It occurred to me that my thoughts on fear were actually incomplete. For I was reminded that the way to real freedom is through fear. Fear is the foundation to such things as wisdom, knowledge, loyalty, faithfulness, understanding, praise, riches, honor, and life. These are just a few of the benefits of fear that we find in God's Holy Word. The key is where your fear resides. These treasures, and many more, are founded in the fear of the Lord. The question then arises, "What does it mean to fear the Lord?" What does God require of those who fear Him? Is this some terrifying thing or just some sort of mutual respect that we have with our Heavenly Father? How does fear fit with that "Abba Father" thing the Apostle Paul speaks of? It seems there is more to fear than just our phobias.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." So says Proverbs 1:7. The Hebrew word is yira. It means terror, fear, an awesome or terrifying thing. It carries the nuance of reverence and respect, but there is no denying the aspect of real fear. There are a number of words in Hebrew translated fear, such as pachad, which carries more of the idea of dread. "And the fear of the LORD fell on all the nations of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat" (2 Chron. 17:10, emphasis mine). However, even here it should be noted that it still comes down to the idea of being afraid. Having a very real fear of YAHWEH.
In our evangelical communities we emphasize the remarkable grace of God and His mercy. These are vital to our survival. The message of grace permeates God's Word from Genesis to Revelation. But actual fear of God is also there from beginning to end. Remember, Hebrews 10:31 is in the Bible: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." So is God the God of grace we can call Abba, or is He the God to be feared who strikes terror in the hearts of mankind?
Let us get a little practical here. If you really fear someone you will do what they tell you to do. You do not want to displease them. Now if they give you clear instructions and directions in writing as to how you are to behave, then all you have to do is obey and the fear is reduced. And if you know that rule book never changes, you then know precisely how to live. There is actual freedom in the boundaries. Beyond this, the powerful one you fear provides everything you need from the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and social realms of life. That would give you a sense of appreciation. Maybe even love. Living without boundaries and having no idea what to do an any situation is really a pretty fearful way to live.
The healthy fear of God should drive us to want to know what He desires of us. We do this by the study of His Word. In so doing we become wise, discerning, acquire knowledge and understanding. We learn of how His love, mercy and grace are poured out on those who fear Him. Solomon was wise enough to know that the fear of the LORD truly is foundational to to all God has for us. In our Western and American frame of mind we see discontinuity where God sees integrated truth. Fear, love, grace and mercy are not separate categories of God's relationship with us. He desires the best for us. However, He is still God. He is awesome, almighty, holy and never to be taken lightly.
It may well be that we have things out of balance. Our light approach and lack of the fear of the Lord allows us to excuse our lack of study, our lack of obedience, and our lack of commitment. We just rest in His amazing grace and presume that God really does not care. In so doing we rob ourselves of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Just look at the stupidly absurd choices the world makes where we have lost the understanding of male and female. There is no fear of God. There is no knowledge. There is no understanding. We do not want to follow the world's example. We need the fear of the Lord if we are to know His wisdom and have His understanding.
We need to rest in God's amazing grace. We need the comfort of His mercy. We need to learn of the depth of His love and compassion. However we can not know these outside of His Word. We cannot know these without an understanding of the fear of the God. If not, then Solomon was incorrect. Maybe, Jeff Goldblum (as Seth Brundle) in the 1986 version of "The Fly" had it right: "Be afraid, be very afraid". God says it is the beginning of knowledge, and only a fool rejects the fear of the Almighty. Are you afraid yet?
No comments:
Post a Comment