Fretting, in a biblical context, refers to a state of anxiety, worry, or agitation, often arising from a lack of trust in God's provision and sovereignty. The term is most notably found in the Old Testament, where it is used to caution believers against allowing external circumstances to disturb their inner peace and faith.

Biblical References:

1. Psalm 37:1-8 : The psalmist David provides a clear admonition against fretting in this passage. He writes, "Do not fret over those who do evil; do not envy those who do wrong. For they will wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender plants" (Psalm 37:1-2). The psalm continues to encourage trust in the Lord, delight in Him, and commitment to His ways as antidotes to fretting. Verse 8 further advises, "Refrain from anger and abandon wrath; do not fret—it can only bring harm."

2. Proverbs 24:19-20 : This passage echoes the sentiments of Psalm 37, warning against fretting over evildoers. "Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked. For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished."

Theological Insights:

Fretting is often associated with a lack of faith or trust in God's plan and timing. It can manifest as worry about personal circumstances, the prosperity of the wicked, or the apparent success of those who do not follow God's ways. The Bible consistently teaches that such anxiety is unnecessary and counterproductive for believers.

Spiritual Implications:

1. Trust in God: Fretting is contrasted with trust in God. Believers are encouraged to place their confidence in God's goodness and faithfulness, as seen in Psalm 37:3-5, "Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it."

2. Peace and Contentment: The New Testament also addresses the issue of anxiety, with Jesus teaching in Matthew 6:25-34 about the futility of worry and the importance of seeking first the kingdom of God. The Apostle Paul echoes this in Philippians 4:6-7, urging believers to present their requests to God with thanksgiving, resulting in the peace of God guarding their hearts and minds.

3. Eternal Perspective: Fretting often arises from a temporal perspective, focusing on immediate circumstances rather than eternal truths. Scripture encourages believers to maintain an eternal perspective, recognizing that God's justice and righteousness will ultimately prevail.

Practical Application:

Believers are called to actively combat fretting by cultivating a life of prayer, thanksgiving, and meditation on God's Word. Engaging in community with other believers and seeking counsel from mature Christians can also provide support and encouragement. By focusing on God's promises and character, Christians can overcome the temptation to fret and instead live in the peace and assurance that comes from a deep relationship with the Lord.1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your care on him; for he cares for you.
Topicalbible.org

Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
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1 Peter 3:3-4
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
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Hebrews 13:9-16
Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Topicalbible.org

(p. pr. & vb. n.) of Fret.FRET, FRETTING

(charah, ma'ar):

To "fret" is from for (prefix) and etan, "to eat," "to consume." The word is both transitive and intransitive in King James Version:

(1) transitive as translation of charah, "to burn," Hithpael, "to fret one's self," "to be angry" (Psalm 37:1, "Fret not thyself because of evil-doers"; Psalm 37:7, 8 Proverbs 24:19); of qatsaph, "to be angry," etc. (Isaiah 8:21, "They shall fret themselves, and curse," etc.); of raghaz, to be moved" (with anger, etc.) (Ezekiel 16:43, "Thou hast fretted me in all these things," the American Standard Revised Version "raged against me"). For Leviticus 13:55, see under Fretting below.

(2) Intransitive, it is the translation of ra`am, "to rage," Hiphil, "to provoke to anger" (1 Samuel 1:6, "Her rival provoked her sore, to make her fret"); of za`aph, "to be sad," "to fret" (Proverbs 19:3, "His heart fretteth against Yahweh").

Fretting in the sense of eating away, consuming, is used of the leprosy, ma'ar, "to be sharp, bitter, painful" (Leviticus 13:51, 52; Leviticus 14:44, "a fretting leprosy"; in Leviticus 13:55 we have "it (is) fret inward" ("fret" past participle), as the translation of pehetheth from pahath, "to dig" (a pit), the word meaning "a depression," "a hollow or sunken spot in a garment affected by a kind of leprosy," the Revised Version (British and American) "it is a fret."

Revised Version has "fretful" for "angry" (Proverbs 21:19), margin "vexation."

