My Security

A preacher said, “insecurity leads one to idolatry.” Here he means by idolatry to serve the wrong god (the first one of the 10 commandments) or to serve God in the wrong way (the second one of the 10 commandments). It is a great point. We must always be aware of that as we live by faith. Because faith is, in a sense, relying on God as security, as expressed by trust. 

The Hebrew word batak (bāṭaḥ) genetically means security, and it is translated into trust. We can find the word used three times in Psalm 22, which Jesus quoted on the cross (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). The word is used in verses 5, 8, and 9 and is translated into trust in the English Standard Version. In biblical Hebrew, “bāṭaḥ expresses that sense of well-being and security which results from having something or someone in whom to place confidence” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament). So in the Bible, when one trusts in God, he finds his security in God. That is a meaning of faith. 

Jesus quoted the Psalm on the cross and let us know that He found security in God even at the moment of death. Verses 19-21a are the prayer, and 21b is the proclamation of the rescue of God. In these verses, we see words like “help,” “deliver,” “save,” and “rescue” (vs. 19, 20, 21a, and 21b, respectively). These words give us the meaning of batak clearly, and it is relying on God as help, deliverer, savior, and rescue, in other words, security.  

Therefore, trusting in God means not having insecurity. Living by faith is, in a sense, living without insecurity because one has the infallible security that comes from God. The flip side of security is idolatry, which is not trusting God. Even if one thinks he trusts in God, if he feels insecure, it means he is worshipping the wrong god, such as money, job, insurance, and power. Or it means he is worshipping God in the wrong way. In other words, the God he worships is not the God as He Is but a God that he constructed in his mind, and such a God can’t give him security. 

I like the story of the horses and chariots of fire which gave Elisha a great victory (2 Kings 6:8 following). When the Syrian army with horses and chariots surrounding the Israelite city, the servant of Elisha was insecure. However, when the Lord opened his eyes after Elisha prayed for him, “he saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). Even though the scripture doesn’t say it, the young servant of Elisha should have become secure seeing what the Lord had for His people. This story illustrates the relationship between faith and security, as faith is seeing the unseen of God (Hebrews 11:1). Only when one sees the unseen thing through faith he overcomes insecurity. This is the reason why the scripture says only faith overcomes the world (1 John 5:4). The world challenges us, asking, “What do you have in the world as your security?” We say by faith God is our security. However, the devil and his helpers challenge us further, asking, “Are you sure? Can you see it?” So then, faith should come in to overcome the challenges.

It may be a matter of faith and idolatry if we feel insecure. So, we have to repent of the sin of idolatry and put our whole trust back in God. That will give us security, and we will be full of joy.