“Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.”
My Notes
What Does Jeremiah 1:8 Mean?
God speaks directly to the young prophet Jeremiah: "Be not afraid of their faces." The faces He's referring to are the faces of the people Jeremiah will confront—kings, priests, officials, and common people who will oppose his message. God knows their faces will be hostile, angry, threatening, dismissive. And He says: don't let their expressions control you.
The reason for fearlessness follows immediately: "for I am with thee to deliver thee." The antidote to the fear of human faces is the presence of the divine face. When God is with you, the threatening faces of others lose their power. Not because they become less hostile, but because the one standing with you is more powerful than anything they can do.
This commissioning happens at the beginning of Jeremiah's ministry—he's young, he feels inadequate, and he knows the message God is giving him will provoke violent opposition. God doesn't promise the opposition won't come. He promises that He will deliver Jeremiah through it. The faces will be hostile. God will be present. Both are true.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Whose face are you afraid of? Whose disapproval or anger has been controlling your decisions?
- 2.How does knowing God is 'with you' change the power dynamic when you face hostile opposition?
- 3.Jeremiah was young and felt inadequate. Do you relate? How does God's promise address your sense of inadequacy?
- 4.God promises deliverance through opposition, not from opposition. Are you willing to face the faces if God promises to be there?
Devotional
"Be not afraid of their faces." God says this to Jeremiah at the beginning of his ministry—a ministry that will last forty years and bring him constant opposition, imprisonment, death threats, and loneliness. God doesn't promise easy faces. He promises His presence.
The faces are specific. They're the faces of the people who will hate your message, resist your calling, and work to silence you. They're the hostile boss. The disapproving family member. The congregation that doesn't want to hear what you have to say. The friend who turns cold when you speak truth. God knows exactly which faces terrify you, and He says: don't be afraid of them.
The reason isn't that the faces aren't threatening—they are. The reason is "I am with thee." The presence of God doesn't eliminate the hostile faces. It changes the power dynamic. When God is standing with you, the most threatening face in the room becomes a face that's outnumbered. Not by another army, but by the one presence that outweighs every earthly power combined.
If there's a face you're afraid of—a person whose disapproval, anger, or rejection has been controlling your decisions—this verse speaks directly to that fear. God didn't tell Jeremiah to toughen up or to stop being sensitive. He told him: I'm with you. That's enough. My presence is your deliverance. The face you're afraid of has no authority over someone I'm standing beside.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Be not afraid of their faces,.... Their stern looks, their frowning brows, and angry countenances, which would threaten…
Here is, I. Jeremiah's early designation to the work and office of a prophet, which God gives him notice of as a reason…
Be not afraid Jeremiah had pleaded his youth, but, as the Lord saw, another cause for his shrinking from the task was…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture