~ Lessons From Deuteronomy 10 ~
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). However, God does want His children to have a proper respect and reverence for Him. We are told in many places in Scripture to “fear God.”
Scripture Examples ~ “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name” (Malachi 3:16).
In the Pentateuch we are given the essence of The Law. Note the opening of that summary. “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God [1], to walk in all His ways [2] and to love Him [3], to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul [4], and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes [5] which I command you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).
Important Points ~ There are a number of important points in this short passage including, but not limited to:
[1] The foundational issue is “to fear the Lord your God.”
[2] The result will be “to walk in all His ways.”
[3] This increases your ability “to love Him.”
[4] Love’s response will be “to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
[5] The mature process results in a desire “to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes.”
The Results Of Fearing God ~ Proverbs gives us a good example of what the “fearing God” means: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate” (Proverbs 8:13)
The Bottom Line ~ “Praise the Lord! Blessed [happy] is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments” (Psalm 112:1).
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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