How do our “fears of men” bring snares into our lives? 510-1 - 7 - 7

“The fear of man brings a snare,” and David almost snared himself right in enemy territory!  David had to pretend to be out of his mind before he could escape.”

[The Books of 1^st and 2^nd Samuel by Chuck Missler]

1 Samuel 21:10, “And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.” 

The man who was to be the greatest king second only to Jesus debased himself through fear. First in fear of King Saul, David had sought refuge with the Philistine king Achish of Gath. The people of Gath knew of the praise David had received, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” David went from the frying pan into the fire of the camp of the enemies of Israel. In fear he played a madman.

"Oh! What A Tangled Web We Weave When First We Practice To Deceive"

[Sir Walter Scott]

1 Samuel 21:13, “And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.”

 “1 Samuel 21:10-15 Then David left Israel and fled to the city of Gath, Goliath's hometown. Here he, the anointed king of Israel, sought refuge among the enemies of God's people. When the Philistines became suspicious of him, he was forced to act the madman to save his life. De Rothschild notes that David knew well "that the insane were held inviolable, as smitten but protected by the Deity." And so the psalmist of Israel stood drooling in his beard as he scribbled on the doors of the gate. Because of the callousness of God's people and David's own lapse of faith, he was reduced to this disgraceful behavior.”

[Believer’s Bible Commentary]

Playing the madman worked. King Achish let David go and he escaped to the cave of Adullam. David composed Psalm 34 there, Psalm 34:20-22, “20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. 21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate. 22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.”

Verse 20 is Messianic; the bones of Jesus were not broken while hanging on the cross. 

The fear of man really doesn’t cause a snare in my life. I place my life in God’s hands, nevertheless, I listen to that small still voice. I have two inexpensive homes in Arizona. I winter in a cozy RV park and summer way off the power grid in the higher elevations of northeastern Arizona. For the last few years I’ve felt a push to live year-round at my summer home and I’ve become a bit of a prepper. It’s not fear so much as an awareness of world events. Our power grid could be taken down by an EMP. As for my solar array, batteries, and electronics hard to say if they would survive. I know that I’ll be where I’m supposed to be all in God’s timing.

Is there a deeper meaning to the words of Jesus, “The volume of the book is written of Me 509 - 10 - 6

Psalm 40:6-8, “6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” 

These verses are distinctly Messianic! God had required sacrifices and offerings for the nation of Israel as types of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus as a propitiation for sins. John 1:29, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”

A few verses earlier, Psalm 40:2. “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.” Resurrection after three days and nights in the tomb? Brings to mind Daniel 2:43, “And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.”

The stone cut out of the mountain without hands that shattered the status in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was a foretelling of Jesus at the end of days. The miry clay could relate to Genesis 6:2, “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” A little further out of the box, Jude 1:6, “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” 

Jesus was quoted by Paul as confirmation, Hebrews 10:6-7, “6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7 Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”

A mystery in Numbers 21:8, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.” Explained in John 3:14, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” Again Jesus, a propitiation for sins.

Hundreds of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, and yet Matthew 7:14, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Rather most rush through the wide gate “that leadeth to destruction.” 

44 Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus Christ

[https://www.thoughtco.com/prophecies-of-jesus-fulfilled-700159]

353 Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus Christ

[http://www.accordingtothescriptures.org/prophecy/353prophecies.html]

references about rocks that have messianic overtones 505 - 5 - 7

CM often states that the Bible is an integrated whole. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments the rock and/ or stone is used a type of the Messiah.

All through The Book of Psalms King David referred to God as the rock of salvation, refuge. Jesus is our rock of salvation, our refuge.

Exodus 17:6, “Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.” Jesus, our living water.

Again in 1 Corinthians 10:4, “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

Numbers 20:8, "Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.”

Moses was to speak to the rock, a type of Jesus, instead he struck it twice. Strong’s H5553 includes rock as a fortress or a stronghold. Here this rock is a type of Jesus, our fortress, our stronghold and the provider of Living Water. Striking the rock was a harbinger of the crucifixion of Jesus.

Isaiah 8:14-15, “14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.”

1 Peter 2:8, “And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.” Here Jesus is the stone of stumbling to unbelievers, harkening back to Isaiah 8:14-15.

Romans 9:33, “As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumbling stone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Today just the mention of the name Jesus is often an offence to unbelievers.

Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”

The precious corner stone is picked up again in 1 Peter 2:6, “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, Precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.”

Ephesians 2:20-21, “20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord”

Matthew 7:24-25 concerns a house built upon a rock, the floods came and the wind blew and beat upon the house but it stood just as our faith does when it is built on Jesus, the precious corner stone, a sure foundation.