The Fear of the Lord

♦ December 8, 2024 ♦ Leave a comment


 

(NIV) Prov 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,

and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For through wisdom your days will be many,

and years will be added to your life.

 

(NIV) Ps 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

 

(NIV Deut 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

 

I watched a sermon by Dr. David Jeremiah on fearing God. He posits that our country is in such bad shape because we no longer fear God. But doesn’t the Bible teach us not to fear because God is with us? Yes, but in that instance we are being told not to fear a situation such as going into battle, because God is with us, even going before us. But when people are in the presence of God, our natural response should be fear.

 

I believe two things have happened over the course of my lifetime;

  1. Parents stopped teaching their children to respect those in authority (teachers, police)
  2. Preachers stopped preaching about the fear of the Lord, and instead emphasized the love of God

 

So which is it? Should we fear God or should we love Him? The answer is we should do both. We fear God because of His awesome power. He created the universe, He took a small insignificant people called the Hebrews and made them His own. When Moses was confronted by the burning bush, He was afraid. When Isaiah was in the throne room of God, He was afraid. Yet God loved us so much he sacrificed His Son to save us from the penalty of sin.

 

I thought for years that man’s problem is that we no longer recognize sin, or even know that sin is breaking Gods laws, thus separating us from Him. So I preached about sin and the consequences of sinning against God. But I also preached God’s love, because God really did love the world so much that He gave His Son to redeem us and restore us to a right relationship with Him.

 

But let’s face it: Fear moderates our behavior. We do not get too close to the edge of a cliff for fear we will fall. We do not get too close to fire for fear we will get burned. And we do not sin against God for fear of punishment or separation. Could it be that fear and love are two sides of the same coin?

 

May we who are Christ followers never forget the awesome power of our God, and may we bow before Him in awe, lavishing in His presence.

 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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