The Fear of the Lord is a profound reverence and awe towards God

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.” (Prov. 14:27 ESV)

I love fountains!

I love to build water features and have placed them all around my yard, front and back. They are a reminder that water and fountains are used throughout the Bible to describe how God blesses.

“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.” (Psalm 36:9)

“Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10 ESV)

“Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14 ESV) 

“For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Rev. 7:17)

“And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.” (Rev. 21:6)

Therefore

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isa. 12:3 ESV)

“The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Rev. 22:17 ESV)

The Fear of the Lord is a profound reverence and awe towards God

“And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” (Luke 1:50 ESV)

According to the above passage, mercy is a benefit “for those who fear him.”

What is mercy?

According to the dictionary, mercy is a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion—mercy forbears punishing even when justice demands it. Another way of saying it: Mercy is receiving forgiveness when you don’t deserve it, an act of grace.

Saved by God’s never-ending mercy

“He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” (Titus 3:5 ESV)

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23 ESV)

Therefore

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Peter 1:3 ESV)

The Fear of the Lord is a profound reverence and awe towards God 

“The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.” (Prov. 8:13 ESV)

Confusing the definition of good and evil

Currently in the United States, there is a movement made up of social media giants, mainstream media groups, and political arms that is defining what is good or evil and socially acceptable. A term often used to describe this is political correctness. And to be concise, it means to be woke, meaning to be socially aware regarding such things as race, gender, and/or certain political issues (the term varies from group to group). They wield great influence and power to bring those who disagree with them or think differently from them to ruin—they immediately attack dissenters, calling them haters. The word hater is now defined as a bad person—good is now being called bad, and bad is being called good, as God warned us (see Isa. 5:20).

This kind of thinking is from the devil and is a direct attack on the Word of God—It is a way of evil and is perverted speech, which God says He hates (see verse at top).  

What God hates

“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.” (Prov. 6:16-19)

We are commanded to hate what God hates and to love what God loves

“Hate evil, you who love the Lord,
Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 97:10)

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.” Rom. 12:9)

A warning from God

“since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord. Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” (Prov. 1:29-33) 

Therefore

“Hate evil, love good, And establish justice in the gate.” (Amos 5:15)

“Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?” (Psalm 139:29)

The Fear of the Lord is a profound reverence and awe towards God

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Prov. 1:7 ESV)

Human knowledge

Human knowledge, apart from God, is flawed. The Bible refers to it as worthless because it isn’t tempered by love (1 Cor. 13:2). The knowledge man possesses tends to make one proud. “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Cor. 8:1). Therefore, the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, without seeking God, is foolishness.

 “Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom . . . but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief” (Eccles. 1:17-18).

Worldly knowledge is a false knowledge which is opposed to the truth.

“Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith” (1 Tim. 6:20-21).

Human knowledge is opposed to God’s knowledge and therefore is no knowledge at all; rather, it is foolishness.

God’s knowledge

GOD’s knowledge is very different than human knowledge. It is infinite and absolute.

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Rom. 11:33)

God’s vast knowledge and creative power are on display continually and are clearly seen in what He has created.

 “Night after night [the skies] display knowledge.” (Psalm 19:2)

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Rom. 1:19-20)

All the hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in Jesus Christ

“that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col. 2:2-3)

Therefore

Because knowledge is God’s to give, those who reverence Him will receive it.

 “For the Lord gives wisdom; From his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” (Prov. 2:6)

The Fear of the Lord is a profound reverence and awe towards God

 “The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.” (Prov. 10:27 ESV)

 The promise above says that the fear of the Lord prolongs a person’s life, but the life of the wicked will be short. That’s because those who fear God seek to walk in His ways; they obey His commands, and that makes things go well with them. On the other hand, the wicked person lives a very different life and does not honor and respect God, which leads them to make unwise decisions with negative consequences.

 Therefore

“You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.” (Deut. 5:33)

“For through wisdom your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.” (Prov. 9:11)

“Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.” (Prov. 16:31)

The Fear of the Lord is a profound reverence and awe towards God

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Prov. 9:10)

One of the promises connected to “the fear of the Lord” is the beginning of wisdom. It’s where you start. And the Bible has a lot to say about the importance of getting wisdom.

