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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - Luke 12:4 - 12:7
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True fearlessness:
v. 4. And I say unto you, My friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
v. 5. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him which, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him.
v. 6. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? And not one of them is forgotten before God.
v. 7. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore; ye are of more value than many sparrows.
As friends Jesus addresses His disciples, a title showing His love and trust in them, Joh_15:14. They should have no fear of those that can injure and destroy the body, if God should so permit. Only one fear can and should live in their hearts, a deep-seated fear, an awe and relevance which is not afraid of the punishment, but stands in holy dread of Him that judges and condemns both soul and body to everlasting destruction. For this is not a mere human tempter, who tries to harm his neighbor's soul by leading him into sin, nor is it Satan, for he has no absolute power over body and soul. It is the great God, the divine Judge, Himself. Fear of human enemies, of their contempt and of their injury, implies lack of faith in Him, which may, in turn, lead to denial and thus to damnation. And again: Why fear? So little are sparrows valued by men that they were put up in packages of five or ten and sold on the market at the rate of five for two assaria, or less than a cent apiece; so insignificant is the loss of a single hair that it is not even noticed. And yet: Not a single one of these cheapest of birds is forgotten or neglected before God; all the hairs of our head are numbered by Him, and His accounts are always right. How foolish therefore is fear, since we have His assurance that we are preferred above many sparrows in His estimation.