The Death of Fear

A simple Google search provides an extensive list of the top fears (phobias) people face, including fear of public speaking, spiders, heights, flying and death. But what about a fear of failure? The apostle Peter warns in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” One of the enemy’s weapons is fear. Fear can lead to destruction. 

Response to Fear

Many Christians respond to fear by praying and picking up their Bible—and rightly so. When fear invades our lives, we need to rely on God. Jesus taught in Matthew 11:30, “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” The Bible is a rich wellspring that sentences fear to death and then proceeds with its swift execution. Fear should never have a grip on us, yet many allow it to do just that. Allowing fear to fester in our lives is like locking ourselves up and then throwing away the key. Unchecked anxiety leads to depression, with millions of people suffering in the darkness of this mental plague. But God is Light and He can deliver us. 

Paul writes in Romans 8:15, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” The Greek word used for fear is phobos, from which we derive “phobia”. Clinically speaking, phobia is a dread or terror which causes flight. Paul further exhorts: “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7). The word timidity (deila in Greek) means cowardice, fear or apprehension. The apostle reminds his apprentice, Timothy, that God drives out fear, replacing it with power, love and self-control.

Standing in Battle with Us

What is the antidote for fear and anxiety? According to the NeuroLaunch experts, it is gratitude or thankfulness. Their conclusion is both eye opening and profound. Research has shown that gratitude and anxiety develop in the same area of the brain but cannot coexist. It is impossible for an individual to feel both gratitude and anxiety at the same time. NeuroLaunch describes gratitude as, “the appreciation of what is valuable and meaningful to oneself.” Developing a discipline of gratitude is thus a powerful tool that enhances one’s life. 

I would take the definition further to say that thankfulness is found in the Lord. Being thankful to the Lord and trusting in Him revolutionizes our lives and puts all fear to death. The Scriptures offer us a myriad of verses as proof. Let’s look at two. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5–6). “I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness, because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul” (Ps. 31:7).

Many believers have a favorite passage they turn to in both joy and sorrow. One such verse is Isaiah 41:10a: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously [or be dismayed] look about you, for I am your God.” It is important to read this verse in context. These were not mere words of consolation. Rather, the prophet Isaiah offered them as an exhortation to the Kingdom of Judah, reminding them that true strength comes from God. His words were infused with the military might of Heaven, dispatched to strengthen Judah. 

Fixating on a specific portion of Scripture without considering its purpose or the original language can cause tremendous confusion. Reading Isaiah 41:10 in the original Hebrew is so strong that God’s promise reduces fear to an impossibility.

Let’s examine Isaiah 41:10b: “I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

In Isaiah 41:10, the prophet uses the word yareh to mean dreadful terror. Many Christians are content to understand Isaiah 41:10a as, “I don’t have to worry because God is nearby.” However, Isaiah’s words carry much more weight to destroy fear’s ability to exist in the presence of an almighty God. 

The Hebrew for “with you” is immack, an ancient military term that does not mean near or beside you, but rather standing in battle formation with you. To comprehend the full breadth of immack is knowing that God is deployed in battle array with all His weapons, rank and military might alongside you, fighting as your ally. The Lord of Hosts stands ready to attack and destroy fear.

Immack is also used in Exodus 3:12 when God tells Moses, “I will be with you [immack].” Notice that God is not saying, “I will watch as you lead Israel out of Egypt or manage things yourself.” God’s promise is that He will fight alongside Moses in the showdown with Pharaoh. 

Then there is Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you [immack] wherever you go.” Joshua is about to invade the Promised Land with the hosts of Israel and do battle with 31 kings. Yet they will not do so alone. God will fight alongside Israel. On the eve of the battle of Jericho, an angel of the Lord of Hosts, dressed as a warrior-general, appears to remind Joshua that Israel is cleaved unto Heaven, not the other way around (Josh. 5:13).

Our Unchanging God

James 1:17 states, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” Hebrews 13:8 affirms, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” God does not change. He hears, responds, fights for and delivers His covenantal people: Israel and believers in Jesus who are grafted into the olive tree of Israel (Rom. 11). Just as He fought alongside Israel in the days of Moses, Joshua and Isaiah, God is also deployed with you to fight and wage warfare against fear. He is not merely consoling you or offering moral support. He goes before you and does battle.

Imagine what the lack of understanding of immack means if we believe it to be simply a consolation. Of course, it brings comfort, but failure to grasp the full meaning strips it of its intended power. The truth is that in the power of the God of Israel and the finished work of Messiah, we are never meant to fear and collapse under its weight The Bible is God’s Word revealed to us, but it’s also a war manual.

Strengthened, Helped and Upheld

God promises in In Isaiah 41:10b, “I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” This short half verse contains four military actions of purpose and command through which God promises to dispel fear and liberate the Kingdom of Judah. But we can also apply it in our lives when we face the dreaded onslaught of fear.

The Hebrew word amates (“I will strengthen you”) carries the meaning of making strong, fortifying, hardening for battle and making courageous. In Deuteronomy 31:6–7, 23, Moses encourages the people of Israel to be strong (amates), and uses the same word as in Joshua 1:7 when God promises to give Joshua strength (amates) and courage for the ensuing war. The word picture is that God fortifies His covenantal people for battle.

The Hebrew word for “I will help you” is azar, which means to be surrounded for protection, to come to aid in battle and rescue in the heat of combat. When I reflect on azar, I imagine the closed ranks of the ancient Macedonian Hoplites forming the impregnable square-shaped phalanx. The phalanx’s success depended on two aspects: level fighting ground and not breaking rank in battle formation. Azar implies feeling guarded and having every vulnerability covered even in the heat of battle.

The Hebrew word for “I will uphold you” is tamak, which means to grasp firmly, to hold up in battle and to stubbornly refuse to give in despite the pressure. A general demonstrating the genius of tamak in military practice would know the exact moment to press forward for victory after seeing the enemy’s weakness. The general would sense the struggle of battle and, at the right moment, exploit a weakness in the enemy ranks, issuing a charge of shock troops to collapse the enemy’s resistance. Alexander the Great, Hannibal and Napoleon had a keen sense of tamak on the battlefield that often worked in their favor. 

This is what tamak means in relation to God. He is the ultimate commander who seizes the moment of victory from defeat. He stalls just long enough for the enemy to think he has the upper hand before God pivots to deal a deathblow to fear. He is the unstoppable force of power and strength that outmaneuvers the enemy. 

Isaiah reminds the people of Judah that God brings tamak to their ranks and kingdom. They need only call out to Him and walk in this power, which takes effort and discipline. Just as it took endless hours of discipline for a Roman legion to defeat a much larger enemy, we must recognize that God gives us His tamak and that we do not stand alone in the discipline of our faith walk.

God’s Righteous Right Hand

Isaiah 41:10b concludes with Isaiah’s declaration to Judah that God will, “Hold you up with my righteous right hand.” In ancient warfare, the warrior’s right hand held the weapon. Reliefs and mosaics of antiquity also depict it as the side of judgment. The right hand was a symbol of power, authority and military strength. 

Through Isaiah, God thus assures Judah, “My weapon hand, the one that shatters enemies and breaks their weapons, is holding you!” This same right hand of righteous, kingly strength and power also continues to fight for you and liberates you from anxiety and fear.  

As God’s people, we can take heart and be encouraged. God is not passively with us to offer comfort. He is deployed in battle formation, strengthening us, rescuing us, grasping our hand and leading us forward in a conquering charge to destroy the enemy. He is the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5) who brings about the death of fear and dispatches it to an unmarked grave.