W. L. Walker

3992. maar -- to prick, to pain
... fretting, picking. A primitive root; to be bitter or (causatively) to embitter,
ie Be painful -- fretting, picking. 3991, 3992. maar. 3993 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/3992.htm - 6k

Fret not Thyself
... We can not have it, however, if we give place to worrying and fretting. ... Fretting
is like sand in a bearing; it is likely to make all sorts of trouble. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/naylor/heart talks/talk thirty fret not thyself.htm

True Prudence
... And why? Because you have to be prudent. In practice, fretting and anxiety help
no man towards prudence. ... But does fretting make us the least more prudent? ...
/.../kingsley/the good news of god/sermon xxx true prudence.htm

All the Day Long
... So foolish and ignorant are we that we lose our walk with God by fretting
because of evil-doers. Thirdly we shall notice before ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/all the day long.htm

Useless Doctors
... Whence came this woman's pain? (which she would never have told, had she never been
questioned about it) from fretting for the death of her son. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/wesley/the journal of john wesley/useless doctors.htm

Growth
... do they spin. They grow, that is, automatically, spontaneously, without
trying, without fretting, without thinking. Applied in any ...
//christianbookshelf.org/drummond/natural law in the spiritual world/growth.htm

Providence
... But as for anxiety, fretting, repining, complaining to God, 'Why hast Thou
made me thus?' what use in that? 'Which of you by taking ...
/.../kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon xiii providence.htm

Self-Respect and Self-Righteousness
... give to his scholars."'Regret not that which is past; and trust not in thine own
righteousness.' For you will lose time, and lose heart, in fretting over old ...
/.../kingsley/the good news of god/sermon xi self-respect and self-righteousness.htm

On Zeal
... How often do we see men fretting at the ungodly, or telling you they are out of
patience with such or such things, and terming all this their zeal! ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 92 on zeal.htm

Strong Souls.
... I admit the wearing power of fretting anxiety, of sorrow that saps the springs of
life, of labour pushed to contempt of the physical and moral conditions of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/beard/strong souls/strong souls.htm

"Jesus Says So. "
... when we were disappointed; I will try not to do so again:" and in the evening her
father overheard her begging God to forgive her pride and fretting about the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/jesus says so/jesus says so.htm

Fretting (6 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Fret. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
FRET, FRETTING. ... For Leviticus 13:55, see under Fretting below. ...
/f/fretting.htm - 10k

Fret (9 Occurrences)
... 21. (vt) To furnish with frets, as an instrument of music. Int. Standard Bible
Encyclopedia. FRET, FRETTING. ... For Leviticus 13:55, see under Fretting below. ...
/f/fret.htm - 13k

Malignant (5 Occurrences)
... plague be spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in the skin,
whatever service skin is used for; the plague is a fretting leprosy; it is ...
/m/malignant.htm - 8k

Leprosy (51 Occurrences)
... in Leviticus 13:47;, and when these stains spread, or, after washing, do not change
their color, they are pronounced to be due to a fretting leprosy (tsara`ath ...
/l/leprosy.htm - 37k

Vessel (118 Occurrences)
... he hath burnt the garment, or the warp, or the woof, in wool or in linen, or any
vessel of skin in which the plague is; for it 'is' a fretting leprosy; with ...
/v/vessel.htm - 40k

Nap (1 Occurrence)
... and behold, if the sore have not changed its appearance, and the sore have not spread,
it is unclean: thou shalt burn it with fire: it is a fretting sore on ...
/n/nap.htm - 7k

Woollen (4 Occurrences)
... he shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in woollen or in linen,
or anything of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it ...
/w/woollen.htm - 7k

Wean
... The weaned child, no longer fretting for the breast and satisfied with its mother's
affection, is used in Psalm 131:2 as a figure for Israel's contentment with ...
/w/wean.htm - 8k

Woolen (6 Occurrences)
... shall therefore burn that garment, whether warp or woof, in woolen or in linen,
or any thing of skin, wherein the plague is: for it is a fretting leprosy; it ...
/w/woolen.htm - 8k

Friction (1 Occurrence)

/f/friction.htm - 6k

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