A Hero's Fear | AdventAI

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 26, 1863

A Hero's Fear.

Reader! I dare say you have often experienced fear. You may have been in pecuniary difficulties, and feared your creditors. You may have had a powerful enemy who could injure you, and you feared his influence. Your life may have been in danger, and you trembled for the result. In these and many other similar ways, you have known what it is to be afraid.

But have you ever feared sin? Have you ever said to your self, "Perhaps what I have done is wrong, and alas! I shall have to bear the consequences?" If such a feeling has ever entered your heart, it was perhaps when you had cheated or lied, or done some other act which every one would unhesitatingly consider a sin. Then, after the mischief was done, you began to feel useless remorse, and that feeling lasted only while it was useless: only until the next temptation presented itself. Or perhaps you have feared sin when you have been suffering from its consequences. Your worldly affairs may have begun to be embarrassed; your hopes may have been frustrated, those who had previously honored you, may have begun to think little of you; then perhaps you have reflected, "has not this change been brought about by my own misconduct?"

But when you had done that which in the world's eyes is virtuous—while your affairs were prosperous, and while applause was showered upon you from all sides, then I am sure it never occurred to you to say "all this may be deceptive. What the world so loudly approves may perhaps not meet with the approbation of my Maker. Perchance I may have done more harm than good. I may have neglected many golden opportunities which will never return.—Let me look well to it, least I am deceived. Now, if I am deceived, the empty praise of others will not avail. Nay, that praise may by the slightest accident be changed into blame. Nor can I rely upon my success—for a thousand circumstances may turn prosperity into adversity. Let me therefore closely examine my conduct, to observe whether I have not sinned." Such thoughts never entered your head. You were flushed with success. You eagerly listened to all the pleasant praises which were whispered into your ears either by kind friends, or by designing flatterers. You believed all they said, and were well pleased with yourself. In the meantime, the evil habits which you had formed of old remained unbroken, to these new ones were daily added through your want of vigilance. Your motives, which at the beginning were pure, gradually degenerated; so that what you first did from the love or fear of God, soon had less worthy motives—the love of praise or the fear of forfeiting the world's good opinion.

Now observe how different to this was the spirit which animated our forefather Abraham.

Lot had been very ungrateful to him.—Although indebted to him for all he possessed, he yet permitted his herdsmen to strive with those of Abraham. The patriarch nobly foregoes his right, implores Lot to select for himself the best pasture-ground, and promises that he himself would move away in order to avoid strife. The ungrateful Lot falls a victim to his own ingratitude. The city wherein he takes up his abode is attacked by four allied kings; its property is plundered and its inhabitants are taken captive, and among the captives is Lot. No sooner is Abraham informed of the occurrence, than he arms his servants, and boldly pursues the armies of four victorious kings. He gains a complete victory, and rescues his nephew and all the inhabitants of Sodom. On his return he is met and congratulated by the neighboring kings.—The whole of the spoil is offered to him, but he nobly declines to take anything "from a thread to a shoe-latchet." Under such circumstances everything combined to make him feel elated and self-satisfied.—He had acted most nobly in every sense of the term. For an ungrateful nephew he had risked his life. He had displayed great bravery and skill. He had waived his right to receive the usual rewards of valor, and had given a tithe of all he had to the priest of the Most High. Why then should his conscience not be satisfied? And yet we read, "After these things the word of the Eternal came unto Abram in a vision, saying, fear not Abram: I am thy shield, thy reward is very great."

It thus appears that Abraham was afraid, and stood in need of a shield. What then did he fear! Our sages inform us that he feared lest among the multitude he had slain, there might be one good and worthy man. And the humble God-fearing Patriarch said in his heart "After all, I only followed the dictates of nature in thus rescuing my own nephew. The act is by no means so noble as the world seems to think. Nay, perchance, so far from being noble, it may even be sinful. I may have on my conscience the blood of good and worthy men, compelled by actual force to join the ranks of the invaders."

This is the way in which Abraham feared sin. And we see that the Lord loves those who thus tremble before his word, mistrust their own worth, and are alarmed at the mere suspicion of having offended him.—He is their shield, and maketh their reward exceedingly great.

So let us fear sin! Let us fear it when in prosperity and in health, and we shall have no cause to fear it in the day of adversity, or in the hour of danger. Let us fear it, not with the coward's fear, but with the fear of the hero-patriarch, who, though he saw many beneath him, saw One above him, so perfect, so exalted, that his own righteousness seemed as nothing."—Sel.