“The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.”
Proverbs 29:25 (KJV)
I’ve tried to set a trap or two, whether it was an unsuspecting critter or one of my brothers. There’s just something interesting and satisfying about the thought of success.
But trapping has another side, as we all know. At some point, we’ve been the target of a well-placed trap. For example, those speed zones that drop so quickly, just in time for the cop’s radar to register—no excuses here ;). What about marketing traps? Can clever clothing or lifestyle appeals snooker us? Of course. We’ve all been caught, whether we knew it or not. What’s the point?
The point is that traps, though interesting, are meant to commandeer, to take control. Obviously, traps themselves are tools and morally neutral. However, in the wrong hands, they can cause great harm, especially in our spiritual lives.
We need to know what traps the evil one has set and how they lead us away from what is spiritually good for us. Scripture shows that the word “snare” appears at least twenty-eight times in the OT. Often, the word relates to idolatry, as in the nation’s gods will be a “snare” to God’s people, and the like. However, in Proverbs, the word appears eight times, usually referring to where we place our trust, how we use our words, and ultimately the choices we make.
That’s why the verse above matters. The writer says fearing man brings a snare, while trusting God leads to safety. When we fear something, we’re relying on that something or someone—we’re trusting them or that.
So Proverbs 29:25 shows two polar-opposite outcomes, determined by what or whom we trust. If we trust in man, Jeremiah tells us, our hearts turn away from God. Why would this be? It tells us we want control. With people, we relate to them and assume we can control them. It’s not that way with God. By trusting God, we entrust ourselves and the outcomes entirely to Him, and He cannot be controlled. Remember the goal of a trap? To control or commandeer. Now, that’s the paradox of lacking faith. In seeking to control, we become controlled. We get trapped.
What’s the way out?
Trusting in God. That’s not a blind, silly kind of trust. Rather, it’s taking God at His Word. He has made promises in the Bible that are fulfilled in Christ and directly apply to God’s children. These promises anchor and hold us in times of doubt, strengthening our faith and keeping us from becoming ensnared by our desire to snare. Here’s one from the Heidelberg Catechism Q. 1 (Scripture proof texts for HC at bottom):
What is your only comfort in life and death?
That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him.
If you are a Christian, you are in Christ, which means you are not your own. That’s not losing control, but ending the demand. In Christ, you are free to enjoy all the benefits of God’s Son, including safety, no matter your physical or emotional condition.
What does this mean? Christ has given Himself; what more can He give (Rom. 8:32)? And since that is true, fearing man, like people-pleasing or needing others’ approval, is a poor trade, to say the least.
Matt 10:29–31; Luke 21:16–18; John 6:39–40; 8:34–36; 10:27–30; Rom 8:1–17; 8:28; 14:7–9; 1 Cor 3:23; 6:19–20; 2 Cor 1:21–22; 5:5; Eph 1:13–14; 2 Thess 3:3; Titus 2:14; Heb 2:14–15; 1 Pet 1:5; 1:18–19; 1 John 1:7–9; 2:2; 3:1–11
— October 29, 2026