The Fear of the Lord
by David Matranga
Last week I heard Dave Hoffman preach a message. In his introduction, he offhandedly said that the fear of the Lord is the second greatest principle taught in the Old Testament – and I was convicted. Why hadn’t I studied the topic more and applied it further in my life?
Today, after doing some study, I want to lay out clearly what the Fear of the Lord is and how it changes our daily walks of faith. (Click here to check out Dave Hoffman’s excellent book on the subject.)
What Is It?
How close are you willing to get to the edge of a cliff when a violent wind is blowing? How long will you stand in the path of an oncoming train?
These things are rightly intimidating. If you flout the wind or defy the train, your rebellion is destined to be a short and painful one.
This doesn’t mean that you lay awake at night in bed, trembling in torment about the possibility of a train going off the rails somewhere and traveling across town to smash into your bedroom. It doesn’t mean you worry all day about possibly finding yourself upon a windy hillside. You can have fear of these things without having anxiety about them.
It’s the same with the fear of God.
The first thing we need to understand about this topic is that fear means fear. It doesn’t just mean reverence or great respect, the primary words used in the Bible are “phobeo” (in the NT) and “Yirah” in the OT. Look them up in an interlinear or a concordance if you like, but they mean fear, plain and simple. Yet even with fearing God, we don’t need to be tormented (1 John 4:18).
Just like you’d get out of the way of an oncoming train, fearing God means that you understand there are consequences for disobedience. Equally important, you understand that there are blessings for obedience. That’s what the fear of God means.
God Demonstrates His Power
In Numbers 16, God causes the earth to open up and swallow the rebellious faction of Israelites.
In Genesis 19, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone.
In 2 Kings, God rains fire down from heaven to consume the enemies accosting Elijah.
In Exodus 14, God parts the Red Sea and His people pass on dry land.
We could go on and on with examples. God created the universe from nothing, breathed life into man, defeated death, and knows everything there is to know. He is not someone to trifle with, ignore, or defy. He is someone to obey and worship.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this He will also reap.
- Galatians 6:7
What Fear of the Lord Brings
Rightly fearing God, understanding that obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings consequences, yields good things in our lives.
Proverbs 9:10 says that fearing God is the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 8:13 teaches us that fearing God allows us to be people of conviction.
Proverbs 14:27 tells us that the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life.
If we practice this, I believe we will grow in love, in appreciation for God, in constancy, in our prayer lives, and in discernment. We will also avoid a lot of trouble – the consequences of going against what God has told us to do.
How to Begin
The fear of the Lord can be learned – Deuteronomy 4:10 tells us as much, as do other scriptures. Today, I want to encourage you in four practices that help us fear God:
- Choose to be obedient. God’s ways are good. Practice them even when you don’t understand.
- Reject the fear of man. Who are you willing to let down? The people around you or God?
- Give up idols. These are things that we lean into in the place of the Lord. What do you rely on first for success? We ought to give priority to God.
- Study God’s Word. It’s difficult to obey God if you don’t know what He’s said. And since He has written down His Word for us, we’re without excuse if we don’t read it. It’s just like a cop will tell you if he catches you speeding and you say you didn’t know the speed limit in the area: ignorance of the law does not exempt you from it.
In Conclusion
It is easy to focus on the negatives, but remember that the fear of the Lord is the beginning! It leads to love, discernment, blessing, understanding, and life. Let’s be a people that fear God, and as we seek Him and obey, things will begin falling into place.
Praise the Lord! How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light arises in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious and compassionate and righteous. It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; he will maintain his cause in judgment. For he will never be shaken; the righteous will be remembered forever. He will not fear evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is upheld, he will not fear, until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries. He has given freely to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be exalted in honor.
- Psalm 112:1-9
