The Fear of the Lord
Author: Donald and Courtney Devereaux
August 15, 2024
As I was studying the Word of God one day, these words came to life on the pages, “…the fear of the Lord.” The Bible is replete with verses that read “the fear of the Lord,” but this time, when I read it, it was different. What does it mean to fear God? Do we shake until our knees buckle when we hear His name or mumble words as we begin to pray to Him like the cowardly lion did as he approached the great Wizard of Oz? Many people in the Bible had a fear of the Lord. But that fear did not cause them to run away from God.
The truth is that they feared because they knew that such fear would help them not sin against God and bring shame to His name and His character. This fear is not about trembling in terror but the deep reverence and respect we should have for the Lord, which guides our actions and keeps us on the path of righteousness. It means honoring and respecting God because He is God, and there is no other besides Him.
The book of Exodus begins with the names of the sons of Israel and explains how their families multiplied and grew numerous in Egypt. The favor they once received from the former king because of Joseph was gone. There was a new king, and the Israelites meant nothing to him. As a result, they were forced into terrible slave labor; Pharoah, intimidated by their growth, believed he needed to put an end to it because they could potentially become a threat to the Egyptian people. Exodus 1:15-17, 21: “The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah. “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him, but if it is a girl, let her live. The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own.” The Hebrew midwives could have chosen to obey Pharaoh’s command and do evil; however, they feared God.
Proverbs 16:6 reminds us that “through the fear of the Lord, evil is avoided.” Because of their fear of God, He blessed them with their families. There is certainly a blessing in fearing God. When we hear the word fear, there is usually a negative connotation associated with it, and rightly so. According to the Word of God, unhealthy fear involves torment (1 John 4:18).
Whatever your definition of fearing God means, according to the Bible, some great rewards and benefits will strengthen Christians and bring them closer to God when they healthily fear Him:
Exodus 20:20, God tested the Israelites so that the fear of the Lord would be with them to keep them from sinning.
Proverbs 10:27, The fear of the Lord prolongs days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
Proverbs 19:23, The fear of the Lord leads to life.
Proverbs 14:26, When we fear the Lord, our children are protected
Proverbs 14:27, When we fear the Lord, it is a fountain of life.
Psalm 34:11, The fear of the Lord can be taught, “Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.”
Proverbs 15:33, Wisdom instructs us to fear the Lord.
We please our heavenly Father when we have a reverential awe of Him. This fear of our Lord benefits us and our children; more so, it keeps us in the right relationship with Him, and He alone is seated on the throne of our hearts. May we join Job (Job 1:1) and Joseph (Genesis 42:18), who feared the Lord and let the Word of God dwell richly in our hearts. His love and compassion will always be with those who fear Him (Psalm 103:11, 13, 17).
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