Do You Fear the Lord?

Holy Fear

In Egypt, God stirred holy fear in unbelieving hearts, through His supernatural acts of judgment.

In the last several centuries He hasn’t chosen to, but this sleeping volcano isn’t sleeping.

He’s showing us mercy.

The Lord wants people to serve Him as David did, out of a loving heart. Yet Scripture shows us in Revelations that God will once more rain divine judgments upon the earth in the sight of unbelievers.

What Fear of God Isn’t

There’s confusion as to what the fear of the Lord is. Some have defined it as a holy awe, but 21st century Christians don’t usually feel awe about anything, unless they’re six years old or younger. The word awe has almost no emotional meaning for us as adults. Perhaps Hollywood has made us a little jaded.

Terror of God’s wrath isn’t what I’m talking about either. Nor is true holy fear defined as being frightened by the appearance of God’s supernatural messengers. In the Bible, nearly everyone encountering undisguised angels cowered in terror.

But that’s not fear of the Lord either.

Here’s My Fear the Lord Checklist:

1. People who Fear the Lord Shun Evil

²⁸And he said to the human race,
“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
and to shun evil is understanding.” Job 28:28 (NIV)

People who fear the Lord obey Him. They seek to please God rather than men, even at great personal cost. Exodus 1 provides an early example of this fear under extremely bad conditions.

In ancient Egypt, Pharaoh grew concerned because the enslaved Israelites kept multiplying. So he ordered the two Jewish midwives to kill every boy born, but to let the girls live. Slaves themselves, the two women repeatedly disobeyed, because they feared God. Afterwards they lied to Pharaoh and said all the Hebrew women gave birth before they arrived. God caused Pharaoh to believe them. (Exodus 1:15-22).

Were the Jewish midwives terrified of Pharaoh’s wrath? Yes. Why else would they lie? But even when faced with possible torture and death, both women kept doing what was right. The midwives’ quietly courageous defiance took place 80 years before God’s miraculous signs in Egypt.

As far as the midwives knew, God hadn’t even moved an ant hill to help His people in living memory. But both still honored and feared their God.

In contrast, Scripture proclaims people who live evil lives lack this characteristic.

I have a message from God in my heart
concerning the sinfulness of the wicked.
There is no fear of God
before their eyes..(Psalm 36:1-4).

2. The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise. Psalms 111:10

Why is fearing the Lord the beginning of wisdom? First, it’s a very wise choice; God has a purpose for everything He asks us to do and our understanding only comes after we obey. For example, forgiving our enemies frees us from past emotional pain, but if we never forgive, that benefit remains hidden from us.

The Christian life really is a faith walk.

In Exodus 15:26 God promises the newly freed Hebrews that if they obey all His commands they won’t suffer from any of the Egyptian diseases.

It makes perfect sense

Centuries before scientists discovered microscopic germs, God gave the Hebrews rules about ceremonial cleansing, not eating certain animals (Leviticus 11:7-8 NIV) and washing themselves after handling dead bodies. Obeying the Almighty’s commands kept the Jewish nation free from many diseases . But it wasn’t supernatural protection; Instead, He told them to wash their hands.

3. Humility is the Fear of the Lord.

Humility is the fear of the Lord;
its wages are riches and honor and life. (Proverbs 22:4 NIV)

A humble believer admits their weaknesses. They frequently cry out to the Holy Spirit for help, wisdom and guidance. They depend on God because they aren’t willing to depend on themselves.

Proud Christians Rely on Themselves.

NASA image of a solar flare on the surface of the sun.

Unfortunately a proud Christian lives in the opposite way; their attitude toward their Redeemer is “Lord, don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

The proud are unteachable, incapable of admitting when they are wrong and unable to offer a real apology. They don’t want God’s direction; they’re certain of their own navigation skills—until they crash. After the smash-up, humility often begins to grow, but it’s a painful process.

My Spiritual Point

Do you shun evil? Promptly obey your heavenly Master every time? Walk humbly before your God, trusting in Him rather than yourself?

If the answer is yes, congratulations

If not, I know Someone who can help.

These images come from Pixabay.com.

Resources:

Interesting fact: some of the people in the Bible who feared the Lord were unbelievers.. In Genesis 20 King Abimelek showed a greater fear of God than Abraham did.

Editor’s note: I know of only one way for a believer to increase his or her fear of the Lord; by praying. This will be one of my goals in 2025.

The Faithful Wanderer

Jesus never tells where He's leading me next. I just follow, for I am a faithful wanderer.