Poor King Saul, he did not realize that there is the fear that jeopardizes us and our future. Soon after God made Saul king, He also gave him clear instructions on the complete destruction of Amalek. Saul was to destroy the king and people, cattle, and all in Amalek without sparing a hoof.
God gave Saul victory over the Amalekites and he captured Agag the king of Amalek. However, King Saul refrained from totally destroying the city as God commanded. He took Agag alive with a few choice oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good. The bible says he was unwilling to utterly destroy them.
Next, we see God saying to the prophet words that I pray none of us will ever have God say about us. God said, “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me.” Why? King Saul disobeyed God.
The reason he disobeyed the God of Heaven and of the earth is that, as he claimed, he feared the people. This fear of the people is the fear that jeopardizes us and our future. But he thought it was a light matter to fear man. Whereas, the apostle Paul, speaking later, cautioned that the fear of man brings a snare.
King Saul discovered that the snare of fearing man was no small matter. He found out that God consequently rejected him from being king. 
Saul lost his kingdom because he did not know the nature of the fear that jeopardizes us. One minute he was king and the next, he was just an ordinary citizen.
Judge For Yourselves
You may wonder why God gave such a harsh judgment. Particularly after King Saul explained that they took the oxen and fatlings to sacrifice to the Lord Himself. God gave an answer that has become so popular that we have stopped thinking of its importance. God declared “to obey is better than sacrifice.”
That is like saying if God tells you to stand up while everybody else is seated, you stand up. It is not the time to be afraid of what people will say. Because the fear of man is the fear that jeopardizes us and our future. King Saul lost his glorious future because he feared the people.
Please don’t get me wrong, people can often be quite intimidating, especially if you are not in a position of power. And the temptation to tell a lie or bend the truth can be overwhelming. But when you remember that the fear of man is the fear that jeopardizes us, you will resist.
On the other hand, the fear of God is wonderful and assures our future. This is the knowledge that Peter and the other apostles had when faced with a temptation to fear man. They knew that such a fear is the fear that jeopardizes us and chose rather to obey God.
Man can (and does) kill the body when you cross him. However, he cannot touch the real you – your soul. Hence Jesus advises us to not be afraid of him. Rather we should fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. In other words, fear only God.
The Fear That Jeopardizes Us Is Not The Fear Of God
Unlike the fear of man which jeopardizes us, the fear of God brings us joy. The bible says the secrets of the Lord are with those who fear Him. Knowing the secrets of God is the best position to be in the world. If you know what God is doing before it happens, kings and presidents will seek you out. They might even offer to pay you handsomely.
You must surely remember prophet Elisha. He feared God and the secrets of the Lord were with him. He was the one that the commander of the army of Syria came to for help. This was an international trip to seek out the man who knew the secrets of God. It is obvious that the fear that jeopardizes us is not the fear of God.
Because after Elisha cleansed Naaman of his leprosy, Naaman wanted to reward him. Naturally, he refused. Freely he received the secret of God and freely he gave. You know the rest f the story, where Gehazi went and collected payment.
There is no doubt that Gehazi did not fear God. He was of the group that Jesus later referred to as hirelings. Whatever he feared was the fear that jeopardizes us and our future. It should therefore not come as a surprise that the leprosy of Naaman stuck to Gehazi and his descendants forever.
Elijah’s Fear Is the Fear that Jeopardizes Us.
While Elisha feared only God, his former master Elijah fear man. Or, to put it more accurately, Elijah feared a particular woman, Jezebel. Elijah was so afraid of Jezebel that the bible records that he ran for his life. Poor prophet. At the end of it all, Elijah prayed that God should take his life and God granted his prayer.
His fear of Jezebel effectively ended both is life and ministry. I wonder how many of us are so afraid of what man can do to us that we run for our lives. And in such running, we end up disobeying God.
This was a fact that Nehemiah recognized such that when people counseled him to run, he flatly refused. He asked them “Should such a man as I flee? And who is there such as I who would go into the temple to save his life?”
What about you and me? How has the fear of man made us sin against God? Do you run because of the fear of man? Don’t forget, fear of man is the fear that jeopardizes us. Beware because it may mean that your righteousness is lacking or flagging.
Since the bible says the righteous are bold as lions, anyone who operates in fear should check their righteousness level. God will help us to be righteous so that we will not fear man.
Maranatha!
