The Fear of the Lord
I am waiting for the day that this is understood from a different perspective than that which is written in black and white. Taught and believed by many through the agency of men.
In the book of Proverbs we have this verse: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. (9:10)"
This word "fear" (H3374) has the meaning of: Feminine of H3373; fear (also used as infinitive); morally reverence: - X dreadful, X exceedingly, fear (-fulness).
The majority of Christians believe this is to be taken in the context of being "afraid" of God, to fear what He is capable of doing to us if we disobey His commandments. I myself do not see it in this way. Why don't I? Because we also have ..... included in the definition ..... morally reverence. Most people put this definition to the rear, rather than it being up front. It is taken from H3373 which means: From H3372; fearing; morally reverent: - afraid, fear (-ful). and that word is taken from H3772 which means: A primitive root; to fear; morally to revere; causatively to frighten: - affright, be (make) afraid, dread (-ful), (put in) fear (-ful, -fully, -ing). (be had in) reverence (-end), X see, terrible (act, -ness, thing). (Emphasis is mine}.
We have the word "reverence" taken from the word that means "reverent" and that one was taken from the word that means "to revere". What are the definitions of these three words:
revere: to regard with respect tinged with awe
reverent: feeling, exhibiting, or characterized as reverence, deeply respectful
reverence: 1. a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration.
2. the outward manifestation of this feeling:
3. a gesture indicative of deep respect; an obeisance, bow, or curtsy.
4. the state of being revered, or treated with respect tinged with awe.
It makes no sense to me, that anyone can have a deep respect for someone they fear? Are we so blind to what we have been taught for generations, that this understanding has fallen by the wayside? Have people hung on to this understanding of "being afraid" of God, for the sake of tradition?
His written word, inspired through the disciple John says this:
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)
Are we to throw out what John came to understand as an old understanding? Do we even see that this was understood and written down by John under the new covenant of grace, whereas the first understanding of it was understood under the old covenant of the law? Sure, I could believe it is natural to "fear" punishment through the law. But what goes against everything we first believed is that because we have been forgiven of our sins through the cross by the commencement of the new covenant of grace, we can now have "a deep respect" for God, and are in "awe" of Him for what He has done for us, rather than continue to live in fear. Am I to believe that an understanding of "being afraid of God" is TO BE ABOVE an understanding of "having a deep respect" for Him? I don't know about you, but I refuse to believe that.
John also states ten verses earlier that "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Do you believe that love is the nature of God in its purest form? That love is the motive for everything that He does? In the Hebrew language ..... a "title" given ..... meant more than just an office held by someone ..... it was more than just a word that would identify both the office he held and the person . A "title" in Hebrew, described not only who they were, it also described what they did, and these two things matched perfectly. For example: one of the "titles" for God is Comforter; why was He given this "title"? Because He comforts, He gives comfort to our spirit. Another "title" is Provider; why was He given this "title"? Because He provides for our spirit. Another is Counselor; why was He given this "title"? Because He gives council to our spirit. Do I need to go on?
Why all this? Because no where, and I mean no where in the Bible, have I ever found that the "title" FEAR was given to Him, that He gives fear to our spirit. But I do know that "perfect love casteth out fear". Does it make sense that God would put fear into us ... just to cast it out again? Do we live a life of fear? Live in the fear of punishment if we don't obey? Live in the fear of death because we didn't obey? Consider this: isn't it an evil man that uses fear to get us to do what he wants ... uses fear to get us to obey him? Isn't it an evil man that uses the fear of death to get us to obey him ..... uses the fear of death to get us to do what he wants us to do? Are we to believe that God uses the same tactics as evil men to get us to do what He wants us to do? In the words of the apostle Paul, I say "may it never be."
In my personal opinion, doesn't it make more sense that the beginning of wisdom would be to have "reverence" towards the Lord rather than to have "fear" towards Him? In other words; when we actually put in the definition of the word "reverence" into the verse, that we should understand the verse as: "The deep respect tinged with awe of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"?
In my own experience, and I also believe this applies to the experiences of others, that if we have fear towards something, that "fear" itself is what keeps us from approaching the thing we fear; in other words; we keep our distance from that which we fear. And that because of "fear" we are afraid to approach it ..... we are afraid to get close to it. Doesn't it make more sense that in order for the Lord to begin to give us His wisdom, that we have to get close to Him, to not be afraid of approaching Him? The churches of today teach that we are to get close to the Lord, and I couldn't agree more. But is this getting closer to the Lord supposed to stir up a spirit of "fear" towards the Lord in us or is it to stir up a spirit of "deep respect" towards the Lord in us?
