Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:29-31
The ESV Study Bible tells us that “sparrows were customarily thought of as the smallest of creatures, and the copper coin that is rendered into English as ‘penny’ here was one of the least valuable Roman coins…”* The point here is that “if God does not overlook the death or injury of even the most insignificant birds,” then surely He does not overlook the suffering or death of His beloved children.**
I like the way the CSB Study Bible puts it. “The God who has numbered even the hairs of your head has also numbered the days of your life. His plan for his disciples cannot be cut short by persecution.”***
If God doesn't let the sparrows fall apart from His will, then neither will He let you fall apart from His will. The Bible doesn’t guarantee that you won’t suffer. It doesn’t even guarantee that you won’t die. In fact, many Christians have died for their faith. But it does promise that God will watch over you and that nothing will happen to you apart from Him.
This is why Christians shouldn’t fear persecution. Because we have nothing to fear from men. They don’t hold our fate in their hands. God the Father does. And God does not forget His children. No harm can befall you apart from His will. You can be in the worst possible situation and not fear, because you know that God’s got you! So, faithful believer, don't live in fear of men!
*Wilkins, Michael J. ESV Study Bible note on Matthew 10:29 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2001), 1841
** A. Boyd Luter, “Luke,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1632
*** Charles L. Quarles, “Matthew,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1517.
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