FEAR NOT
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
As God led me to Isaiah 41:10 I began thinking more about this whole topic of fear. Last week Pastor Ryan talked about exchanging worry for peace. There are definite similarities when we’re talking about worry and fear. The Bible says,
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7
“These are the commands, the decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all His decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.” Deut. 6:1-2
So what does it MEAN to FEAR God? The broad command to “fear the Lord” involves understanding several things about a believer’s relationship with God.
One: God is loving and just
First of all, we must recognize that God is loving, merciful, and forgiving; but He also is holy, just, and righteous. Knowing God and understanding His character (Pr 2:5) means accepting the fact that His justice and holiness (i.e., purity, perfection, completeness of character, and separation from evil) causes Him to judge sin. In this sense, fearing the Lord is to appreciate His character.
Two: Fear of the Lord can produce awe
Fearing the Lord means to be in reverent awe of His holiness, to give Him complete reverence, and to honor Him as the God of great glory, majesty, purity, and power. For example, when God revealed Himself to the Israelites at Mount Sinai through “thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast,” they all “trembled” in fear (Ex 19:16) because of His great power. They even begged Moses to deliver God’s message to them so they would not have to encounter God.
Three: Fear of the Lord can produce faith
True fear of the Lord causes believers to place their faith and trust in Him alone for salvation. The psalmist encourages all who fear the Lord to “trust in the Lord–He is their help and shield” (Ps 115:11). In other words, fearing God produces confidence, hope and trust in Him, which are necessary when we are looking to God for mercy, forgiveness, and salvation.
Four: To fear God involves recognizing that He is angry about sin
He has the power to punish those who stand arrogantly against Him and break His laws. Moses experienced this aspect of the fear of God when he spent forty days and nights praying for the sinful Israelites: “I feared the anger and wrath of the Lord, for He was angry enough with you to destroy you” (Dt 9:19).
WHY FEAR GOD?
The reasons for fearing God are found in the different meanings of “fear of the Lord,” as described above. Although there are different types of fear, part of our respect and awe is in the knowledge of His wrath and power. It’s all connected.
How will fearing God affect our lives? The fear of the Lord is far more than a Biblical teaching, principle, or idea. It is relevant to our daily lives in many ways. Here are 7 to get started:
A God-fearing attitude is crucial for those who desire meaningful scriptural knowledge. This is because true spiritual knowledge is only granted to those who “fear” the Lord. This is confirmed in Proverbs 1:7. If you desire to discover the depths of the spiritual knowledge available to you through God’s Word, begin by humbling yourself before God with an attitude of deep reverence and holy fear. Your understanding of scripture is directly related to your understanding of your place before God.
Not only should the fear of the Lord affect individual lives, but it should also affect families. God instructs His followers to teach their children to fear Him by training them to hate sin and to love God’s command. The Bible often states that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” A Christian’s basic goal for his or her children should be that they learn to live by God’s principles of wisdom (Pr 1:1-6). Teaching them to fear the Lord is a critical first step.
The holy and reverent fear of the Lord motivates God’s people to worship Him with their whole being. People who truly fear God will praise and honor Him as Lord of all (Ps 22:23). David said that a worshiping congregation is the same as “those who fear” God (Ps 22:25). At the end of history, when the angel who proclaims the eternal gospel–the “good news” about Jesus Christ–calls everyone on earth to fear God, he immediately adds, “and give Him glory … Worship Him who made the heavens, and earth, the sea and the springs of water” (Rev 14:6-7).
Through arrogance, humanity as a whole has defied God’s will and purposes. For this reason, we all deserve the ultimate judgment. However, through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of God’s Son, Jesus Christ all men now have access to God’s complete forgiveness and infinite mercy! How do you receive God’s rich mercy? According to Luke 1:50, God’s mercy is reserved for “those who fear him from generation to generation.” It is a wonderful promise: God’s mercy is extended to those who fear Him and keep His commandments.
The book of Proverbs is filled with references on how those who “fear” the Lord have access to God’s life-giving power. The fear of the Lord can prolong life…
“The fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.”
It preserves and protects our life…
“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.”
Finally, note that Proverbs also describes something else as a “fountain of life”…
“The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death.”
The door of divine wisdom stands wide open to those who “fear God and keep his commandments.” Those who desire to live life to its richest measure can begin by fearing the Lord.
Fearing God brings humble confidence and overwhelming spiritual comfort. The New Testament directly links the fear of the Lord with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31). Those who do not fear God will have little or no sense of His presence and protection. However, those who fear God and obey His Word will experience a deep sense of spiritual security and the anointing (i.e., empowering) of the Holy Spirit. They can be sure that God ultimately will “deliver them from death” (Ps 33:18-19).
In Psalm 25, there is an amazing promise made to those who “fear” the Lord.
“The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.” The promise in this verse is two-fold.
First, the fear the Lord is crucial to obtaining friendship with God. If friendship with the God of eternity were not enough, this verse also promises that those who fear the Lord will be made to know God’s covenant.
The blood covenant that God has established with mankind through His only Son, Jesus Christ, provides salvation to all who will partake. Through a righteous and holy fear of the Lord, we can gain friendship with God and come to an intimate knowledge of His covenant with man.
CONCLUSION
Fearing God is not passive. It is not something that you did once. It is active - not static, but dynamic. A righteous and holy “fear” of the Lord displays itself through a humble and reverent obedience to God’s will, purposes, and commands.
Examples from the Old Testament of those who feared God
Joseph feared the Lord and refused to lie with his master’s wife. The fear he had for God made him wise enough to know not to sin against God and his master.
Abraham feared the Lord and quickly responded to offer his only son Isaac unto the Lord without holding back.
Noah feared the Lord and refused to sin like his other countrymen were sinning and God saved him and his family from destruction by the flood.
David feared the Lord and refused to kill king Saul even when he had the opportunity to do so.
Daniel feared the Lord and refused to defile himself with the portion of the King’s meat. Daniel also did not give in to the pressure to pray to the King as was decreed in the land.
The Three Hebrew Children feared the Lord and refused to bow to worship the king hence they were thrown into the burning furnace.
Midwives feared God and went against the order of the King refusing to kill every Egyptian male child at birth.
Mordecai feared God and loved God’s people, causing him to encourage his sister, the queen, to use her influence to deliver the Jews by speaking to the King.
Nehemiah feared God and found favor with the King to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem despite all oppositions.
Gideon was called of God to lead the children to victory over the Midianites and he succeeded because he feared God.
Deborah was called as a military leader to help the children of Israel fight and win over the Canaanites and they were given victory. All these men and women as recorded had victory with God and man because they feared and obeyed God.
Lets return to Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10
Only as we truly fear the Lord will we be freed from all destructive and debilitating fears.
(Excerpts taken from commentary notes)
