Fear God, 205

 ~ The Meaning of “Fear God” ~

God does not want His children living in fear.  “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:2-3). 

Definition  ~  There are two Hebrew words for “fear” in the Bible.  One is pachad (pakh'-ad), which means terror.  That’s not the word used in most of the verses we have looked at in this series.  The word used is yir'ah (yir-aw'), which means a reverence for God.  Reverence to God includes a humility towards self. 

 

This second expression is a reverential attitude (a holy fear) is the result of thinking clearly and intelligently about God, the Creator of all.  Many references in Scripture about the fear of God refer to understanding His sovereignty and our place in the scheme of things.  In other words, it is about a proper awe and reverence to our Creator and Sustainer.  With this kind of wisdom a person sees God in everything.  This is true wisdom of the kind often referenced in the Book of Proverbs.  The wise person will not only see the hand of God in everything, God will become the focus of their lives.  In essence the “fear of God”” is living every moment with an awareness of the presence of God.  “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I [God] hate” (Proverbs 8:13).

Fearing God Results in Salvation  ~  “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).  “A wise person fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident” (Proverbs 14:16).  This does not mean the Christian is to live a fearful life—but a life which reverences God and seeks to do His will. 

Fearing God Results in Fearlessness  ~  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).  The answer is: only God.  With the gift of salvation comes responsibility.

Fearing God Results in Witnessing  ~  “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for my soul” (Psalm 66:16). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog.

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