Understanding
the Fear of the Lord!
"My
son, if you will receive my words and hide my commandments
with you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply
your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry after knowledge
and lift up your voice for understanding; if you seek for
her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures;
then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the
knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; out of his mouth
comes knowledge and understanding. He lays up sound wisdom
for the righteous; he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
He keeps the paths of judgment, and preserves the way of his
people. Then you shall understand righteousness, and judgment,
and equity; yes, every good path" Proverbs
2:1-6, 9.
The purpose
for this study is to understand the fear of the Lord; and
what is God's intent through the many references to the fear
of the Lord for His people in the Old Testament?
An early
reference to the fear of the Lord our God in the Old Testament
is found in Leviticus 19:32, where it is written, "You
shall rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of
the old man, and fear your God; I am the Lord." The context
of a word, or the discourse that surround a word or passage,
before and/or after, can often give light or a greater understanding
of the meaning of the word or passage.
The context
of this statement is as follows, "Regard not them that
have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled
by them; I am the LORD your God. You shall rise up before
the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and fear
your God; I am the Lord. And if a stranger sojourns with you
in your land, you shall not vex him. But the stranger that
dwells with you shall be to you as one born amongst you, and
you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in
the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God," Leviticus
19:31-34.
This
was the Lord's instruction to Moses, who was called to lead
Israel out of the bondage of Egyptian slavery, And in the
above passage the Lord is warning Israel against the defilement
of familiar spirits and wizards; they were instructed to honor
their elders; and to fear the Lord their God; and if strangers
sojourned with them, they should not trouble them, but love
them as themselves, for they had been strangers in Egypt and
had been made slaves of the Egyptians. And the thought closes
with the reference as to whom is sharing this instruction
with them, it is the Lord their God.
Fearing
the Lord their God appears to be a reference encouraging His
people to do as He has instructed them, or harm may come to
them. There are consequences to our actions. There are two
examples of consequences in this reference. The first is the
defilement that comes to violators of God's instructions when
they seek the guidance of familiar spirits and wizards, and
if they chose to seek guidance of those who are enemies of
God, or who do not align themselves with God's instructions,
they are separating themselves from God's protection because
of their own choices.
The second
example is the reference to a stranger that sojourns with
them in their land. They had been strangers sojourning in
the land of Egypt, and Egypt had made slaves of them. God
had rescued them out of the land of Egypt and had given them
a land of their own. They were to treat the strangers sojourning
in their land with empathy, love and respect, not harshly,
such as making servants of them. Because of Egypt's defilement
of God's people, Egypt received the plagues, they experienced
the Passover night, and finally Pharaoh and his army were
destroyed when they attempted to stop and re-enslave Israel,
or to destroy them. God exercised His judgment against Egypt
for not allowing His people to go free.
God rescued
Israel out from under Egyptian bondage. If we want what God
has to offer His people, and if we want His protection, we
must follow His instructions. There is an enemy that continually
attempts to deceive God's people and cause them to disobey
their God with things that appear harmless, however, that
often return to bite them, deceive them, and separate them
from the One who has given His life to redeem them. Jesus
is the Lord of the Old Testament that lead Israel through
the wilderness to the Promised Land, He is that "spiritual
Rock that followed them; and that Rock was Christ" 1
Cor. 10:4.
With
regard to "fear of the Lord," Job tells us, "Behold,
the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil
is understanding" Job 28:28. To him or her who has been
bitten by the snakes of sin, and who wants to return to the
One who loves them supremely, the One who has paid the penalty
for the sins of the world, including their sins, Jesus has
provided the way. Jesus said, "Come unto me, all you
that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
"Verily, verily, I say to you, He that hears my word,
and believes on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death
unto life" Matthew 11:28; John 5:24. King David wrote,
"O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the
man that trusts in Him" Psalm 34:8. And Jesus tells it
like it is, "For God so loved the world that He gave
his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send
His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the
world through Him might be saved" John 3:16, 17.
The fear
of the Lord is for those who refuse to obey the instructions
of the One who has loved them supremely.
"If
you cry after knowledge and lift up your voice (pray) for
understanding; if you seek for her as silver, and search for
her
as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear
of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God."
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