Fear the Lord
Good day to each of you reading this column and what fascinates me are the words fear the Lord.
Fear the Lord, what comes to mind? Three words with great meaning for the word “fear” can have more than one meaning and that is what I wish to explore.
Did you know the word “fear” is mentioned 404 times in the Bible according to the Strong’s Expanded Concordance, so you see this word has a great significance in the Bible.
When one thinks of fear, terror comes to mind along with fright, horror, uneasiness, dread, anxiety and the list goes on and on.
Do any of the above fit the fear of the Lord? What would it be like to enter into the chamber of God? What would you feel and is their any type of emotion that would overtake you?
We can look no further than the book of Job for the Lord answered Job out of the storm and He said: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you and you will answer me.”
Would you like to trade with Job and be in his shoes when the Lord answers you. Fear, yes for that what would come over me.
Now think about this, when you pray, do you pray humbly before the Lord? When you enter into prayer, do you fear the Lord?
As you read the book of Psalm, you will note the term fears the Lord and fear the Lord are used a fair amount.
Let’s begin by turning to Psalm 25:12 (NIV) Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
As you walk daily with God, do you recognize God as Holy, Almighty, righteous, pure, omniscient, omni-present, omni-potent, all-knowing?
Let us turn to you and I, for we are sinful, weak, frail and needy. Wouldn’t you say this gives us a picture of both us and God? So, as we pray should we not enter into humble respect for God? As we meet God, God will then show us how to choose his way.
Turn to (Proverbs 16:6 NIV) Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.
God is unwavering in his love and faithfulness toward each of us for He loves all his creation and when sin entered into the world it was His love and faithfulness that was atoned. So, if you wish to avoid evil, place your complete self in the fear of the Lord.
Turn to (Proverbs 19:23 NIV) The fear of the Lord leads to life;then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Can we be untouched by trouble? No, because we have a sinful world, but we can avoid trouble through Godly habits and thoughts, beneficial life-style and sometimes by the intervention of God. God provides the insight of the kingdom when sin will be no longer and we will be eternally under God’s protection.
(Proverbs 22:4 NIV) Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life. I believe this verse ties in with (Proverbs 9:10 NIV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Fellow Christian, Jesus showed humility for he was least as shown in the New Testament and he always obeyed the will of his Father. Always!
As the perfect example, we can receive the riches and honor and life by following his perfect example and by asking daily for wisdom.
What better riches than the beginning of God’s wisdom and the honor of receiving eternal and forever life and to be united with Christ.
James provides insight into wisdom, so turn to (James 1:5-7 NIV)5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
Do you make wise decisions and do you pray to God over these decisions? Is it not easier to ask God then to stumble blindly?
Is not wisdom practical discernment? Christians discern by respecting God, living God’s ways, not being full of self, read the Bible and ask God to show us how to obey it.
As Jesus says, ASK and it will be given to you for you must believe and not doubt and to ask humbly and not being full of self for God knows what you will be asking before you ask.
Hard, no not all, if you want God’s riches, look no further than Solomon.
God has given us a choice—Eternal life or the alternative which are definitely not riches. This best be a simple answer for the time is getting short and our Lord will be receiving her bride and establish his kingdom very soon.
Ponder on this as I close—But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
