How does Acts 25:9 connect to Proverbs 29:25 about fearing man over God? Setting the scene in Acts 25:9 Acts 25:9: “But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, replied, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to stand trial before me there on these charges?’” • Governor Festus is newly in office and concerned about political goodwill. • Jewish leaders have pressed relentlessly for Paul’s condemnation. • Rather than decide according to justice already revealed (vv. 7–8), Festus tries to placate the crowd. • His question masks a motive: securing popularity at the cost of truth. • The verse captures a moment when human opinion outweighs God’s standard. Comparing Acts 25:9 with Proverbs 29:25 Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man is a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is set securely on high.” • “Fear of man” describes Festus—he values political favor over righteous judgment. • A “snare” suggests entrapment; Festus soon finds himself bound by the very crowd he hopes to please. • Trusting “in the LORD” is modeled by Paul, who appeals to Caesar (v. 11) confident in God’s sovereignty rather than human approval. • The proverb’s contrast—snare versus security—plays out in real time: Festus wavers, Paul stands firm. The snare of fearing people: biblical examples • Saul loses the kingdom because he “feared the people” and disobeyed God (1 Samuel 15:24). • Peter denies Jesus before a servant girl (Luke 22:56–62). • Religious leaders believed in Jesus yet kept silent “for they loved praise from men more than praise from God” (John 12:42–43). • By contrast, Daniel refuses to bow to Darius’s decree, fearing God alone (Daniel 6:10). Lessons for today • People-pleasing can look harmless—“doing a favor”—yet it cultivates compromise. • Popular opinion shifts; God’s standard is fixed (Malachi 3:6). • Decisions rooted in fear of man produce instability; decisions rooted in reverence for God produce courage (Acts 4:19–20). • Our witness is most powerful when approval is sought from heaven, not from the crowd (Galatians 1:10). Freedom through the fear of the Lord • Matthew 10:28 calls believers to fear God, “who can destroy both soul and body in hell,” not those who can “kill the body.” • Proverbs 19:23: “The fear of the LORD leads to life, that one may rest content, untouched by trouble.” • Paul’s appeal to Caesar illustrates resting in God’s providence; his mission continues unhindered (Acts 28:30–31). • When reverence for God eclipses fear of man, the snare breaks, security rises, and the gospel advances. |
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