Ask yourself this question: "Can I actually have "a deep respect" towards the Lord and have "fear" towards the Lord at the same time, if one allows me to approach with "no fear" and one keeps me from approaching because of "fear"? That to me, is a stale mate, they cancel each other out and you become paralyzed and can't move in either direction, we can't move away from Him because we want to get close, but you also can't move towards Him because of the fear.
I remember once when I was at work, when I was still in construction, and I knew that my boss was coming to talk to me. The whole time I was working, I couldn't help but think about what she was coming to talk to me about. I could not find any "good" reason that she was coming to talk, I could only think about "bad" reasons she was coming. The reason I could only think of "bad" reasons was because I was screwing up on my job. Not in the quality of my work, but that I was not meeting the deadline of getting the job done on time. And the reason I was not meeting the deadlines is because of my obssession with the Bible, I was spending way to much time thinking and studying that my job began to suffer.
It is only now that I can look back on it and see it as a blessing in disguise. When she arrived, all these thoughts kept running through my mind, I could not stop them. I looked like I was fine on the outside but inside I was in turmoil. It was probably only about five or ten minutes into the discussion that I had a massive anxiety attack. I had never had one before, but I did know what it was. Don't really know how I knew, since I never had one before, but I did. I ended up having to lay down on the floor and my boss asked me if I was alright. I told her I would be fine, but I ended up going to the hospital and they confirmed what I already knew; that it was an anxiety attack.
The one thing I remember about the reaction to what my boss saw, it was as if she was afraid and she felt helpless because she didn't know what to do, because she just ended up leaving with no advice of what to do. She left while I was still laying on the floor, trying to recover.
It wasn't until a few weeks later, that through my studies ..... but don't remember specifically what the Lord used ..... that I came to realize what caused the anxiety attack. It was because I was intimidated by her authority, I was afraid of what she could do to me. It was because she had the authority and the power to fire me for not making the deadlines I was supposed to be making. I was afraid of being punished for not making the deadlines.
Now let me ask this, do we live in the fear of not making the deadline? I don't mean in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense. Of not doing what men tell us we have to do before we die ..... of not making that "deadline" ..... the deadline of our physical death? Do we live in "the fear of death"? or the fear of "did I do enough" to be accepted by God and enter into heaven after we die?
In the book of Hebrews, we read these words:
"And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (2:15).
Do we even realize that the bondage they were subjected to is "the fear of death" and that they were subjected to this "fear" their whole lifetime? How long have we been subjected to this "fear of death"? And who is the one who subjects us to it? Is it man or is it God? If "God is Love" and "perfect love casts out fear" is it God who puts this "fear of death" into us? Who do you think ..... subjects us to the "fear of death"? Who teaches that we are to "be afraid" of God and who will teach us that we are to have "a deep respect tinged with awe" of God?
And what do I myself say about all this? "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15) and I shall believe the latter rather than the former. "for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:4), And because the former things are passed away: "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:" (Revelation 21:4).
Do we have "fear" for His authority OR do we have "a deep respect" for His authroity ..... Do we have "fear" of His power OR do we have "a deep respect" for His power ..... that He is capable of "wiping away all tears" ..... that He is capable of getting rid of "death" ..... that He is capable of removing all "sorrow" ..... that He is capable of stopping all "crying" .... that He is capable of getting rid of all "pain" ..... are we in "awe" of His authority and power to do all these things?
Do we believe "with God, all things are possible"? Do we understand His written word differently, to see it from a different perspective .... differently than just what is written in black and white? Do we see His Promise ..... that "He will" and "is fully capable" of accomplishing all these things?
This is the result of what I have come to understand through my study of "The fear of the Lord"
But this is just my opinion
I believe in exactly the same way brother !!! :HeartThrob: Beautifully & wonderfully said!!!!!!!!!!!
LOVE for the known GOD , overcomes all things by the truth setting us free by God is Love for us all .....
Amen! I totally agree too! ..Except I think that is what it says in black and white. :gsmile: (But we have to keep seeking, knocking, asking.. to get past man's perceptions and thus interpretation(s) Oy.)
It's enlightening to me that the 'Judaizers' were a first opponent of the good news.. which we still have those who try real hard to get others to join them in their mixing of law with grace! No matter how many times, in every New Testament book, it says not to mix "the law" and expectations/requirements to grace. Because grace is the effective transformer.
Grace brings change from within, law is imposed from without, and doesn't work! But is "a tutor, showing good from not good, until Christ" - is birthed in us. I believe in loving people to Christ and trusting Him to accomplish His work in them. People also Cor.11 don't realize when they read some of Paul's instructions to churches.. they were being formed, and there was a lot of advice and instructions on identifying false teachers, even those claiming to be apostles (rev. letter to ephesis for example and 1 Jn.4:1?) - They were "fighting earnestly" to preserve the pure and unmixed good news, and were building the foundation.. But the chuches almost interpret that into hating your neighbor! It was a totally different lifestyle (change, grace) expected of believers (the body/church) than those outside the faith.
