God who is fearful
Psa
19:9 The fear of the LORD
is pure, enduring forever.
The
fear of the Lord is a strange thing. It is one of those concepts that
makes people dive for cover, yet it is so common in Scripture. So
often we define this fear as an awesome respect, but it's actually
stronger than just respect. It is awesome. Consider what one of the
psalmists said: “Let all the earth fear
the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.” (Psa
33:8). There is the basic call to fear or revere God, but it was then
followed by reasons: “For he spoke,
and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The LORD foils
the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his
heart through all generation.”
(v.9-11)
Do
you catch the awesome sense of concrete existence and purpose, God's
sovereignty in those following verses? When God speaks, things happen.
When God plans, it happens! If people try to stand against His plans,
they still happen! God's presence and plans are like a gigantic steamroller
before which nothing can stand. Unless you are blind and stupid, to
be confronted with this bearing down on you is awesome, fearful. When
a steamroller comes, you get out the way or you'll be crushed. That
is a healthy sort of fear! It's not that the steamroller has evil
designs on you; it's just simply that it's so big it will crush you
if you stand in front of it while it's moving.
Having
this awareness means our lives are changed. Consider some of the things
Moses said to Israel in their early days of experiencing the Lord:
Moses said to the people, "Do not be
afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God
will be with you to keep you from sinning" (Ex 20:20).
At Sinai Israel had their first encounter with the Lord and it scared
the life out of them! It's OK, said Moses, just let this awareness,
this fear, keep you from doing wrong. Then he taught them the Law:
“Do not take advantage of each other, but
fear your God. I am the LORD your God” (Lev 25:17).
Again and again he said, this is how you are to live, with this awareness,
this fear, reminding you why you are to do it.
Again
he quoted the Lord: “Oh, that their hearts
would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always,
so that it might go well with them and their children forever!”
(Deut 5:28,29). God wanted to bless them and blessing came when they
were rightly related to the ‘steamroller', and that meant following
His design for them. Indeed keeping God's laws was the sign or expression
of this awareness: you, your children and
their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you
live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and
so that you may enjoy long life”
(Deut 6:2). This awareness, this fear, was expressed by lovingly serving
the Lord whole heartedly: “And now, O Israel,
what does the LORD your God ask 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, and to observe
the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your
own good” (Deut 10:12,13)
The
‘fear of the Lord' is therefore not some abstract thing that the Lord
seeks to impose on His people to subdue them. It is simply the recognition
of the awesome greatness of the Lord and when we have it, it helps
provoke us into living according to His design for us, so that all
of His blessings come to us. How wonderful!