The Fear Of The Lord
The Fear of the Lord
Often times we have a one-sided view of God. We see him as all love forgetting that our God is a consuming fire (Deut 4:24 NKJV, Hebrews 12:28-29 NKJV) and He is to be feared. He is our father Abba yet He is also the King of Kings, the Lord of host, a Mighty Warrior (Zeph 3:17) ~ Psalm 24:7 -10. He is Holy, set apart and transcendent (1 Samuel 2:2, Rev 15:4, Exodus 15:11 KJV).
Deuteronomy 4:24 NKJV - For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Hebrews 12:28 NKJV - Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV - The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Exodus 15:11 KJV - Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Psalm 24:7-10 NKJV- Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah
1 Samuel 2:2 NLT - No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.
Revelation 15:4 NKJV - Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, For Your judgments have been manifested.”
Exodus 15:11 KJV - Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?
When we get a mere glimpse into the magnitude of the great and terrific nature of our God, it would leave us in a state of awe and fear, as though the very next thing we do can cost us our life. It brings us face to face with our sinfulness and our own unworthiness (Isaiah 7). When we behold God in His glory we cannot help but respond like Ezekiel, Abraham, Moses, John the apostle and others in the days of old. We would To fall flat on our face and tremble (Job 42:5, Genesis 17:3, Revelation 1:17). Yet it is this exact same fear that enables us to dwell with the Most High, allowing His presence to permeate all that we are and do.
Job 42:5 NLT- I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
Genesis 17:3 NLT - At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him,
Revelation 1:17 NLT- When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last.
“The fear of the Lord is His treasure” - Isaiah 33:6 (NJKV)
“The fear of the Lord will be your treasure” - Isaiah 33:6 (NLT)
The topic of the fear of the Lord is so incredibly vast we can only brush the surface. It touches every aspect of our lives and it is something that we must resolve to continue to grow in as long as we live.
What is the fear of the Lord? What makes the fear of the Lord a treasure as written in Isaiah? Why must we grab hold of it?
To answer these questions we will work backwards. I find it easier to define what it looks like to fear the Lord than to first begin to outrightly define what the fear of the Lord is.
What does it mean to Fear the Lord?
Questions:
In the past what did you think it meant to fear of the Lord to be and now where you are at what do you understand it to be? What actions, thoughts and heart postures reveal that we fear the lord?
Simply put: To be soberly aware and accept the might and sovereignty of God and thus revence and be in complete awe of Him.
We become aware of His power and might, consuming holiness, sovereignty as lawgiver and judge etc.
It really opens our eyes and puts into perspective who we are, our value and our position.
To Fear God is to:
To tremble before Him in wonder and awe by Giving His word and presence our full attention. (Psalm 86: 8-13)
To respect, honor and submit to His direct and delegated authority. (Romans 13: 1-5)
To obey Him eagerly, willingly, immediately and completely.
Hate sin (Proverbs 8:13)
Hate Injustice
Depart from evil in inwardly and outwardly
Walk in authentic humility before God and mankind (Micah 6:8)
Give Him all that belongs to Him, the praise adoration, thanksgiving and worship He deserves
To be content, abstaining from complaining, murmuring or grumbling (Number 11:1;1 Corinthians 10:11)
Surrender emotions to respond in a way that Christ would
To fear the Lord is to love what God loves, hate what He hates, make what’s important to Him become important to us and what is not so important to Him become not so important to us.
We are to walk in step with Him, taking our cues from Him.
Fear of the Lord encapsulates what the Christian walk really is
Benefits of Fearing the Lord
Questions:
Based on what we understand now, how is this good for us? How does this benefit us?
It is the starting place for a real and deep intimate relationship with God.
Familiarity breeds contempt. It preserves our relationship with Him. 1 Samuel 2:30
Allows for His power and presence to manifest in our lives
It is the beginning of wisdom, understanding and knowledge, giving us foresight and clear divine direction. (Job 28:38, Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7, 9:10, 15:33)
It matures us in our salvation and conforms us to the image of Jesus.
Produces and spurs us onto true authentic holiness which is freedom and opens the way to enjoying both God and life
Enables us to secure an eternal legacy.
It wipes out all other fears (including the fear of man); producing confidence (Proverbs 14:26), fearlessness and security. We come to understand our value and worth to Him. (Psalms 139:17-18 NJKV, Luke 16:15).
Keeps us from sin and lawlessness
Gives us an identity and makes us productive and empowers us to multiply
Provides angelic assistance, fulfilled desires, enduring success, nobility, influence, longevity (Proverbs 10:27, 14:27), productive days, enjoyment in life, happiness, pleasure in labor, healing for our body etc.
Enables us to have influence with GOD.(Abraham and Moses interceding) Psalm 25:14 NLT The LORD is a friend to those who fear him. He teaches them his covenant.
Self reflective Questions
Which attribute do you struggle with the most?
Do we actually believe these are benefits? Do we really want these benefits and have interest in walking in these benefits?
In what area do I need to change my mind and take my cue from the Lord? What am I loving or deeming important that He isn’t and conversely what am I hating and not deeming important that he isn’t?
What benefit of fearing the Lord do I need in my life right now?
Consequences of not Fearing the Lord
We lose all the benefits previously listed but also:
You will never find God’s wonderful manifest presence in an atmosphere where He is not revered and held in awe. (Psalm 89:7).
The anointing begins to leaves. It's a gradual process. The anointing is the presence of God. (Sauls life; Contrast Sauls actions to Davids).
Irreverance for God cost the lives of many in the old testament (Leviticus 10:2, 1 Samuel 2:12 -13, 1 Samuel 3:1) but we must understand that delayed judgment is not denied judgment.
I feel like the people of old, the children of Israel had it much easier. When they were out of line with God there was a clear consequence. It’s so much more dangerous now because the effects of our wickedness and sinfulness don’t always appear immediately. But it is the fear of the lord that keeps us from getting to that point where we find ourselves turned away from God.
Ecclesiastes 8:11 -13
How do we grow in the Fear of the Lord?
Our holy fear grows proportionally to our comprehension of God’s greatness - John Bevere
We must seek to increase our comprehension of God. We can never ‘arrive’ or fully understand His glory because no one can measure His greatness the psalmist says in Psalm 145:3.
We can do this by taking time to ponder the greatness and awesomeness of our God. Psalm 96:9
Ponder His glory: “The glory of the Lord is everything that makes God, God. All his characteristics, authority, power, wisdom, the immeasurable weight and magnitude of God. Nothing is hidden or held back” - Awe of God
Read the psalms, read psalm 145.
Prayer: Page 37
What is the Fear of the Lord?
Treasuring God so much that we are terrified of being away from God.
When we don’t live in accordance to God’s law and will for our lives we are turning away from Him.
The fear of the Lord is not the same as being so scared of Him that we follow Him solely or if a fear of punishment. That would be an unholy fear. Pulling away from Him because we are scared of Him is the opposite of what He wants from us. He wants true and deep intimacy with us. If the fear of the Lord is HIS treasure (Isaiah 33:6) then it must be ours.
There a difference between being scared of God and fearing Him: “Someone who’s scared of God has something to hide…However the person who fears God has nothing to hide. He or she is terrified of being away from God” - John Bevere “Awe of God”
I think what made David such a man after God’s own heart was because of his depth of the Fear of the Lord he had. Even after his ‘fall’ we get a glimpse into the fear of the lord returning in his heart in Psalm 51
“He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” - Isaiah 33:6 (NIV)