P.S. - I found myself wondering if "fear of the Lord" --> reverence with awe.. on another level, to despots and abusers who hurt, even kill others, perhaps the realization that there's One mightier than they that will call them to account, is the beginning of wisdom.. That man, in his levels of good and evil hears the Word of God at his own level. "Wrath of God" I may think of as natural consequences, be they individual or collective. But it may indeed be a case of 'fear' if I was one who had been trampling all over others in my quest to be some sort of ruler (or 'god') over others..I still think of it as consequences, but whereas God is love (a burning passion?) .. love and caring, that love can also be terrible.. like a mother or father's fierce protective love.. Yet He doesn't stop evil/harm, we may say or wonder.. But He being life suffers through it all. Allowing it.. all levels of free-dom.. to prove His point. That Love hAs to rule! There simply is no other way. He is perfect (and life/the life) and therefor, all life has to be (and remain) perfect. :Chinscratch: Because He, purity/life, is a consuming fire..
And also, love consumes non love..
Thank you Rose and MG for the encouraging responses, that others have come to understand the things that I also do.
In response to MG:
I would say that "fear" can lead us to the law, and through that fear we do our best to obey it, in the fear of being punished for non obedience .... but we know that the law cannot fully be obeyed/fulfilled except by Love ..... by loving our neighbor as ourselves
because "fear" involves torment, which by that I see that this torment is brought on by the person themselves in always thinking "am I obeying the law perfectly" which is why we have to learn that Love is what fulfills the law perfectly.
But since Abraham was before Moses, faith has to come before the law, faith that God will teach us how to fulfill the law perfectly which of course we come to understand that "BY LOVE" we do.
that through "fear" is the beginning of the knowledge of the law (the knowledge of good and evil) but Christ Jesus is the beginning of the knowledge of grace (the knowledge of righteousness)
Because we can seek out man for his understanding of the knowledge of good and evil, but we know for a fact, only God fully and truly knows the knowledge of righteousness which can only come through Christ.
I wrote something else others might find interesting about the difference between what is "good" and what is "righteous", I will post it in my tidbits thread later if I have time
Blessings
I think about this topic a lot, and I want to dismiss it, but over and over, I see that word, that phrase, in the OT: to fear God. It makes me think of a song from the 70's called "I'm Scared". "I'm scared, Lord, i'm shaken, i'm terrified".
So if that's what the Lord wants, then yes, I will be frightened, I will be shaking in my boots.
Or maybe I should just take a few classes on ancient Hebrew language. So many of the modern translations have (unwittingly?) changed the meanings of certain words.
Glad I have a study Bible. I would be lost without all those notes at the bottom of the page.
:thumbsup:
I love the study aids we now have.. online and apps.. I use https://biblehub.com - especially the interlinear word for word translation of verses.. though even then, unwittingly, translators have run with meanings in the word meanings.. But at least the original is always there and discerning it from the extensions isn't very difficult. Humans do love to run with things.. (add to? take away?) ...Also the more we read our NT (loaf? our daily bread..) the more all pertaining verses to a topic become evident and a fuller understanding. I think we humans sometimes think we can take a shortcut by what others think or learn, and there's value and good benefit from that, but mostly I like the formula of the daily bread itself (NT, especially) with the new wine of God's Spirit as teacher and "guide into all truth".
And now there's the (strong and somewhat prevalent) trend to draw a line between literal and spiritual, which to me, the literal Word is spiritual! Sometimes running with the phrase "letter of the law" to mean all God's Word.. like what is written is inferior and what a human thinks about it is superior! :doh:
:girlheart:
p.s. - "God is love" .."'Love casts out (does away with) all fear". And "love never (ever) fails.."
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Amen JH :thumbsup:
But! If someone is beating their wife, defauding or seducing others.. carrying out genocides! Maybe they should 'shake in their boots'! At least initially.. or until they repent ( turn, etc) Seeing as we reap what we sow and God's wrath is ? consequences (which is what I am persuaded to think it is).
Thankfully, although, but for the grace of God, there go I.. most of us aren't great abusers of others.. (But if God's going to PROVE truth to all, doesnt even the extremes of imperfection/"missing the mark"/sin have to be allowed? And allowed to run their course? Otherwise how would it be proven to be the apocalypse/ruin it is?
So the OT, dealing with barbaric mankind has a stricter tone than the NT for born again folks.. Everything God has done and does is (surely?) in order to bring about the very best of ALL possibilities.. :HeartThrob: