Learning to Fear God - Part 2
Proverbs 9:10
Introduction: In our last time together, I said, "Fearing God is the foundation for a correct perspective about life." Fearing God is essential to successful Christian living, but how can we have a proper and Biblical fear of the Lord?
Biblically, it is wrapped up in a single word, "awe." "Awe" is defined a number of ways:
- It is an emotion of respect mixed with fear and wonder.
- It is a submissive and admiring fear inspired by authority.
- It is a fearful reverence inspired by deity.
The word "awe" is used only three times in the Bible:
- Psalm 4:4, "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah."
- Psalm 33:8, "Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him."
- Psalm 119:161, "Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word."
This awe must be directed toward God, but let me give you a physical illustration to a Biblical truth. (Tell the story of when I was a little boy, and a tornado hit near my Pa Pa Parton's house.) When we heard the tornado coming, we feared with a great fear and were awestruck at its power. We also knew that God was in control, and this caused us to be in great wonder of such a great God.
The word "awe" may be difficult to understand in light of today's language. For example, the tornado in Tennessee was awesome, yet we hear from some that:
- A steak is awesome.
- A banana split is awesome.
- A Thanksgiving dinner is awesome.
These are great but not awesome. A banana split does not fill you with great fear and wonder. We should enjoy a banana split but fear a tornado.
* God must needs be feared.
John Murray said: "It is the essence of impiety [ungodliness] not to be afraid of God when there is reason to be afraid...The Scripture throughout prescribes the necessity of this fear of God under all circumstances in which our sinful situation makes us liable to God's righteous judgment."
Pharaoh is an example of this impiety in Exodus 5:2 where he said, "...Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go." Pharaoh was neither in awe of God, nor was he afraid of His judgments. Even after God had stricken Egypt with ten plagues, Moses said in Exodus 9:30, "But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God."
A lack of fear for God results in sinful conduct. John Calvin writes: "All wickedness flows from a disregard of God...Since the fear of God is the bridle by which our wickedness is held in check, its removal frees us to indulge in every kind of licentious [i.e., without moral restrain] conduct." The Bible bears out this statement:
- Deuteronomy 25:17-18, "Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God."
- Ecclesiastes 8:13, "But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God."
- Luke 18:1-5, "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."
Abraham moved into the region of King Abimelech where he lied for the second time about Sarah being his wife. Because of this, Abimelech sent for Sarah to make her one of his wives. God intervened and kept this from happening.
* When Abimelech confronted Abraham about his deceitfulness, he asked, "...What sawest thou, that thou hast done this thing?" (Genesis 20:10) Abraham answered him, "...Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake." (Genesis 20:11)
Abraham was correct when he linked the absence of a fear of God with sinful behaviour. If then a lack of the fear of God indeed results in sinful behaviour, should we live in fear of God?
Romans 3:18 says, "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Is there a Scripture more descriptive of our own society today?
* Our denial of moral standards and basing our morality on the pressures and dictates of society instead of God's Word is just like what Pharaoh said, "...Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go."
It is even happening in our churches today, but should Christians be afraid of God? After all, we've been delivered from God's wrath in Hell, and the Bible teaches that perfect love casteth out fear.
Though we've been delivered from this wrath, we are not guaranteed deliverance from His judgments on sin.
- Nadab and Abihu; strange fire.
- Uzzah; touching the Arc of God.
- Ananias and Sapphira; lying to the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion: So, is God not as safe as we've always thought Him to be? The Bible teaches us that, in His mercy and grace, God allows Himself to be our refuge, that is, a place of safety. However, in a larger sense, God is definitely NOT safe; yet in our thinking, we have tried to make Him exclusively safe.
We must remember that God does not overlook sin, nor does He ignore sinful behaviour. Hebrews 12:28-29 state plainly, "Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire."
God is not exclusively safe, but He is infinitely good; and we must keep both of these truths in mind if we are to understand and practice a Biblical fear of God. Even His goodness leads us to fear Him when we truly understand it.