In the fear of the LORDis strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
In the fear of the Lord, which is reverent faith in the true God and confidence in His word, is strong confidence, for it is wisdom itself and the beginning of wisdom and faith, shown in hating evil and pride and becoming a fountain of life. To fear Him most is to trust Him most, and to trust Him most is to fear Him most, so reverent fear and full trust belong together and give settled faith. That reverence makes a person calm and bold rather than wavering or afraid, shutting out slavish fear and fear of the future and of tempest, fire, flood, wild beasts, wicked men and cruel demons, because God as Father portions out life and is with His children with all power in heaven and earth. God Himself is the safe shelter, and His children shall have a place of refuge where the righteous run for safety and hold fast the hope of eternal life even as the day of wrath approaches. That refuge is an asylum for the sinner exposed to wrath, a protection from Satan and from the second death to which all heaven invites him to flee for present and eternal safety, and it is also the portion of obedient disciples and of the Christian home where the fear of the Lord dwells, giving children confidence and a bulwark against sin in time of temptation.
Fear and Strong Confidence
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence because that fear is reverent faith in the revealed knowledge of the true God and confidence in His word and existence. It is the beginning of wisdom and in that sense the beginning of faith and confidence. It is expressed by hating evil, pride, and arrogance. It is wisdom itself, a fountain of life and instruction in wisdom, and it brings strong confidence with a place of refuge for His children.
Reverent fear and confidence belong together, for the one who fears God most trusts Him most, and the one who trusts Him most fears Him most. To fear the Lord and fully trust Him is to have strong confidence, which is faith. That reverence also secures His children in Him as their refuge and leads away from the snares of death, as the next verse shows the fear of the Lord to be a fountain of life.
This reverence makes a person calm and bold rather than uncertain, wavering, or afraid of danger, because God is with His children and is their refuge. Fearing the Lord and fully trusting Him gives that strong confidence.
That confidence casts out all other fear and shuts out slavish fear. It removes fear of the future, because all of life is portioned out by God as Father, so the changes that will surely come need not be feared. Those who fear the Lord carry the promise of no lack. They fear nothing else — not tempest, fire, flood, wild beasts, wicked men, or cruel demons. It can make even a boy brave to do his duty in the face of danger and death. This is because the Author of life is always with him with all power in heaven and earth at His command. It is God's wish for His people to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness all their days, and as they rest on His word He overcomes the world in them as He has overcome the world, and no one in the universe can stop His hand or question what He does.
Refuge and Its Blessings
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence, and those who belong to him have a place of refuge, for God himself is a safe shelter for his children amid danger. This promise is a consolation, for the righteous can run to the Lord for safety and hold fast to the hope of eternal life even as the day of wrath approaches. That refuge is an asylum of safety for the sinner exposed to the wrath of God, a protection from the power of Satan and from the second death. As the one who killed without design fled with anxiety from the avenger of blood to the cities of refuge appointed through Moses in the promised land, so sinners are to flee to this refuge. All heaven invites them to come to it for present and future happiness and safety and for their eternal interests.
The verse promises secure refuge and strong confidence in God's protecting care and sustaining grace amid life's toils and sorrows, with firm assurance of his approval in the judgment of the great day. It is a confidence so precious that gold and crystal cannot equal it, and it rests not on feeling or presumption but on cheerful obedience to God's revealed will and on his promises to those who obey, laying hold of the Son of God as the great atoning sacrifice for redemption. Thus the soul does not shrink though pressed by many foes, because his children have a place of refuge. The next verse adds that the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life that leads a person away from death's snares. This confidence sustains true disciples as they seek to do God's will and keep his commandments, so that when people persecute them and falsely accuse them, they may still have divine approval.
Time alone with God gives his servants the strong confidence needed to face opposition and do his work, for the verse's confidence is the portion of those who have to do with God in secret. The Christian home where the fear of the Lord dwells gives strong confidence and is a place of refuge for children in time of temptation and a bulwark against sin. This is because love reigns there and finds expression in words and acts of thoughtful kindness and gentle courtesy. Such a home welcomes the downcast and afflicted with help and cheer.
In the fear of the Lord, which is reverent faith in the true God and confidence in His word, is strong confidence, for it is wisdom itself and the beginning of wisdom and faith, shown in hating evil and pride and becoming a fountain of life. To fear Him most is to trust Him most, and to trust Him most is to fear Him most, so reverent fear and full trust belong together and give settled faith. That reverence makes a person calm and bold rather than wavering or afraid, shutting out slavish fear and fear of the future and of tempest, fire, flood, wild beasts, wicked men and cruel demons, because God as Father portions out life and is with His children with all power in heaven and earth. God Himself is the safe shelter, and His children shall have a place of refuge where the righteous run for safety and hold fast the hope of eternal life even as the day of wrath approaches. That refuge is an asylum for the sinner exposed to wrath, a protection from Satan and from the second death to which all heaven invites him to flee for present and eternal safety, and it is also the portion of obedient disciples and of the Christian home where the fear of the Lord dwells, giving children confidence and a bulwark against sin in time of temptation.
Fear and Strong Confidence
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence because that fear is reverent faith in the revealed knowledge of the true God and confidence in His word and existence. It is the beginning of wisdom and in that sense the beginning of faith and confidence. It is expressed by hating evil, pride, and arrogance. It is wisdom itself, a fountain of life and instruction in wisdom, and it brings strong confidence with a place of refuge for His children.
Reverent fear and confidence belong together, for the one who fears God most trusts Him most, and the one who trusts Him most fears Him most. To fear the Lord and fully trust Him is to have strong confidence, which is faith. That reverence also secures His children in Him as their refuge and leads away from the snares of death, as the next verse shows the fear of the Lord to be a fountain of life.
This reverence makes a person calm and bold rather than uncertain, wavering, or afraid of danger, because God is with His children and is their refuge. Fearing the Lord and fully trusting Him gives that strong confidence.
That confidence casts out all other fear and shuts out slavish fear. It removes fear of the future, because all of life is portioned out by God as Father, so the changes that will surely come need not be feared. Those who fear the Lord carry the promise of no lack. They fear nothing else — not tempest, fire, flood, wild beasts, wicked men, or cruel demons. It can make even a boy brave to do his duty in the face of danger and death. This is because the Author of life is always with him with all power in heaven and earth at His command. It is God's wish for His people to serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness all their days, and as they rest on His word He overcomes the world in them as He has overcome the world, and no one in the universe can stop His hand or question what He does.
Refuge and Its Blessings
In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence, and those who belong to him have a place of refuge, for God himself is a safe shelter for his children amid danger. This promise is a consolation, for the righteous can run to the Lord for safety and hold fast to the hope of eternal life even as the day of wrath approaches. That refuge is an asylum of safety for the sinner exposed to the wrath of God, a protection from the power of Satan and from the second death. As the one who killed without design fled with anxiety from the avenger of blood to the cities of refuge appointed through Moses in the promised land, so sinners are to flee to this refuge. All heaven invites them to come to it for present and future happiness and safety and for their eternal interests.
The verse promises secure refuge and strong confidence in God's protecting care and sustaining grace amid life's toils and sorrows, with firm assurance of his approval in the judgment of the great day. It is a confidence so precious that gold and crystal cannot equal it, and it rests not on feeling or presumption but on cheerful obedience to God's revealed will and on his promises to those who obey, laying hold of the Son of God as the great atoning sacrifice for redemption. Thus the soul does not shrink though pressed by many foes, because his children have a place of refuge. The next verse adds that the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life that leads a person away from death's snares. This confidence sustains true disciples as they seek to do God's will and keep his commandments, so that when people persecute them and falsely accuse them, they may still have divine approval.
Time alone with God gives his servants the strong confidence needed to face opposition and do his work, for the verse's confidence is the portion of those who have to do with God in secret. The Christian home where the fear of the Lord dwells gives strong confidence and is a place of refuge for children in time of temptation and a bulwark against sin. This is because love reigns there and finds expression in words and acts of thoughtful kindness and gentle courtesy. Such a home welcomes the downcast and afflicted with help and cheer.