The Fear of the Lord

The Bible speaks a lot about the Fear of the Lord. The term is often associated with a promise of wonderful blessings to those who fear Him. Yet we also read that God loves us and we can approach Him with confidence knowing we are loved and will be received. How do these two concepts compatible? Can we fear someone and yet feel comfortable and confident in that person's presence? Do the two terms to together?

So let's explore a bit. I found two Hebrew words used in the Old Testament for fear in relation to God. The two Hebrew words speak of two different kinds of fear.

One word for fear, pachad, is usually used with reference to unrepentant sinners; it means extreme dread or abject terror. This speaks of the fear those have who are facing the wrath of God or God's judgment on the wicked. The Bible is clear that we who trust in Christ are not appointed to wrath. (1 Thess. 5:9) In fact, we are not to have this kind of fear. I John 4:17-18 says "In this way love is perfected among us, so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" This fear is reserved for those who refuse and reject Christ. It is indeed a dreadful fear of judgment that is horrible to contemplate.

The other word for fear, yirah, speaks of piety or reverence rather than abject terror. In the newer translations is will be translated reverence or revere the Lord rather than fear the Lord. This better expresses the meaning. We need confidence in our acceptance and approval by God to be able to approach Him and relate to Him in the loving, trusting way He desires. At the same time we have this awe and respect for Him, never taking this relationship frivolously. I think it's what Jesus meant when He taught us the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed by the Name." The word "hallowed" means to set apart, holy, different than all else. It carries the sense of supreme respect and reverance. So this fear is an awesome respect and reverence for God, yet we feel free to draw near in confidence because of His great love for us!

It might be like in the old days; the Roman Emperor was traveling the Appian Way to the forum for a special occasion. It was a great state event and the crowds lined the street. Roman legionnaires lined the way holding back the cheering crowds as this powerful man and his entourage passed by. A little boy tried to dash past the soldiers to the procession. A legionnaire stopped him and said son, don't you know that's the emperor? The little boy looked at him and said, "Don't you know who I am? To you he may be emperor, but to me he is daddy!" Recognizing him, immediately the soldier stepped aside and let the young lad run to the chariot and climb aboard with his smiling dad." Our heavenly Father is awesome! And we are the apple of His eye! Notice the contrast in Isaiah 40:

11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales
and the hills in a balance?

He is awesome, creator and sustainer of the universe, all powerful, King above all, yet He carries us next to His heart! So we do hold Him in awe with great reverence, yet because of His great love for us we can be so close that we can hear His heartbeat! For us who trust in Christ His throne is truly the Throne of Grace! "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrfews 4:16 NIV).

So we can both "fear" Him with a reverential fear and still draw near to Him in confidence as a little child to be loved. We are blessed!

A Treasure in a Clay Pot

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Lately I've been doing a lot of sorting and tossing. Lot's of stuff that hasn't been used in years is going into the trash. I thought about just tossing some old boxes that haven't been gone through in years, but decided I better see what's inside first. Well, in one I found a bunch of old pictures, a real treasure trove! Maybe it's like the old adage, "Never judge a book by it's cover." My thought today is that we need to see and value God working in us and also in each other even when the old box looks like it needs to be tossed aside.

We are very unique among God's creations. Man alone of all God's earthly creatures is created to live in two worlds. God made our physical bodies and senses to relate to our earthly environment, but He also made us spirit to relate with the spirit world, and especially with Himself. We are made in the image and likeness of God as an expression of His image and character, and also created to house the Presence of God and bring His Presence into our physical world.

So, this scripture says it well! We are clay pots, marred and broken, sometimes offensive, but God has placed within us the greatest treasure that man can know, His own divine Self! We stumble and blunder, do stupid stuff, hurt others, and often are blind to what God is doing. Yet, God in us is doing incredible things through us and around us just by being in our lives.

Some lessons to take to heart: We must learn to separate the human from the divine. We need to recognize what God is doing in us and hold it fast, never doubting, while also recognizing that the "clay pots" may be flawed and very imperfect. Second, we need to distinguish the gift of God in others and appreciate that God is blessing us through that other person even when the other "clay pot" often looks disappointing. Let's not miss the treasures God has for us just because it comes in a package that may be disappointing. The Treasure is precious above all! We are honored that God would entrust us with such riches!

Writings

A Sabbath Blessing

The Lord is My Shepherd

Enjoying God's Blessings

The Blessing of the Father

The Fear of the Lord

We are Not Orphans

Dyed in the Wool

Needed: A Steady Hand for Shaky Times

Sermon Thoughts

Some seed thoughts for an idea of a possible sermon or series of sermons:

Are We Keeping "Sacred Things" Sacred?

This morning I read the account of Jesus cleansing the temple at Jerusalem. It is quite a moving account of an act of great courage by our Savior. When I thought about how the people of that time had lost the sense that the Temple, especially the outer court, was "holy," I couldn't help but wonder how today we may have lost the meaning of sacred things. Do we realize how many things God intends for us to "set apart" or "sanctify?" I think the word "holy" or "sanctity" speak of something being dedicated to or for exclusive use. Here are a few concepts that readily come to my mind.

Alternate title, maybe as a series:

"Making the Ordinary Special"

The sanctity of worship (John 4 "in spirit and in truth")

The sanctity of the place of worship (could contrast the "transcendence of God with the immanence of God as it relates to worship)

The sanctity of marriage (Gen 2 "leaving, cleaving, one flesh;" this really needs to be taught in light of the loose morals of our time)

The sanctity of our families (1 Cor. 7 "else were your children unclean")

The sanctity of our promises (Do we realize that a promise is "set apart" from ordinary speech? What about promises we make to ourselves? Do we keep our word to ourselves?)

The sanctity of a sacred day

The sanctity of our tithe

The sanctity of our lives to God's purpose

What does it mean to "set apart" or to be "holy to the Lord?" What are these things "set apart" from? How are they different from the ordinary? Why are they "set apart?" What is the blessing that comes to that is upon that which is "sanctified?" What blessing does it bring to that which is not part of the things sanctified?