The Fear of The LORD
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© October 1, 2017
Some people in our day and age, do not accept the concept of “the Fear of the Lord.” God is a loving God, they say, not one to be feared.
There may be several reasons why some do not want God to be categorized as One to be feared. To begin with, they do not want God to be cast in a negative light; also, rampant abuse and distress from tyrants from any gender, race or creed, whose goal is to have power at any cost, and who rule by terror, have terribly twisted and maligned the crucial aspect of Godly fear.
Practical Parental Preventatives
Parents should instill healthy fear into their children of hot stoves, scalding water and running helter-skelter into any street…and a number of other things!
Tough Decisions
It was interesting that before the recent hurricane stormed into Texas, governing leadership from two offices brought two differing responses on how the population should react to the impending danger:
· “Shelter in place,” (be Cautiously Afraid) from one
and
· “Get out of Dodge!” (Be Afraid, be Very Afraid!) from another
After the devastating hurricane and 1,000-year flood, which do you think gave the best advice?
Most of the residents in Florida, facing a category 5 hurricane a short time later, wisely left. “A burnt child dreads the fire,” an old adage tells us. Look on and learn.
The Scripture gives critical warning to those who say they have no fear of God.
Matthew 10:28
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Malachi 3:2
2 But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire….
Revelation 6:15–17
15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
To be sure, our God is a Loving God – the most Loving EVER; but, also be sure, our God is honorably and rightly to be feared.
What advice should you follow:
· God is a loving God, you shouldn’t fear Him…just keep on living as you are, everything will be alright.
Or
· Honorably fear Almighty God! Seek to honor, respect and obey what He wants His Children to be and do.
~ When we love God it keeps us from living in “paranoid” fear of God – Who is our most Gracious, Forgiving and Loving Heavenly Father. Who provided His own Son as our Sacrificial Savior!
~ When we fear God it keeps us from “abusing our rights” as God’s, sometimes rebellious, Children, and helps us Reverently Worship Him, revealing our will to submit to His Almighty Power and Authority.
Easton Bible Dictionary give us this definition of “the Fear of the Lord”:
“It is a fear conjoined with love and hope, and is therefore not a slavish dread, but rather filial (family: son or daughter) reverence.”[1]
What should “the Fear of the Lord” mean for us? What aspects of “the Fear of the Lord” should we consider as God’s Children?
· Reverence
· Respect
· Holiness
· Awe
· Submission
· Obedience
· Worship
· Other aspects…
Psalm 19:9
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.
The Psalm 19 Song: “The Law of the Lord”
Psalm 19:7–11 (KJV)
7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned (is thy servant warned): and in keeping of them there is great reward.
How Did the Psalmist Teach “The Fear of the Lord?”
Psalm 34:9–14
9 Fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
Watch what you say:
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
Watch what you do:
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
Blessings belong to those who Fear God
Psalm 128:1–4
1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in his ways.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your sons will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Thus is the man blessed
who fears the Lord.
What are the Primary Responses that God Asked of Israel after He delivered them from Egyptian Slavery and were receiving the 10 Commandments?
Deuteronomy 10:12–13
12 And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but
· to fear the Lord your God,
· to walk in all his ways,
· to love him,
· to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and
· to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? … (See verses which follow)
Wisdom and Knowledge Begin with Godly Fear
Psalm 111:10
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.
Proverbs 1:7
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
How Do We Reflect the Honorable Fear of God in our Daily Life?
· Attitude: Have the Same Attitude Christ Exhibited
Philippians 2:12–13 (*See ENDNOTES Philippians 2:3-13)
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
· Relationships: Honorably Submit to One Another
Ephesians 5:21
21 Submit to one another out of reverence (φόβος [phobos] – fear) for Christ.
· Reconciling Others: Understanding Future Judgment and the Fear of God, we try to Reconcile others to Christ
2 Corinthians 5:9–11a (*See ENDNOTES 2 Cor. 5:9-21 – Reconciliation to God)
9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.
· Worshipping God: Worship God Acceptably with Fear and Awe
Hebrews 12:28–29
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence (fear) and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”
· Eternal Consequences: Ultimate Respect, Awe and Fear
Matthew 10:28
28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
· Life’s Summary Statement: Here is the Wisest King’s Summary Statement on the Whole Duty of Man
Ecclesiastes 12:13
13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
Conclusion
Whose advice should you follow:
· God is a loving God, you shouldn’t fear Him…just keep on living as you are, everything will be alright.
Or
· Honorably fear Almighty God! Seek to honor, respect and obey what He wants His Children to be and do.
To be sure, our God is a Loving God – the most Loving EVER; but, also be sure, our God is honorably and rightly to be feared.
ENDNOTES
Attitude Like Christ
Philippians 2:3–13
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Ministry of Reconciliation
2 Corinthians 5:9–21
9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13 If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.
14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
[1] Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.