Faith & Fear

In my reading of the Bible I have come once again to the book of Hebrews and I was struck with a verse I've read many times but I've never truly seen.
In chapter 11 the author outlines heroes of the faith. Amazingly he specifically names 15 individual from Abel, Enoch and Abraham to the prophets of the kingdom years; implies three very specifically, namely Moses' parents and Joshua; and points to a score of others less directly.

However, two statements struck me as I was reading through the text; verse 23 states that Moses' parents were "not afraid of the king's edict" and verse 27 states of Moses as "not being afraid of the anger of the king".

Both of these seem to be untrue according to my definition of fear. The parents were clearly afraid of the king otherwise they wouldn't have first hidden the child and then set him adrift in a reed-boat on the Nile. And if Moses was so unafraid, why did he pick up his princely robe and high-tailed it out of Egypt and into the obscurity of the Arabian wilderness?

While these statements of apparent fearlessness seem contradictory to the reality shown in the Old Testament stories I believe firmly in the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible! So... there's got to be more to it.

Moses' parents knew the consequences for being caught with a brand new baby boy, those consequences had to be terrifying, and yet that fear did not cause them to hand the child over to be killed. Despite their fear they did what was right in that circumstance.
Likewise, Moses was certainly aware of the wrath of Pharaoh that was about to come down on him and this terrifying prospect caused him to flee to Midian. As a matter of fact Exodus 2:14 states that Moses was "afraid". However despite fear and a clear understanding of the extent of pharaoh's power Moses returned to lead out the people of God years later.

In both cases, fear is a real part of the experience. Real difficulties and real dangers are being faced despite fear not in the absence of it. The love for God, the regard for His commands and the concern for His glory and renown are more compelling than the fear of circumstances or consequences.

New Church Initiatives: ENTREPRENEURS AND FEAR