Tag Archives: Fear of the Lord

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Blessed Fear

Read Psalm 128

Featured Verse: Psalm 128:1

“Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.”

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, began his most famous book by writing, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 1:7) What followed was a collection of wise sayings that were intended to lead the God-fearing person into a life that was blessed by the Lord.

King David, Solomon’s father, and Israel’s most beloved king, began his most famous book by writing, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” What followed was a collection of worship songs that expressed the blessed condition of one who feared the Lord.

Blessed fear—almost seems oxymoronic, doesn’t it? Fearfully blessed—same with that. Yet for the person who fears God, blessings are guaranteed. And for the person who lives a truly God-blessed life, there you will find fear of the Lord at their core.

What does it mean to fear the Lord? This is by no means a theological definition, but for all intents and purposes, to fear the Lord means to make him and his purposes both the center and the circumference of your life. It is to be consumed with love, fueled by faith, and characterized by obedience in a moment-by-moment walk with God. That is what it means to fear the Lord, and that is what it means to be blessed by the Lord.

You see, blessing in the purest sense is to be consumed by your love for God, to be fueled by your faith in God, and to be characterized by your obedience to God. A person who lives that kind of life knows pure and unassailable joy at the deepest level. Earthly success, material wealth, personal popularity, and all of the other accoutrements the world says are needed for the blessed life simply pale in comparison to a life that is characterized by blessed fear.

When you fear the Lord, you are truly blessed. When you are truly blessed by God, you fear the Lord.

May God grant you holy fear, and may God richly bless you.

“Fear only two: God, and the man who has no fear of God.”
~ Hasidic Proverb

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The Source of True Life

Read: Proverbs 8:1,5

Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? … You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, gain understanding.

Nobody sets out in life to be a fool.  No kid ever says, “You know, when I grow up, I want to be an idiot!” As far as I know, there has never been a college student who majored in stupidity (although some parents may wonder). We are just not geared that way.

Have you noticed the booming market for self-help books and personal coaching? Just about everybody wants to improve their lot in life and will spend countless hours and untold dollars to educate themselves in order to have a better shot at successful living.

But wisdom doesn’t reside in do-it-yourself manuals or personal coaching programs. Wisdom isn’t even found in the classroom or in the university library. The true book of wisdom, the Bible, says wisdom starts with “the fear of the Lord.” That is the key.  Solomon says the beginning of the process for gaining knowledge, living wisely and being successful begins with the fear of the Lord.

So just what does that mean?  Well, what it doesn’t mean is to huddle in the corner in abject terror of the Almighty.  Only those who have no relationship with God do that.  Only those who have a jaded or limited view of God live in that kind of fear.  Only those who are, in fact, enemies of God, are the ones who rightly cower in terror.

The fear that Solomon is talking about is simply a loving reverence for God.  It is respect that evidences itself in submission to God’s will, obedience to God’s Word, awe of God’s power and love for who God is.  That is what it means to fear the Lord.

That kind of healthy fear leads us to grow in knowledge—the absorption of God’s Word.  It keeps us from living as a fool—one who is morally deficient and lives with no regard for God.  It allows us to develop wisdom—the correct application of Biblical truth.  It causes us to appreciate discipline—that which moves us to say no to temporal pleasures and immediate gratification in order to grow in wisdom, knowledge and understanding.  And the fear of the Lord leads to life itself.  That’s what Proverbs 8:35 says,

“For whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the Lord.”

Do you desire to be a wise person?  Understand, then, that the attainment of wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.  And the fear of the Lord recognizes that wisdom comes from God.  God is true wisdom and the source of all wisdom.

And God will give wisdom to all who fear him.  Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom.”

Why not ask him today for some of it!

“The fear of the Lord is the convergence of awe, reverence, adoration,
honor, worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and fear.”
~Robert B. Strimple

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it:

Commit Proverbs 8:35-36 to memory,

“For whoever finds Wisdom finds life and receives favor from the LORD.
But whoever fails to find Wisdom harms himself; all who hate it love death.”

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You’re Not That Impressive

“We have met the enemy, and he is us!” That’s the famous line from the long-running Pogo comic strip.  That’s pretty much true about us, isn’t it?  We’re our own worst enemy.  And the sooner we come to grips with that, the sooner we can get on the road to a satisfying and successful experience of life.

Read:
Proverbs 3:7 (NLT)

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

For that very reason, King Solomon said that we shouldn’t “assume that we know it all” (Proverbs 3:7, MSG), because you know the old saying about what happens when we “assume”.  Rather, Solomon says we are to do two things:  One, we are to run to God—that’s what it means to fear the Lord, which is a recurring theme in these early chapters in Proverbs, and two, we are to run from evil—that’s a big part of what the Bible calls wisdom.

