Be Not Afraid

"Be not afraid of their faces: For I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord." (Jeremiah 1:8)

In this passage, the "I" is defined in the Scripture before, "But the Lord said unto me,...".

Jeremiah is the author of this book, set in Jerusalem sometime about 626 BC. He followed on the heels of Isaiah by about 100 years or so, so he had some tough shoes to fill. The entire book is an autobiography of Jeremiah during the reigns of the last five kings of Judah. He was also the last prophet before the fall of Jerusalem and is called, "the weeping prophet" because of his deep sorrow over the unrepentent nation, their coming destuction, and the inevitable exile of his people.

Jeremiah is a good example of one who not only gave words of warning, but also wonderful words of encouragement during troublesome times. He constantly encourages his people to remember God's promises to them by renewing their hearts.

In verse 8, the original Hebrew word for "faces" is paniym, which has a broad meaning. It not only literally means peoples "faces", it also means their "presence" and "before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before" (Strong's Concordance).

As we travel our paths, we come across obstacles. We can choose to either view these as stumbling blocks or stepping stones. In light of yesterday's passage (Proverbs 4:26), we can rest assured that as we establish our paths with God, He will always be their to deliver us from hindrances to our life.

Are you living in the shadow of things people do, say, or act out?

Be not afraid.