Fearing God
Deut. 6:10-15
What does it mean to fear God?
Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy on Unsplash
When the Lord your God has brought you into the land that he swore to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you-- a land with fine, large cities that you did not build, houses filled with all sorts of goods that you did not fill, hewn cisterns that you did not hew, vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant-- and when you have eaten your fill, take care that you do not forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. The Lord your God you shall fear; him you shall serve, and by his name alone you shall swear. Do not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who are all around you, because the Lord your God, who is present with you, is a jealous God. The anger of the Lord your God would be kindled against you and he would destroy you from the face of the earth. - Deut. 6:10-15
You may have heard sermons downplaying the meaning of the word "Fear" when it comes to God.
For those of us who grew up with the doctrine of fear and punishment, God is the ultimate judge. As William D. Eisenhower puts it in his article 'Fearing God" in Christianity Today,
Unfortunately, many of us presume that the world is the ultimate threat and that God's function is to offset it. How different this is from the biblical position that God is far scarier than the world.
He tells us not to reduce God to a worldly threat. The power of this world is temporary. We will "live" with God much longer than we live in this life, so we should be more fearful of God's wrath than of anything we can experience here on earth.
So, we seem to be back at the point where God is judge and will punish us for our iniquities.
But Jesus taught us that God is all forgiving, and His Spirit is given to us to guide us in this life.
Knowing that God could destroy us if He wants to, we should be a little bit scared of annoying Him. But all we need to do is call to Him and believe in Him.
He will cloak us with His presence when we do call upon Him. He doesn't work for us. Wework for Him, and He helps us help Him accomplish His purpose here on earth.
So, fear not, even though fear is what we have for Him.
It sounds like a contradiction, but it is not. In God, who is love, there is no fear, but without Him, there is nothing else.
More to come...