The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. — Proverbs 9:10 NIV
God’s Purpose?
Growing up, my friend Sean’s dad was New York City Irish tough. There were four boys in that house and when one or the other got into trouble, their Mr. Murphy would always begin his threat of retribution with, “I’ll put the fear of God in you!” Which we knew meant if he got his hands on them, he would whack them.
I thought of Sean’s father this morning when I was reading Ecclesiastes 3:14 NLT. It says in part, “God’s purpose is that people should fear Him.”
That made me pause. God’s purpose is that we should fear Him? I went online and checked four or five other translations. They all used that same word – “fear.” Wait. But in Matthew 22:37 NIV when asked which commandment is the greatest, Jesus replies, “Love your God with all your heart, mind, and soul.” Love Him? Fear Him? This is the same God?
Defining Fear
So, I went to The Merriam-Webster Dictionary and that helped. One of its definitions of fear is “profound reverence and awe especially toward God.” I was definitely on board with that.
It made sense to me. But, if we truly revere Him and respect Him, and come before Him in awe, would that lead to love? I know we are supposed to love Him above all else. Can we do all of these things simultaneously? Fear, respect, love, and revere Him?
I think we can. My experience with my own earthly father gave me a taste of that. Fortunately, I was blessed with a good dad growing up. Don’t get me wrong, he was not perfect and had some serious faults, but I respected him because he was honest, reliable, good at what he did, brave, and steady. I loved him too because he was kind and loving to me. At the same time, I feared him because I wanted his approval, and I knew I would be punished if I did wrong. I did not want to anger him or disappoint him. I feared that. And that was just my earthly father. How much more so our own Heavenly Father?!
Love with Reverend Fear
Deuteronomy 10:12 NIV actually puts it all together for me. It reads, “And now Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to Him, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
So, as we go out into the world each day, we might ask ourselves, how can I please my Heavenly Father today? How can I demonstrate my love for Him in what I do? My reverence for Him? How can I let Him know of my awe in His creation and in His love? These simple questions can help guide us in our daily choices and actions to show our God both the fear and love He deserves.
Amen!