The more famous verses that go before and come after verse 7 are important to note here.  Proverbs 3:5-6 instruct us as to how we can “run to God”: We are not to rely on our own smarts—we’re not that impressive anyway—we are to make God the first, continual and final source of authority in our lives.  If we do that, God himself guarantees to direct our decisions.

When God directs the daily decisions of our life, then he also takes responsibility for the outcome.  Proverbs 3:8-10 tells us that a God-directed life will produce a body that is lean and mean with a healthy sheen (really, I’m not kidding; just read verse 8 in the Message and you’ll get the picture) and a wallet that is fat (for real, take a look at verse 10).  Not bad, huh! I think I’ll take the God-directed life over the me-directed life.  How about you?

So my friend, you’re biggest worry today is not the economy or the environment or some enemy.  It is you!  But if in things big and small you will run to God and run from evil, you will be on the way to a life of success, satisfaction and significance.

“Where there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”
~African Proverb

Your Assignment, Should You Choose To Accept It:

Practice stopping throughout the day to talk to God.  Before you make a decision, for sure, but even when you are in a quiet moment of contemplation, when you are watching a television show or listening to talk radio on the way to work, or after you have had a conversation, be sure to include God.  Ask him what he thinks, what he wants, and if he will help.

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Doing Life Well

Proverbs, Chapter 1:

“You ignorant outfit!” If I heard that scathing remark from my red-faced-vein-in-the-forehead-about-to-explode father once when I was growing up, I heard it a couple dozen times.  Obviously my childhood home wasn’t one of those touchy-feely places where mom and dad gave a whole lot of thought to my self-esteem.  They were determined not to produce an offspring who turned out to be a fool—someone who is, as the Bible defines it, morally deficient.

The older I get, the more I appreciate their old-school approach.  As columnist George Will writes, “Modern parents want to nurture so skillfully that Mother Nature will gasp in admiration at the marvels their parenting produces from the soft clay of children.” Not my parents; they were more concerned that one day I would stand before God, at which point all three of us—dad, mom and child—would hear, “well done, good and faithful servants.”

Whether you are doing life as a parent, or you are simply doing life as a child of God, remember that holiness is a far better attribute than happiness and fear of God outshines feeling good every time.  So learn to lean into the Lord’s discipline, and help your children to embrace it, too.  Put wisdom at the top of your wish list—for you and them.  And if you desire for you and yours to do life well, make “the fear of the Lord” the center and the circumference of your home. Solomon said it this way in Proverbs 1:7,

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

My friend, the fear of the Lord is what enables us to do life courageously, confidently and flourishingly well—and by the way, it’s the only way that produces the kind of esteem worth having: Not self-esteem but God’s esteem!

Where there is fear of God to keep the house, the enemy can find no way to enter. ~Francis of Assisi

Your Assignment, Should You Choose To Accept It:

Read George Will’s article, “Self-Esteem, Self-Destruction”, http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2010/03/self-esteem_self-destruction.html. Also, find an opportunity as soon as possible to talk with your children about 1) what the fear of the Lord really is, and 2) the important distinction between eternal holiness and temporal happiness.

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Psalm 128: Blessed Fear

One Year Bible: I Kings 7:1-51, Acts 7:30-53; Psalm 128:1-6; Proverbs 16:31-32

Blessed Fear

Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways.
(Psalm 128:1-2)

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, began his most famous book by writing, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 1:7) What followed was a collection of wise sayings that were intended to lead the God-fearing person into a life that was blessed by the Lord.

King David, Solomon’s father, and Israel’s most beloved king, began his most famous book by writing, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” What followed was a collection of worship songs that expressed the blessed condition of one who feared the Lord.

Blessed fear—almost seems oxymoronic, doesn’t it? Fearfully blessed—same with that. Yet for the person who fears God, blessings are guaranteed. And for the person who lives a truly God-blessed life, there you will find fear of the Lord at their core.

What does it mean to fear the Lord? This is by no means a theological definition, but for all intents and purposes, to fear the Lord means to make him and his purposes both the center and the circumference of your life. It is to be consumed with love, fueled by faith, and characterized by obedience in a moment-by-moment walk with God. That is what it means to fear the Lord, and that is what it means to be blessed by the Lord.

You see, blessing in the purest sense is to be consumed by your love for God, to be fueled by your faith in God, and to be characterized by your obedience to God. A person who lives that kind of life knows pure and unassailable joy at the deepest level. Earthly success, material wealth, personal popularity, and all of the other accoutrements the world says are needed for the blessed life simply pale in comparison to a life that is characterized by blessed fear.

When you fear the Lord, you are truly blessed. When you are truly blessed by God, you fear the Lord.

May God grant you holy fear, and may God richly bless you.

“Fear only two: God, and the man who has no fear of God.”
~ Hasidic Proverb