Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. (Psalm 34:9)
It is written that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7), “the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10) and “the fountain of life” (Proverbs 14:27). In other words, it is impossible to thrive and prosper in this world without an appropriate fear of the Almighty. This prompts us to consider what is truly meant by the Hebrew word translated as fear, יראה yirah? It is important to understand this word because some limit its meaning to a fear of punishment. In other words, there are people who repent strictly because they have a fear of ending up in hell. And while avoiding eternal damnation is important, not to mention, quite the motivator, that kind of fear can wear off. I would suggest it is an inferior dimension of fear because it tends to be motived by self concern — we fear repercussions and fallout.
The more desirable aspect of fear is one that demonstrates a reverence and sense of awe for God’s greatness and holiness. When we have this appreciation of the Creator, we are more likely to honor Him with our lives, and not because we are afraid of Him — but because we love Him. David hints that the person who embodies and expresses this kind of fear is to be regarded as a saint, or better, holy one. This is the person who, because he possesses the appropriate fear of God, is not deficient or lacking in those attributes and qualities that God expects from His servants. This person is not motivated by self concern but by a genuine reverence and love of the Most High. Consequently, they restrain themselves from indulging their physical desires.
We understand that, as followers of Messiah, we are not to partake of the deeds of the flesh and are not be conformed to this world — even though we live in this world. While we cannot isolate ourselves from the world entirely, fear of God prompts us to insulate ourselves from those things that are seductive and have the potential to lead us into sin. Because we have great respect for God and wish to honor Him, we are motivated to build safeguards that separate us from the possibility of sinful behavior. In short, the person who truly fears God is the person who is learning the essence of what it means to be holy and set apart. The Lord commanded, “You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45) which, in turn, means that we must possess the appropriate fear of God. It is written: “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction” (Proverbs 19:23).
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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