To Fear or Not to Fear

We began a Tuesday night online poker tournament by writing this:


Me:  Happy Fear of Issac
Me:  night to all.
bryant284:  no fear
Me:  Fear can be good
Me:  and bad.
strawberry1:  22
jodygirl:  donk
Dealer:  j3rs3yguy wins Main Pot ($2,120) with Straight, five to nine
Me:  That phrase refers
Me:  to God. 

Oops - we misspelled the name of the approaching hurricane.  It's Isaac.  And as we write this, it's dumping devastating rain on Louisiana.

Our sympathies go out to people whose homes and lives are at risk from this storm.  But did you know the phrase "fear of Isaac" is in the Bible?

If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed.... - Genesis 31:42 (see also verse 53)

How interesting - it's the God of Abraham, but the Fear of Isaac.  Our review of the Bible shows Isaac is the only name where "Fear" is substituted for God.

So what about the player who declared "no fear"?  We've quoted the poker cliche from time to time, "Scared money won't win."  No one wins a pot by folding; the rules simply don't allow it.  The only way to make money is to bet.  But away from the table, is that a good way to live?  The Bible can seem contradictory on that....

There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love. - I John 4:18

So if the love of God is working in your life, you have nothing to fear in this world.  Even if the worst should happen, God has plans for you far beyond this life.

But wait, you may be asking -- then why is God the "Fear of Isaac"?  Because God is the One you really should fear.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. - Matthew 10:28

Jesus is describing what's called in Scripture the "second death" (Revelation 20:14) - which follows the death of our physical bodies and a resurrection to God's judgment.

We're open to your ideas on this, but we think Isaac attached "Fear" to God because of what happened when he blessed his sons in Genesis 27 - blessings clouded by family deceit.  As a modern-day Isaac wreaks havoc with many lives, put your fear in the God who ultimately is in charge.