Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom [Psalm 111:10 ESV]
By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. [Hebrews 11:7 ESV]
Fear/reverence is the Greek word eulabeomai, (εὐλαβέομαι), and in its biblical usage has 3 possible meanings:
1: to act cautiously, circumspectly
2. to beware, fear
3. to reverence, stand in awe of
The 3rd meaning is the one used in Hebrews 11:7.
It is used in the context of one who recognizes the omnipotence of God, reveres him as Lord God Almighty who is sovereign over everything, and humbles himself before the magnificence of this God. I am reminded of the first time I visited the Grand Canyon. As we walked up toward the viewing platform, fifty to seventy-five people were laughing and talking and enjoying their companions as they moved toward the platform. When we arrived to where we could see the magnificence of the canyon, its beauty, its grandeur, every person was overwhelmed and stood silent, gazing in awe and wonder.
I believe that’s just a taste of how we’ll feel when we stand before the throne. When we understand the magnificence, the wonder, the holiness, and glory of God, we are humbled, we are awed, and we cannot help but respond in reverence. This is the fear of God. It isn’t about being afraid of him, it’s about being awed by the wonder of who he is. It was this that caused Daniel (Daniel 6) to kneel in prayer because this reverent fear of God was greater than his fear of being thrown into the lions’ den.
Some things to understand about fear:
Some things to understand about fear:
- Not all fear is bad. There is good fear and there is bad fear.
a. Good fear is rightly understanding reality. Like “If I jump off this cliff, I die… Not because the cliff is bad, but because… Reality.
b. If I get hit by a truck, I die creates a reality-based fear to stay out of the way of trucks, not because trucks are bad, but…Reality. - Bad fear is fear that is not based in reality, but in the imagination. This is fear that is based in a lie or in something that is false.
a. If I speak up people might reject me.
Reality: They might reject you anyway. They might appreciate you. They might reject you.
b. If I don’t obey the workers (go to meeting, etc) I will go to hell.
c. If I screw up at the last minute, I will lose my salvation. - Reality regarding God, hell, and Salvation: God so loved the world that he sent his one and only son that whoever believes on him will not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
a. If I believe that Jesus did everything for me to be saved, I have done the will of the Father (John 6:40; Eph 2:8-10)
b. He has promised everything I need for life and godliness, so I can trust that I am secure in his promises.(2 Peter 1:3)
c. Fear of hell for a believer is based in a lie and runs counter to the teaching of Christ. We cannot believe in Jesus and fear hell. ((John 6:40)
d. If we are fearful of hell, we don’t get the gospel (good news) yet. (John 3:17-18).
e. The good news is that he has made our access to the Father a sure thing! (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Fear in and of itself is not a bad thing. Fear is good if it is based on what is true. Fear is bad if it is based on lies or imagination.
Psalm 111
Praise the LORD!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright,
in the congregation.
Great are the works of the LORD,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him; [fear: reverent]
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;
they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; [fear (yira): respect, reverence, piety]
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom… Why?
Based on all the things said of God, the fear of the Lord is a fear based on truth… He is goodness. Holy and awesome is his name. That which is defiled can have no part with him. That is truth and reality.
Having a good fear of the Lord is a fear based on reality and truth. Also true… GOD IS GOOD. GOD IS LOVE. And God is Holy – his holiness will consume anything that is defined by death. Since the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), we are defiled by death. We have no hope of standing in his presence, just like we have no hope of surviving a fall into the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is awesome and beautiful, and the law of gravity says I don’t survive a fall from the top. God is love and God is good and God is Holy… It is appropriate and right for us to have a reverent fear of the reality of his holiness. Like gravity, sin separates us from God, God is life, and our only hope of escaping death is being reunited with him. He is life. Outside of him is death.
…AND he made provision for me to escape that death through Christ. Through his promise, through his act on my behalf, I can stand in God’s presence without fear of death. While death is a reality, I can rest in the assurance of Christ. …kind of like I can trust the guardrails around the Grand Canyon, but even they aren’t as trustworthy as Jesus.
This is why I say that 1 John 4:18 is the shortest Gospel ever told…”Perfect love casts out fear.” Jesus as our surety is in the context of this verse…”By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.
God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. “We love because he first loved us.”
Keep in mind that “perfect” (the Greek word teleios) in this context means “brought to its end, finished -wanting nothing necessary to completeness.” So… While the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom… The end of wisdom is perfect love, which casts out fear. Since the fear of the Lord is a recognition and understanding that we cannot stand before him in our sin, love perfected ushers us into God’s presence and fullness (eternal) of life. And THAT is secure in Christ.
So… Fearing the wrath of God is no longer based in reality. It would be like gravity was removed from earth and we could jump from the top of the Grand Canyon and float to the bottom enjoying the view. In Christ, the completed love (God so loved the world…) is reconciliation with God and death no longer has any power over us. We can stand boldly in his presence with no fear of death because death is no longer our reality. Fear based on truth is actually a reverence for the reality of that truth. Fear based on lies and imagination is founded on deception and gives reverence and honor to a lie.
Fear God, and live. Fear death, and die. This could be stated… Give reverence to or serve God, and live. Give reverence to or serve death (and sin), and die. The object of our fear determines whether that fear is holy or defiled.
By Bernitta Woodward
November 19, 2024