The Fear of the Lord:
What, Why, How
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
When we start to understand what the fear of the Lord is, it just settles everything. It makes life be what it should be. A subtitle of this teaching could be: “In You I Rest.”
What is the Fear of the Lord?
I think of it as unrivaled awe.
Our God is an Awesome God
We through around the word “awesome.” But the word means that it has the quality of or causes awe. Another word like that is “troublesome.” If someone is troublesome, they are causing trouble.
Psalm 111:10 ESV:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
When we read that wisdom is “the beginning” of something, it means the first in time and also in importance. Wisdom is the first manifestation listed in 1 Corinthians 12.
Proverbs 1:7 ESV:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The fear of the Lord begins as a heart condition. A heart condition that recognizes God is God, and we are not. The fear of God in a heart results in reverence and awe towards God and His mighty existence and it also produces humility within the person who fears God.
Who God is, is more important than who we are.
Proverbs 15:33 ESV:
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 14:26–27 ESV:
26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. 27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.
Proverbs 10:27 ESV:
The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon goes through all the things that people think life is, and calls it vanity.
Ecclesiastes 12:13:
(ESV) The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
(KJV) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
The word “duty” is not in the text. You can tell it was added in the KJV because it is in italics. Fearing God is “the whole of man.”
Proverbs 1:28–29 ESV:
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
Why Should We Fear the Lord?
It counteracts or stills all other fears. The fear of God contradicts the fear of man.
Proverbs 29:25 ESV:
The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
Isaiah 8:11–13 ESV:
11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with his strong hand upon me, and warned me not to walk in the way of this people, saying: 12 “Do not call conspiracy all that this people calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear, nor be in dread. 13 But the Lord of hosts, him you shall honor as holy. Let him be your fear, and let him be your dread.
Isaiah 8:13 NET:
You must recognize the authority of the Lord who commands armies. He is the one you must respect; he is the one you must fear.
Some promises regarding why we should fear the Lord:
Psalm 115:11 ESV:
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is their help and their shield.
Psalm 34:7 ESV:
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Psalm 103:11–17 ESV:
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,
How to Fear the Lord?
Deuteronomy 10:12 ESV:
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require 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 your soul,
Proverbs 3:7–8 ESV:
7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
Proverbs 2:1–5 ESV:
My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
There are four parallel things here.
- Receive God’s words and treasure them.
- Make your ear attentive to wisdom and incline your heart to understanding.
- Call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding.
- Seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasures.
Job 28:1–3 ESV:
1 Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place for gold that they refine. 2 Iron is taken out of the earth, and copper is smelted from the ore. 3 Man puts an end to darkness and searches out to the farthest limit the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
It’s like following a vein of silver. The fear of the Lord is the beginning. Once you start having that unrivaled awe for God, He shows you the path.
Job 28:12–15 ESV:
12 But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? 13 Man does not know its worth, and it is not found in the land of the living. 14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’ and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ 15 It cannot be bought for gold, and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
Proverbs 28:20–25 ESV:
20 From where, then, does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? 21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the air. 22 Abaddon [destruction] and Death say, ‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
23 God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. 24 For he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. 25 When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure,
Proverbs 28:28 ESV:
And he said to man, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’
Matthew 13:44 APNT:
Again, the kingdom of heaven is compared to a treasure that is hidden in a field that a man found and hid. And from his joy, he went [and] sold everything he had and bought that field.
Colossians 2:1–3 APNT:
For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. 2 My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
1 Corinthians 2:6–9 APNT:
6 Now we speak wisdom among the mature [ones], not the wisdom of this world, nor of the authorities of this world who come to nothing,
7 but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which was hidden and [which] God determined beforehand, from before the ages, for our glory.
8 Not one of the authorities of this world knew, for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written: The eye has not seen and the ear has not heard and into the heart of man has not entered what God has prepared for those who love him.
James 1:5 APNT:
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask [for it] from God, who gives generously to all and does not reproach and it will be given to him.
Psalm 90:12 ESV:
So teach us to number [count] our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.
It’s not important what you think; it’s only important what God does.
Scripture References
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from The NET Bible® Copyright © 1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.netbible.com. All rights reserved.
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