The Coward and the Hero
What Truly Sets Them Apart
The Coward and the Hero
What Truly Sets Them Apart
Fear is a universal human experience. Every person who stands before great responsibility or daunting challenge feels the grip of fear. The difference between the coward and the hero is not found in who feels fear and who does not. Both the coward and the hero stand before the same obstacle, with the same biology and the same instinctive reaction. The true dividing line is faith in God and the willingness to act in the face of fear. The events recorded in Numbers chapters thirteen and fourteen reveal this distinction in stark detail. This article will examine: the universal nature of fear, the mindset of the coward who leaves God out, and the mindset of the hero who stands with God. The conclusion will call every Christian to courageous faith and decisive action.
Fear Is Universal
Fear is not a sign of weakness or inferiority. It is part of the human condition. When Joshua stood before the task of leading Israel into Canaan, the Lord said, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9). The Lord would not have given such a charge if Joshua did not need it. Even men of faith face moments of uncertainty and apprehension.
The disciples experienced the same fear when confronted by the storm. “And His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish” (Matthew 8:25). Peter’s fear was exposed on the water: “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30). Scripture never teaches that fear is absent from the faithful. It teaches that the response to fear reveals character.
The Coward: Absence of God, Slavery to Baser Nature
The coward is not defined by the experience of fear, but by the decision to surrender to it. In Numbers chapter thirteen, the spies who brought back an evil report were honest about their fear but dishonest about God’s promise. “And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:33). These men saw only their own limitations. They were absent God in their thinking and became slaves to their baser nature.
Their fear spread through the congregation and paralyzed an entire nation. “And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night…Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!” (Numbers 14:1-2). When God is left out, every obstacle appears insurmountable. Fear unchecked leads to rebellion and defeat. The coward cannot see past the present threat. He becomes his own worst enemy.
The Hero: Faith in God and Courage to Act
The hero faces the same facts, feels the same fear, but chooses a different response. Caleb and Joshua stood in the minority, but their faith was resolute. “And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30). The hero does not deny the danger. He refuses to measure the challenge by human strength alone.
Joshua and Caleb said, “If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not” (Numbers 14:8-9). Faith in God transforms fear into action. The hero does not act because he is unafraid, but because he trusts God more than he fears the enemy.
Paul reminded Timothy, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). The hero acts on the conviction that God stands with His people. The battle belongs to the Lord, and faith lays hold of that truth.
Conclusion
The coward and the hero feel the same fear, but one allows fear to decide the outcome while the other moves forward in faith. Scripture commands, “Be strong and of a good courage.” The Christian who will be a hero is the one who trusts God enough to act, even when afraid. Victory is not won by those who never feel fear, but by those who choose to trust and obey God in the face of it. With God, no Christian is ever outnumbered or outmatched. Let every Christian refuse the identity of a grasshopper. Stand with God, act in faith, and let courage define your walk. The world is changed, not by those who feel no fear, but by those who do and act anyway.