What the fear of the Lord is

What is the Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 1: 7, Psalm 29: 28

You know fear in our culture is almost a dirty word. We don’t want it because we think it marks a sign of weakness. But this Biblical concept of the fear of the Lord is something entirely unique. It does involve an element of fear but more in the way that fear might operate when standing at the top of the Empire State Building and contemplating jumping off of it. One would have a clear sense of solemnity because there is a knowledge that while we have the freedom and the choice to jump, (not that I’m recommending it) we know that there is also this thing called the Law of Gravity. It is immutable. It doesn’t care if you are a pauper or a president, it operates the same way every time, and so when you choose to jump, in a full show of your independence, its force will ensure that your will remains for as long as it takes you to hit the ground.

In the same way we also learn to fear the Lord. Not because He is ever out to get us or means us harm, but because He is the creator, our creator. His ways are rooted in His character, which reflect His holiness and justice. As the creator, He has created the universe and its creatures to operate as He has designed them to. In addition, He has established laws of the universe and moral laws based on what things are designed for, and if we operate outside of those bounds, we are going to get hurt.

Unfortunately for us, we usually have to bump up against those laws and step out of God’s design on a few things to realize that we got hurt because we did. When that happens, we begin to understand that this is My Father’s World. Just as David did when he says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I love Thy law.”

But the fear of the Lord is so much more. It is also the kind of feeling that we have when we look at the stars at night and realize that we are standing on a rock in the middle of space in the middle of a galaxy that is only one of hundreds in the universe. It is knowing that we serve a God who is not some divine collage figment of our imagination that seems most proper to us. He is a real being, who is all knowing, all wise, all present, all loving eternal and the essence of all that is good and right. He holds the universe in His hand; by Him all things were created and in Him all things hold together Colossians says. Yet, He created us to have relationship with Him. He made us unique from the animals and He wants relationship with us. So much that when we broke our relationship with Him by sinning, He made a way by shedding His own blood for us to have that relationship again.

But Solomon says that it is this fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom. I think that means that we don’t really begin to understand things rightly and in their deep and true nature until we understand them in light of who He is. The more we know Him, the more we have wisdom and understanding. The more we relate to our lives with Him as the fulcrum, the more we find that balance and blessing accompany us.  We really can’t understand ourselves except in light of who He is. The converse is true too. We least understand ourselves by trying to pursue inner truth or inner guidance apart from His Holy Spirit. We are created to be like the moon.

The moon doesn’t have its own light. It merely reflects the light of the Sun. It would have nothing to offer if it weren’t for its function in relationship to the Sun and its light. So are we. We are made to be reflections of God’s light and life in us.  We shine when we reflect Him. Our purpose is fulfilled as we reflect what and who He is. 

Its interesting to note that having the fear of the Lord is one of the few things in Scripture that consistently brings with it a promise of blessing. Maybe we should pay more attention to it. Some of the things we are promised in Scripture as a result of fearing the Lord: Long life, riches, favor, success, seeing our children's children, living a long life, sleeping peacefully, being protected, joy, peace etc....What a great list.

It boils down to this: Proverbs 3: 5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." We are not to trust ourselves. We are to trust Him. To seek His face and His wisdom in our lives. We are to understand that operating outside of His design for things has disastrous results. We are to approach every situation with a view to pleasing Him rather than ourselves. When we do, we will know the blessings of His favor and His peace in our lives. May we learn to fear Him and walk in His ways.