When someone repeatedly acts out and refuses to listen, it might be said that he (or she) needs the “fear of God” put into them. When I was a child in school, the fear of the teacher’s wrath or the possibility of a trip to the principal’s office was enough to keep most of us in line. Today however, the trips to the office no longer phase those who are determined to act out and any punishment is often met with objection from parents… and often the scrutiny of social media. The need for the fear of God is greater than ever before…and not just for the students. We all need to take a look at exactly what it means to fear the Lord.
Fear is defined by Webster as: anxious anticipation of danger; awe or reverence.
Moses, after dealing with the Israelites for forty years was determined to put the fear of the Lord into them before they entered into the promised land. Most of the ones who started the trip had died along the way and it was their children and grandchildren that actually got to enter the land God had chosen for them. Moses recounted for them everything that had happened since their journey began. They had rebelled, complained, and refused to listen, yet God had not forsaken them. However, in order to live in this new land they must obey God’s laws and keep the commandments written in stone. Moses told them:
Deuteronomy 6: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might.
6: 13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
How are we to fear God yet love him at the same time? Lets look at some other verses about fear of the Lord.
Psalm 19: 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
Psalms 111: 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments; his praise endureth forever.
Proverbs 10:27 The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
Proverbs 14: 26 In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
Matthew 10:28 tells us: …fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
First we must know and believe without doubt that there is a God and heaven is a place. There is a hell… and a devil who is set on convincing us otherwise. God, when the people refused to listen, sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be the ultimate sacrifice for all sin and only through faith in Him can we get to the new promised land called heaven.
To fear the Lord, we must realize the consequences of denying His existence and the penalty for sin. The wages of sin is death, and death means a total separation from God, no further chance of being saved from hell and total condemnation. Fear of the Lord must come before salvation can be achieved.
People who are not saved often have the impression that Christians live with the constant fear that if they mess up in any way God will punish them and send them straight to hell. This is not the fear we know once we accept Jesus as the Son of God and place our faith in Him. Remember the definition of fear…The “anxious anticipation of danger” we knew at first becomes a sense of “awe” and a deep “reverence” for who He is and the depth of His love for us as His children.
1 John 4: 18 tells us: There is no fear in love , but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
If you are a believer, but constantly afraid of messing up, remember your sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus. His love is a refuge. 2 Timothy 1: 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Spend time with Him in prayer and study His Word to understand what the fear of God truly means…and may we all experience it in 2019. Happy New Year!