Fear of the Lord

Fear of the Lord
by Debbie McMannus

What does it mean to fear the Lord? Some of us fear high places, cars, animals, or even of leaving our home, and others fear God. One of God’s requirements is to fear him; that is to respect and reverence him. Deuteronomy 10:12 “And now O Israel what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all of your soul.” God has revealed himself to man in a terrifying way to scare them from sinning. This kind of fear causes you to stand in respect of the Lord. Now what is the role it plays in a Christian’s life?

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. Proverbs 1:7 Fools despise wisdom and foolishness. When an individual fears God, they listen to what He says. When they listen to what God says, their minds and decisions are influenced by God's own judgment. Maybe we could compare this to having a market insider giving tips to the best investment. Because an insider knows what is going on behind the scenes, his perspective has advantages over others who depend solely on the charts. He knows, for example, that a company is coming out with a new product or is going to be sold. God is the designer of our lives and wants to bring His insight into our lives. We have abandoned our Creator but if we allow, He is gracious enough to welcome us back and give us this inside 'advice' for our daily lives.

The fear of the Lord keeps us humble and listening. We dread His displeasure and the fear of the consequences of disobeying Him. When we fear God, we know He can and will carry out this chastisement. This keeps us alert to what He wants and how He wants it done. Without regularly meeting God, however, this fear can wear off. We can begin to forget what we learned and had agreed upon. When this occurs, we begin to make confident decisions based more on our impulses than what is right and good. Those bad decisions will produce horrible consequences in our lives.

We are to fear God not man. Matthew 10:28 “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but can not kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell.” How can this help us in our walk?

If we appreciate the fear of the Lord we will hate evil. We will also have a satisfying life free from evil. Finally we will enjoy riches and glory, without the fear of the Lord we will fall into sin and lead a terrible and dreadful life. How can we develop this fear?

We can develop it by hearing the word of God. We must read the complete word not just what we want to hear. So as Christians we should serve our Lord daily and faithfully and fear him to enhance our walk. 1 Samuel 12:24 “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider the great things he has done for you.”