“How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.” (Prov. 16:16 ESV)

When you have wisdom, you’re blessed

“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.” (Prov. 3:13-18 ESV)

 Therefore

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17 ESV)

The Fear of the Lord is a profound reverence and awe towards God 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” (Psalm 111:10 ESV)

When I was in grade school, I read and memorized a little poem called “Somebody’s Boy.” It was very moving and thought provoking. Brace yourself, it’s heart wrenching.

Somebody’s Boy

Author Unknown

“Somebody’s boy was crossing the street, innocent, young, and fair.

He hadn’t the judgement of older folks and didn’t see danger there.

Somebody’s boy with a song on his lips, but it died in an instant away;

For a motorist ran the little boy down, and he died at the close of the day.

Somebody kneels at the foot of a bed, tight in her grasp a small shoe.

Somebody cries through the endless night, aren’t you glad that someone isn’t you!”

This little poem had a very profound effect on me. I’ve pondered it many times over the years. I thought about the great loss to the parents and how heartbroken and grief-stricken the mother was. I thought about what they might have done to have prevented that tragic accident from happening in the first place. Of course, sometimes accidents happen so quickly that there’s nothing that could have been done to prevent them. But, practical common since measures can be put in place to lesson the chances.

When my children were small I made sure I did everything I could do to make sure they were kept safe. Because we lived next to a busy street, I built a good fence and I constantly reminded them to look both ways while crossing the street.

The fear of the Lord brings wisdom and understanding

I also worked to teach my children to use good judgment in other areas of their lives, to understand the difference between good and evil and to make wise choices. This I knew was a bi-product of being born again (receiving Christ as Savior) and practicing the fear of the Lord personally. The promise verse at the top says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.” And this understanding will give them what they need in every area of their lives and will protect them in many ways throughout their lives. 

Therefore

“And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” (Job 28:28 ESV)

Tomorrow, more about the fear of the Lord and what it produces.

“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” (Psalm 33:8 ESV)

The fear of the Lord is different

When we read that we’re to “fear” the Lord, which is a commanded throughout the Bible, it’s important to understand it’s referring to a very different kind of fear than what most usually think of.

The dictionary describes two kinds of fear

1)    Fear: is an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger; alarm, angst, anxious, dread, fright, panic, scare, terror.

2)    The fear of the Lord is a profound reverence and awe toward God; Respect, revere, honor.

When you fear the Lord by applying profound reverence and awe toward Him, He blessed you abundantly in so many ways. Read what the Lord promised through the Prophet Jeremiah.

“I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.” (Jer. 32:39-40)

“I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me. And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them. They shall fear and tremble because of all the good and all the prosperity I provide for it.” (Jer. 33:8-9)

Therefore

“Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!” (Psalm 112:1 ESV)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John  3:16 NIV)

I was recently speaking with a fellow Christian at a local coffee shop, and I asked him what his favorite Bible promise is. He looked puzzled and said, “What is a Bible promise?” His answer is not unusual because, sadly, most Christians don’t know what Bible promises are and can’t think of any if asked. I usually ask them if they know the most famous passage in the Bible, which is John 3:16. And just about everyone does. Then I say, If you know John 3:16, you already know five wonderful Bible promises. Then I explain by breaking the familiar verse into five sections, each a promise. I start with the promise that’s in each section, along with that part of the verse. I’ve bolded the promise and italicized the part of the verse.

PROMISE ONE: God loves you (for God so loved the world…)

PROMISE TWO: God gave His Son, Jesus, for you (that He gave his one and only Son…)

PROMISE THREE: When you believe in Him (that whosoever believes in Him…)

PROMISE FOUR: You won’t go to hell (shall not perish…)

PROMISE FIVE: You will live forever (but have eternal life)

Therefore

If you ever are asked if you know any Bible promises, you can confidently say, “Why yes! I know five, and here’s what they are!

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV)