear our parents, authority figures, strong personalities and so on.
We’ve been taught that fear is not good. Out of control fear is bad, as it brings distress, but the fear addressed is normal. We should be concerned about pleasing those individuals. We are more accustomed to the word respect.
Problems arise when the authority figure is mean, overbearing or the expectations are too great. This pushes us too much. Our anxiety increases as the expectations aren’t reasonable.
Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.” This verse brings in a new ingredient. We are to be God fearing. He is the ultimate authority. We are to fear Him first. The Ten Commandments are primary.
He wants us to fear authority as well. Romans 13:4 says this about the government, “For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.” He calls government His servant. We are to be respectful and compliant to it as long as it doesn’t violate His commands.
He wants us to respect and obey our parents. Ephesians 6:1-3 says, ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”’
Today’s passage has Paul rebuking Peter for fearing a group. This also brings about the Proverbs meaning about the fear of man bringing a snare. This is when we break a commandment for fear of upsetting someone. The command that Peter broke was not loving all equally. When the cool kids showed up, he abandoned the gentiles. He feared their response if they saw him eating eating with the gentiles.
Our out of balance respect of some can cause us to disobey God’s laws. Pear pressure can be difficult to handle. Our culture also pressures us. Hollywood creates shows which promote their values. Forty Year Old Virgin says that sex outside of marriage is normal and healthy. Yet, God’s Word says otherwise. Academia says views other than evolution are anti-science and ignorant. Yet, the Lord said He created us and all in the world. To ignore this is to fear the world more than God.
Lord, help us to fear You. There will be times when we feel the pressures to do otherwise. Give us the strength to obey You.