As mentioned in the last issue, our church finished a 6-week series on the various aspects of fear, examining it in the light of Scripture. What we went through were primarily 3 aspects of fear which were:
1 – Fear of man
2 – Being afraid of God (unhealthy fear)
3 – Fear of God (Healthy fear that relates to respecting and honoring God).
Last issue, we dealt with the second aspect of fear, which was an unhealthy fear of God where people are afraid of approaching God because of a distorted view concerning Him. That He is a cruel “taskmaster” that will send you to Hell for every little mistake that you make. While God is a God of judgment, He is also a God of great mercy, love and compassion, whose desire is to build and enjoy a healthy, fruitful relationship with us. So great was this love, that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ into the world to die for our sins and give us eternal life. (John 3:16).
The good news is that Jesus, through His death, burial and resurrection has provided a way for mankind to be forgiven, giving his life as a ransom, shedding his precious blood and making an atonement for our sins so that we can now approach and fellowship with God the Father if we have accepted Him (Jesus) as our Lord and our Savior, having repented of our sins and turning fully to God. It’s the good news of the gospel, that Salvation has been provided by Jesus Christ! And many have done so, having become Christians by the unmerited favor and the grace of God. The Bible says this:
Ephesians 2:8-9 – NKJV – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
We have been saved by the great mercy and grace of God. However, when many hear of the term “fear of the Lord” in the Bible, they have a grave misunderstanding of it as we have discussed in the previous issue, which is a warped view of God as some sort of moral monster. So, what does it mean to have a “healthy” fear of the Lord? First, we will have to look at what true “Biblical” fear of the Lord actually means. Looking at two Scriptures from the book of Proverbs that describe the fear of the Lord from the Amplified Classic Bible, which is one of my favorite translations to study from because it often brings out the full meaning of a biblical word:
Proverbs 9:10 – Amplified Classic – The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding.
Proverbs 3:7 – Amplified Classic – Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil.
Notice, these Scriptures mention the “reverent” and “worshipful” fear of the Lord. It means to hold in reverence, with honor, high esteem and a deep sense of awe. We are to maintain a “worshipful” respect with a humble heart toward Him, for it is those that have this attitude that please the heart of God. He is near to those who have such a heart (Psalms 34:18), but He does resist the proud in heart (James 4:6). And there are many benefits to maintaining this kind of heart.
As stated earlier in Proverbs 9:10, it says that the fear of the Lord is the “beginning of wisdom” and “knowledge” of the Holy One gives us “understanding”. If we want wisdom and insight into God’s ways, we start first, as the Bible teaches, by having a healthy fear of the Lord, where we, with a good heart, continue to love, honor and respect Him. And as we study the Scriptures to learn of His ways, He will teach us more and more how to interact with Himself and show you just what kind of Person He truly is. Just look at what Psalms says in the Amplified version of the Bible:
Psalms 25:14 – Amplified – The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning.
Secret, sweet, satisfying companionship of the Lord? Show and reveal a deeper meaning of His Covenant? This all seems to speak of a deeper intimacy with the Lord. Now who wouldn’t want that! So, do you desire to draw closer to God? Do you wish to have this deep relationship with Him beyond just nominal Christianity? Then I would encourage you to learn how to cultivate a healthy fear of the Lord in your heart, not in a “cringing”, scary way, but with honor and respect and with a humble heart toward a God who truly loves you and looks forward to spending time with you in prayer.
The following are some Scriptures concerning the healthy fear of the Lord that I would encourage you all to pick up your Bibles and read them: (Psalms 33:8; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 8:13; Psalms 111:10; Luke 1:50; Proverbs 19:23; Psalms 34:9). There are many more, but I will leave you with these two Scriptures to reflect on:
Proverbs 14:27 – Amplified Bible – The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that leads to obedience and worship] is a fountain of life, so that one may avoid the snares of death.
Proverbs 86:11 – Amplified Bible – Teach me Your way, O Lord, I will walk and live in Your truth; direct my heart to fear Your name [with awe-inspired reverence and submissive wonder].
God Bless!
