THE FEAR OF THER LORD

Victor M. Eskew

 

            Solomon summed up man’s responsibilities before God in one simple verse in the book of Ecclesiastes.  He wrote:  “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God, and keep his commandments:  for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:14).  Fear God and keep His commandments.  Fear and keep.  Two little words that sum up a lifetime of man’s obligations to God.  If this is what our lives are to encompass, then it behooves us to come to an understanding of both.  In this article, let’s discuss “The Fear of the Lord.”

            The word “fear” means “respect, honor, reverence, and awe.”  Words like this used to be understood by most in society.  Respect and honor were taught to children from an early age by their parents.  It was understood that respect was more than just a mental acknowledgement.  Respect was to manifest itself in one’s attitudes, words, and behaviors.  This is not how respect is viewed today.  Most see it as a concept to be believed,  However, we are told that there are no standards that can be applied to how respect is manifested.  Attitudes, words, and actions, we are told, do not reveal the respect one carries within his heart.  This has resulted in many members of society acting in all kinds of disrespectful ways while still claiming to possess respect. 

It is interesting to this writer that Moses was commanded to do something when he approached the burning bush in the wilderness.  “And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.  And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.  And he said, Here am I.  And he said, Draw not nigh hither:  put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.  Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.  And Moses hid his face;  for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exo. 3:3-6).  Moses did three things when he entered into the presence of the Lord.  First, he was to keep his distance from the Lord.  “Draw not nigh hither.”  Second, he was discard his shoes from this feet.  “Put off thy shoes from thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”  Third, he hid his face.  “And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”  Some today would ask:  “Were all of these actions really necessary?”  They would then answer the question in the negative, saying:  “Surely not.”  They would argue that we should get as close to God as possible.  They would tell us that shoes, off or on, do not matter.  They would also tell us that to hide our face from the Lord would cause us to miss the blessing of seeing God.  They would assert that they can fear the Lord without outwardly displaying that fear in His presence.  This seems crazy, but it is the mindset of many, even those who call themselves Christians. 

The phrase, “the fear of the Lord,” is used numerous times in Scripture.  It is interesting that it is only found once in the New Testament.  Acts 9:31 reads:  “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.”.  The Old Testament, on the other hand, contains many verses that reference the fear of the Lord.  The first time this responsibility is specifically stated is in Leviticus 19:32.  Moses writes:  “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God:  I am the Lord.”  Respect is not reserved solely for God.  All respect, however, stems from one’s reverence for God.  Those who show respect for the elderly are also displaying the fear of the Lord. 

In the book of Deuteronomy, the phrase, “the fear of the Lord,” is found five (5) times.  In another verse, Moses just says:  “Fear him” (Deut. 8:6).  Deuteronomy 10:12, declares what God required of Israel.  “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all they soul.”  Moses lists four requirements.  The fear of the Lord is the first one.  Why?  Because if a person fears the Lord, the last three will be high priority items in the person’s life.  On the other hand, if the person fails to fear the Lord, the last three will never be incorporated into the person’s life in a meaningful way.

Deuteronomy 17:19 teaches us something unique about fearing God.  It teaches us that the fear of the Lord can be learned.  “And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life:  that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, and to keep all the words of this law and these statutes to do them.”  Moses was specifically talking about the kings of Israel to come.  As leaders of the nation of Israel, these men needed to begin their service in the kingdom with a deep reverence for God.  They needed to learn it.  Moses does not say that it should be learned from men.  Instead, he says that the fear of the Lord was to be learned from the Word of God.  “And it shall be, when he stiteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites,:  and it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life:  that he may learn to fear the Lord his God…” (Deut. 17:18-19a).  From the opening chapter of Genesis 1 to the closing chapter of the book of Malachi, God shows us why we should fear Him and how we should fear Him.  We learn that the fear of the Lord is displayed in attitudes, words, and behaviors.  We learn that man is to fear God for who He is and what He has done.  Too, we learn that we are to fear God in all places, at all times, and in all circumstances in our lives.  It is also shown to us in the Law of Moses, that those who fear the Lord are individuals who are blessed by God.

The book of Proverbs elaborates upon the fear of the Lord in several verses.  These are three main points that we learn about the fear of the Lord from this book of wisdom.  First, the fear of the Lord is essential in acquiring knowledge, wisdom, and understanding (Prov. 1:7; 2:5; 9:10; 15:33). Second, the fear of the Lord is something that keeps a person away from evil.  “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil:  pride, arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I hate.”  Third, the fear of the Lord brings blessings into our lives.  It prolongs our days (Prov. 10:27).  It gives us strong confidence (Prov., 14:26).  It is a fountain of life (Prov. 14:27; 19:23).  “And, by humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life” (Prov. 22:4). 

There is much more that could be said about the fear of the Lord.  The thoughts set forth in this article give us some introductory information upon which to meditate.  Let’s close this article with two verses that exhort us to fear the Lord.  David writes:  “Let all the earth fear the Lord:  let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” (Ps. 33:8).  The other verse contains the word of Joshua as he neared the end of his time as the leader of the nation of Israel.  He exhorted the Jews with these words:  “Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth:  and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord” (Josh. 24:14).