Originally posted: 1/22/2021
The fear of man brings a snare,
But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted, (29:25).
As I sought to see the Lord increase within the wise principles extended to all of mankind, that if followed will lead to a well-managed life, Jesus Christ was raised from off the page.
He Was Exalted from all eternity past, for He Is God. He Is Exalted as the Humble Obedient Servant Who trusted His Father as He came in the flesh. He Will Be Exalted, for He will come to establish His Eternal Rule and Reign.
Consider Him Exalted
Although He Was God, Is God, and Will Always Be the Almighty God, He humbled Himself as He trusted the Father’s will for His life.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty,” (Revelation 1:8).
saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42).
He Was Exalted; for He Was God from the beginning.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being, (John 1:1-3).
He Is Exalted; for although He Is God, because He Humbled Himself as the Obedient Servant, His Name Is Exalted above every name.
Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, (Philippians 2:8-11).
He Will Be Exalted; for He Will come again as the Almighty God Who Will Rule and Reign for all eternity.
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever,” (Revelations 11:15).
And in Proverbs 29 we learn that as we trust the Lord, not only will we avoid the trappings of the fear of man, but we “will be exalted.”
The fear of man brings a snare,
But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted, (29:25).
When we look at the original language, we will discover the bountiful hope we have, of being set on high, of being protected, and of being kept safe in Him Exalted.
Exalted: 7682. שָׂגַב śag̱aḇ: A verb indicating to be raised, to be exalted; to be high; to defend…In a figurative sense, it indicates a high, impregnable city or habitation… or God’s exalted name or person… of the security of God’s high name… Trust in the Lord results in the exaltation of a person (Prov. 29:25). It refers to persons’ advancement or promotion, setting them on high… or of their being placed in a place of safety… Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
- As we trust Him Exalted, He Sets us on High in His Salvation.
- The fear of people becomes a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD will be set on high, (29:25 NET).- Yet I will exult in the Lord,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet,
And makes me walk on my high places, (Habakkuk 3:18-19). - Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God, (Colossians 3:1-3).
- Yet I will exult in the Lord,
- The fear of people becomes a snare,
- As we trust Him Exalted, He Protects us in His Faithfulness.
- The fear of mankind is a snare,
but the one who trusts in the LORD is protected, (29:25 HCSB).- For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark, (Psalm 91:3-4). - But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one, (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
- For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
- The fear of mankind is a snare,
- As we trust Him Exalted, He Keeps us Safe in His Love.
- Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe, (29:25 NIV).- Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;
Your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD.
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your steadfast love, O God!
The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings, (Psalm 36:5-7 ESV). - Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, (Romans 8:35, 37-39).
- Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens,
- Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
How do we respond to Him Exalted?
Because He humbled Himself and came in the flesh as a man, to experience the pain and need of every human, and because He was wholly faithful in His obedience to the will of the Father during the severest of suffering, He was Exalted and became the source of eternal salvation for all of humanity.
In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. 8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. 9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, (Hebrews 5:7-9).
He is our perfect example; for although He Was, and Is, and Will Always Be Exalted, He laid aside His rights, fully entrusting Himself to His Father as He walked in the Father’s will and purpose to bring salvation to us.
For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; (1 Peter 2:21-23).
Let us answer His call to follow Him Exalted as we trust Him to protect and strengthen us in His Sanctifying Truth.
“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth,” (John 17:15).
Let us answer His call to follow Him Exalted as we humble ourselves in faith, entrusting ourselves to His perfect and proper time to set us on high and lift us out from under our burdens and anxieties.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you, (1 Peter 5:6-7).
Let us pray that we would walk in the full knowledge of His grace that sets us on high, protects us and keeps us safe, so that we will become an effective messenger of the gospel for the sake of Him Exalted.
and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ, (Philemon 1:6).
Oh, that we would live boldly so as to Exalt Him in all that we do. For really, what on this earth do we have to fear? Oh, may we walk in the unwavering confidence of His Truth, fully persuaded He will never leave us, never forsake us, and never change; for He Was Exalted in every yesterday; He Is Exalted today and every day; and He Will Be Exalted tomorrow and forever.
for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” 6 so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”… 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever, (Hebrews 13:5-6, 8).