Weekly Meditations - Fearing the LORD
Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.” - Proverbs 1:7
There is a saying that I think has fallen out of common use in the English vocabulary that I wish would return. In fact, the last time I can remember hearing the phrase was while riding in the truck with one of my older coworkers at a previous job and he described the owner of the company as a “God-fearing man”.
Now, if a phrase’s meaning isn’t preserved by an accurate depiction of that phrase in real life, the phrase will cheapen over time. So, turns of phrase are only as good as they are an accurate depiction of reality. Even worse, if we begin to associate the turn of phrase with the wrong things, then not only is the phrase cheapened, but it actually becomes perverted. But I digress.
What does it mean to be a “God-fearing man” (or woman for that matter)?
Just to be clear, the FEAR here that’s being spoken of is real fear. Quickly consider two biblical examples of people encountering the Living God and it producing fear in them:
In Isaiah, chapter 6, Isaiah sees the vision of God in the temple and he falls to the ground and begins to pronounce woes on himself because he is certain that he is totally undone and ruined in the presence of Almighty God.
Consider in Acts 5 where Ananias and Sapphira drop dead because they lie to the Holy Spirit about how much they would give to the church and it says after that that fear came upon the whole church and all who heard these things.
God did not become less terrifying or less holy in the New Testament. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The same God that put Isaiah on his face, and who struck Ananias and Sapphira dead, is the same God that we worship today, the One True God.
But what is the utility, the benefit if you will, of FEARING GOD? Well, think about what fear does to you.
Fear that is operating properly as God designed it to, keeps us from harm. I fear 3rd degree burns, therefore I do not pick up the boiling pot with my bare hands.
So, fearing God keeps us away from eternal harm. It keeps us safe from what will ultimately destroy us.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
God is the judge. The judge judges impartially according to each one’s deeds. Every act of sin and disobedience must come under judgement and the price must be paid for it. Fear, both in an eternal sense and in a mortal sense, drives us to the mercy and help of God. We could rightly say that our fear of God is directly correlated to the degree to which we seek the help and mercy of God.
If I recognize that God is holy, He tolerates no sin, He is my judge, I have sinned, I am guilty, He offers forgiveness, but promises wrath for the unrepentant; then fear drives me to the mercy of God, and chiefly to the mercy of God manifested in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.
The fear of the LORD, properly understood, is not a ticket to heaven. It’s a complete reality shift away from the life which leads to eternal death and towards the life which leads to eternal life. It isn’t merely a change of destination, but a complete change of being.
So, fear the LORD. Remember that nothing done under the sun is hidden from him. Nothing is meaningless, everything matters. But He is your help, and He bids you come to Him that you may find life.
So, come and welcome to Jesus Christ!
May God bless and keep you!
Til’ the LORD brings His church to full maturity and unity in the truth, we labor together towards that end!