It is a rare thing to hear anyone talk about the fear of God. We fear death, poverty, terrorism, or anyone here on this earth that can threaten our livelihood or our lives. In the general realm of Christianity, most never give a thought to fearing God. Their idea of God is love. They see him as someone who loves us and answers our prayers when we have needs. Those thoughts are true, but they do not tell the whole story of who God is, or how we should view him. The Bible uses the word fear over 300 times in reference to God. For us to downplay that aspect of God brings great dishonor to God and to our relationship with Him. The Bible teaches that we are to fear the Lord. In Romans chapter 3, a classic chapter on sin, it says that our chief sin is that we do not fear God at all. So, what is the fear of the Lord?
Romans 3:18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
To fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. We can attain knowledge enough to fill the ocean, but until we fear the Lord, we have no wisdom. We need to be aware that we are in the presence of a God whose attributes are perfect. They have never been stained or corrupted by sin. We understand that God is holy and cannot allow sin in his presence. To fear the Lord is to know that our every breath is in His hands. Fearing God helps us not to cave into our desires to sin.
Psalm 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.”
As a holy God, He must weep at the sin that is in our world. It must break His heart to see his children who have accepted His Son as the payment for their sin doing their own thing. How does he feel when we act as if there are little and big sins? We may think lying is no big deal, but God doesn’t. He killed Ananias and Sapphira on the spot in Acts chapter 5 because they lied to the Holy Spirit. The earth opened and swallowed Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, in Numbers chapter 16, because they rebelled against God and His servants, Moses and Aaron. God has always hated sin, and He hasn’t changed. He will hold us accountable for our motives, thoughts, words, and actions. To fear God is to desire to live in harmony with His righteous standards. When we truly fear Him, we will seek to honor Him in all that we do.
We do not naturally seek to fear and honor God. We are born with a sinful nature and our desire is to please ourselves, not God. However, when we get a clear picture of who He is and what He has done for us, our desires change. If we fear the Lord, it is because we have chosen to do so. David revealed his desire to fear the Lord in Psalm 86:11.
Psalm 86:11 “Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.”
We should fear the Lord because of who He is. How can we look at creation and not feel in awe of Him? Paul told us in Romans 1:19-20, that he has made himself known in creation. The eternal God we are to fear is the same one that created the world.
Romans 1:19-20 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”
We are to learn the word of God and teach it to those who don’t know it. Teach them to have a high view of God and respect for who He is.
Deuteronomy 31:12-13 “Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: And that their children, which have not known anything, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.”
When there is no fear of the Lord, people pick and choose what they want to believe and follow. There is an absence of respect, and therefore, they feel entitled to make choices that are contrary to the Bible. They interpret the Bible and rationalize their actions by their own rules. In essence, they are becoming their own god.
Those who do not fear God do not understand who the God of the Bible is. If you study the word, you will find this awesome God to be all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present. You will be in awe of His holiness and power. As you seek to understand all that He is, you will have a fear of Him. Your love for Him will increase because you are amazed that a God who doesn’t need you, loved you enough to die for you.
The wisest man who ever lived ended the book of Ecclesiastes with these words: “The conclusion of the whole matter is to fear God and keep His commandments!” We would be wise to heed these words.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
