Twenty eight times scripture
uses the phrase “The fear of the Lord”, and multiplied other
passages address this precept. In
both the Hebrew and Greek testaments to “fear” God carries a
strong sense of reverence, respect, and honor. But fear is more than
this. Fear is a special motivation to be obedient – a call to
obedience – that “the fear of Him might be before you, that you
may not sin.” Jesus admonished: “Do
not be afraid of those who kill the body … But I will show you whom
you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast
into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him”! We do not fear those whose
judgment is merely physical and temporal, we fear God whose judgment
is final and eternal. Fear
of God is an essential part of faith for our belief in God is based
on our knowledge of God – who and what He is – which in and of
itself produces fear. The natural response when the finite comes face
to face with the infinite is fear: Awe and apprehension of the
unknown – what the all seeing, all knowing, ever present, all
powerful God might do… trembling in His presence. Mature faith must
include a healthy dose of fear – we are talking about the God who
lives in unapproachable light – but faith itself rules out anxiety
of any sort, producing ultimate trust in its place. Fearing God
involves trust, not terror, and promotes confidence. Fear of God
becomes a refuge, a shelter from the storms of life. Fear, along with
holiness and prayer, is the basic impetus for Christian activity.
Fear is more than an attitude,
it is observance of God’s ways and doing what we know pleases Him,
for true fear is a
response to God’s commandments. As the Apostle Paul said relative
to his need to obey God’s will for him:
“For
necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the
gospel”! The Greek word anagke is translated “necessity” here
and means compelling force as opposed to willingness. And, “woe”
is translate from the Greek ouai and means an exclamation of
condemnation. Paul clearly seen fear of the Lord as a special
motivation to be obedient and avoid displeasing God, for “the Lord
will judge His people … it is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God.” Scripture
states the fear of the Lord is a treasure of knowledge and wisdom,
bringing obedience to His commandments and understanding, as the
Spirit of the Lord rests upon those who fear Him. It is wise to fear
the one who holds our breath in His hands. To do otherwise is foolish
and can lead to a casual disregard of God – a taking of the divine
for granted. You see, fear of God is synonymous with the worship of
God. It is most unwise to give little attention to our loving Daddy. It is most unwise to underestimate the value of our loving Daddy. It is most unwise to fail to appreciate our loving Daddy. And… It never hurts to sometimes call Him Sir!
“THE
FEAR OF THE LORD... IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM”
(Job 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Pr.
1:7, 9:10; Is. 11:12, 33:6; Ex. 20:20; Dan. 5:23; Lk. 12:4-5; Acts
9:31; 1 Peter 1:17; 1 Cor. 9:16; Heb. 10:31)
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