God has a secret for you!
“The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.” (Psalms 25:14 NKJV)
Wow, the “secret of the LORD!” A secret is defined as something confidential, undisclosed, unknown, private, hidden, concealed, or invisible!
How would you like to know God’s secret?
According to this verse you can! And it tells you how! “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear the LORD.”
So, what does it mean to “fear” the LORD?
It’s not what you think, because the kind of “fear” the Bible is talking about in this passage is different than the kind of fear we normally think about such as fright, alarm, panic, anxiety, terror, or trepidation; this kind of fear is “cast out by love” (1 John 4:18). But there is another kind of fear that is good, the “fear of the Lord,” which has a different definition. This kind of fear brings positive results!
What does the Bible mean by the fear of the LORD?
The main Hebrew and Greek words for fear in the Bible can have several shades of meaning, but in the context of the fear of the Lord, they convey a positive reverence.
The Hebrew verb yare can mean “to fear, to respect, to reverence” and the Hebrew noun yirah “usually refers to the fear of God and is viewed as a positive quality. This fear acknowledges God’s good intentions (Ex. 20:20). … This fear is produced by God’s Word (Ps. 119:38; Prov. 2:5) and makes a person receptive to wisdom and knowledge (Prov. 1:7; 9:10)” (Warren Baker and Eugene Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament, 2003, pp. 470-471).
The Greek noun phobos can mean “reverential fear” of God, “not a mere ‘fear’ of His power and righteous retribution, but a wholesome dread of displeasing Him” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, “Fear, Fearful, Fearfulness).” This is the type of positive, productive fear Luke describes in the early New Testament Church:
“Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.” (Acts 9:31 NKJV, emphasis added).
One resource includes this helpful summary: “The fear of God is an attitude of respect, a response of reverence and wonder. It is the only appropriate response to our Creator and Redeemer” (Nelson’s NKJV Study Bible, 1997, note on Psalm 128:1).
The promise verse at the top says that if you fear the Lord (and you now know what that means) “He will show you His covenant!” And, that is wonderful news! A “covenant” is a contract, agreement, undertaking, commitment, guarantee, warrant, pledge, promise, bond, indenture; pact, deal, settlement, arrangement, understanding!
Look at these “fear of God promises” you get
Fountain of life
“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.” (Prov. 14:27 ESV)
Blessing
“Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who greatly delights in His commandments.” (Psalm 112:1 NASB)
Wisdom
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” (Prov. 9:10a NASB)
Knowledge
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Prov. 1:7a NASB)
Confidence
“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. (Prov. 14:26 KJV)
Mercy
“And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.” (Luke 2:50 KJV)
Needs met
“O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” (Psalms 34:9 KJV)
Prolonged life
“The fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.” (Prov. 10:27 NASB)
Rescues you
“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.” (Psalms 34:7 NASB)
Fulfills your desires
“He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them.” (Psalms 145:19 NASB)