Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
The fear of the Lord is one of
the most misunderstood biblical terms throughout scripture, even though it
appears recurrently in the Word of God. The fact that it reoccurs multiple
times in the Bible testifies to the magnitude of its message. There are too
many people in the world who see God as being angry, rancorous, and more than
willing to dole out some eternal punishment. However, these sincere but
mistaken individuals have gotten the concept all wrong. The best method for
understanding some concepts in the Bible is to contrast them with an opposite
hypothesis. The opposite of the fear of God is the fear of man, and the Bible
has quite a bit to say about that as well.
In the “Wisdom Book” of the
Bible, the Book of Proverbs, we find in Proverbs 19:15: “Fear of man
will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe”.
In addition, in the writings of the Apostle Paul we find: Galatians 1:10 Am
I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to
please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a
servant of Christ.
When one finds themselves in
the grips of the fear of another human being, the pursuit of appearance and
prestige will become a driving force in one’s life. When this happens, we base
all our decisions and resolutions on what others think of us and our actions.
In contrast, a fear of the Lord means that we care more about what God thinks
about what we are doing than what other people think. In fearing the Lord, we
will intensely desire to please God, not because we are apprehensive of what
God might rain down upon us, but because we love Him and want to please Him in
everything we do or say. We will want to live up to who God has declared us to
be.
Ephesians 4:1 As
a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of
the calling you have received.
Living in the fear of the Lord
is not living below the potential we have in and through the grace of God. It
indicates that we have rejected the significance of the fallen culture of the
world and embraced a passion for the things of God. The love of God assures us
that we will never walk alone and that He will never leave or forsake us. This
verse of scripture also assures us that we have nothing to fear if we walk in
the path the Lord has carved out for us.
Deuteronomy 31:8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
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