DO YOU FEAR GOD?

DO YOU FEAR THE LORD?
by B. J. Clarke
I am not asking if you are terrified of God. There is a tremendous misunderstanding in the minds of most people concerning what is truly involved in fearing Jehovah. The Bible speaks of two types of fear.
First, there is the fear forbidden (Gen. 15:1; Ex. 14:13; Mt. 10:28; Lk. 12:32). In all of these passages and hundreds more, individuals are instructed to refrain from fearing certain men or afflictions brought on by men. These are comforting assurances of God's protective watchcare over his faithful followers.
Second, there is the fear commanded. "Fear God. and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl. 12:13). This verse does not demand that we be filled with a dread and fright of God. It rather speaks of fear in the sense of deep-seated reverence and respect for the authority of God as the rightful ruler of the Universe. It was this kind of godly fear that moved Noah to prepare an ark for the saving of his household (Heb. 11:7). His example is worthy!
But, how can I know if I fear the Lord? Am I supposed to build an ark like Noah? While we are not obligated to do specifically what Noah did, we are required to imitate his general attitude towards God's wishes (Gen. 6:22).
The Proverbs reveal that fear of the Lord must involve several things. IF I WOULD TRULY FEAR THE LORD I MUST:
(1) Seek Wisdom and Knowledge (Prov. 1:7; 2:1-5; 9:10). The humanist doesn't seek Divine wisdom and knowledge because he has no respect for God. He doesn't even believe in God! He considers the wisdom of man to be supreme and sufficient to handle all of life's problems. Contrariwise, the man who fears Jehovah realizes that he needs the wisdom from above to live a well-balanced and fulfilling life. His respect for God leads him to turn to God for wisdom just as our respect for certain individuals leads us to ask them for advice and wisdom.
(2) Hate Evil and Depart From It (Prov. 3:7; 8:13; 23:17). If we respect God we will believe that he knows what is best for us. Thus, if God has classified certain activities as evil, we will consider them evil also. Fear of Jehovah is essential in overcoming temptations of this life. We cannot say that we fear the Lord while openly rebelling against him and participating in evil (Jonah 1:9, 10; 1 Jn. 2:3-5). Doing that which God hates is not fear!
The man who fears God in the aforementioned manner will be blessed (Prov. 10:27; 14:26,27; 19:23; 22:4; 29:25). On the other hand, the man who does not fear the Lord has much to fear (Prov. 1:29-32; 10:24). "Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble" (15:16).

POWER is a monthly publication of the Southaven church of Christ. This article may be re-printed and freely distributed. If this article is to be cited in other work please credit the author. The contents of this article may not be altered in any way.

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POWER
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E-mail: editor@powerlectures.org
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