Articles
The Fear of the Lord
The bible speaks quite a bit concerning the fear of the Lord or fearing the Lord. It is a requirement for God’s people to fear Him:“Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?” (Deut. 10:12-13).
The idea of fearing the Lord relates to having the utmost respect for Him or the showing the reverence which is duly deserved by Him as the Creator and sustainer of the world and everything within. God rewards those who have this kind of attitude about Him and He guards their hearts and minds with a peace which surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7).
The bible tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10). We all seek a sense of higher learning and understanding but ultimately we cannot achieve this without coming to God in reverence and keeping His commandments with respect. Yes, it is true we can get a high-quality education from the best universities but that will not impact our eternal destinations. Knowing God and fearing the Lord, however, has the information we need to make it to Heaven.
In the same vein, the fear of the Lord is described as being more valuable that wealth: “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it” (Prov. 15:16). We are blessed to live in a country where we have good jobs and make good money and we get to enjoy luxuries and pleasures at will. However, the fear of the Lord far exceeds any of these things and that is what must take precedence in our lives as God’s people.
The children who fear the Lord will be protected by Him. He is our refuge and our strength and God knows there are times when we need Him so desperately but if our fear of Him is not where it’s supposed to be, we may be disappointed at the outcomes. May we always seek to honor God with the respect and reverence He deserves. May we teach our families, friends and neighbors concerning the importance of fearing the Lord. “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (Ecc. 12:13).
