6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.

Psalms 3:6

Explanation

David states that even though there are many people that are against him (3:1-2), he will not be afraid of all of those people. He has just said that because of his trust in the Lord he can sleep knowing that God is the one who protects and sustains him. In this text he has security about his status even though circumstantially it looks like there are a lot of people that are against him. He will not fear even though there are a large quantity of people who seem to be against him.

Application

Fear of man can come as a fear of an individual person, and it can come as fear of a group of people. Here are a few categories of ways we can fear people.

Fear of Individuals

We can find it in questions we ask ourselves. “What will she think about me?” “I have to do x because of what he will think.” This can be sinful when it causes us to idolize others, disobey God, and live in sinful fear.

Fear of an Invisible “They”

Sometimes fear can be generalized and vague. “What is they don’t like that?” “What if they don’t accept me?”. Sometimes we are worried about what “people” will think. If we’re not careful this invisible group of people will impact our behavior in sinful ways.

Fear of of a Visible “They”

This is the one David is talking about here. These are people that have “set themselves against me round about”. This might be the category that could produce the most fear- both legitimate and illegitimate.

When facing all of these fears, our fear of the Lord and trust in Him must be the antidote to fear of man. The Lord is the one who will sustain us. The only way to stay faithful to God in the midst of this kind of fear is to have a proper fear and trust in him.

Response

Today, I will ask the Lord to help me know when I am acting out of fear instead of faith. I should do what is right, not just what is acceptable in the sight of men. 

Lord, help me to trust you today. Amen