What Is the Fear of the LORD?

The fear of the Lord is having a Biblical understanding of who and what God is. It is the knowledge of His character and His ways. The fear of the Lord is the very beginning of wisdom, and wisdom is seeing life from God's perspective. If we fail to fear God we can never find wisdom. Wisdom is gained only by knowing God. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)

When we know God, a desire to obey His Word begins in us. However, we will never understand the expectations and commands God makes until we have a right understanding of God Himself. A fool rejects instruction and counsel because he has no desire to know God. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov. 1:7)

A lack of the fear of the Lord is the fruit springing from the root of wrong beliefs about the character of God. For example, God is a loving God. He is merciful and long-suffering. However, God is also a just and righteous God and condemns the guilty. If we do not understand that all of God's attributes are one, we have a wrong view of God. If we see God only as a God of love, our concept of God will tell us that we can do anything we want and get away with it. On the other hand, if we see God only as a God of justice and devoid of mercy, nothing will compel us to draw near to Him. 

This is a "misunderstanding" of the Holy; this is a lack of the fear of the Lord. A wrong view of the character of God results in a rebellious spirit. It creates in us an unwillingness to obey the Word of God.

Those who do not have the fear of the Lord in their lives are missing so much. They have no true desire to know and serve the God of Heaven. They may strive to know Him, but what they refuse to do is where they must begin. Instead, they are deceived and led astray. Because they fail to fear and obey God, they lack a firm foundation and strong convictions to guard and guide their lives.

The fear of the Lord affects every part of our lives. Without a fear of God, we will be ruined. We cannot endure without fearing God and obeying His Word to us. "And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure." (Isa. 33:6)

The fear of the Lord compels us to depart from sin. Job 28:28 tells us, "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." God calls His children to live holy lives because He is the Holy God. When we understand who and what God is, we will be compelled to live a life that honors Him.

The fear of the Lord produces in us a heart to obey Him. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever." (Ps. 111:10) Understanding comes to us not before we obey, but after we obey. "The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." (Ps. 19:8) The commandments of God do nothing for us until we obey them.

Having a right understanding of the Lord and His commands also makes it easier for us to obey the authorities He places in our lives. When we fear the Lord, we come to realize their purpose in our lives and the value of their correction and guidance.

The fear of the Lord teaches us that keeping His commandments is always to our benefit. "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?" (Deut. 10:12-13) God desires to bless us, and the wonderful thing is that He requires only one thing from us in order for His blessing to be ours: that we fear Him. When we live in the fear of God, we are in the position for Him to make our lives rich with His goodness. The fear of God is progressive, as we see in the verses above: when we fear God, we learn to walk in His ways, then to love Him, to serve Him with all our heart and soul, and finally we understand so fully that obeying God's commandments is for our good.

 

The fear of the Lord constrains us to serve Him. As the Lord reveals His character to us, the more we love Him and rejoice in the wonderful God that He is. As we learn the attributes of His character, we understand that He is for us (Rom. 8:31). The fear of God creates in us a love for God. This love constrains us to serve Him. We are not forced against our will to obey, but His love leads us to obedience as we willingly submit to our gracious Heavenly Father.

The fear of the Lord reveals to us that God desires for us to know Him personally in a real, enduring relationship. It shows us that God wants so much to be Shepherd, Hiding Place and Friend to us, to reveal Himself truly as Emmanuel, God with us. It shows us how much He longs to be near us. It shows us that He delights in us. This is one of my favorite verses that tells me how much God loves us: "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." (Zeph. 3:17) God's rejoicing over us make Him sing. Oh, is that not wondrous?

The fear of the Lord is a wonderful, amazing thing. Every man, woman and child that learns to fear God finds it the source of the richest blessing. Why? Because the fear of the Lord leads us to the knowledge of the Holy in such fullness that we cannot fathom.

The fear of the Lord will endure forever. (Ps. 19:9) When we stand before God's throne one glorious day, we will know truly what it is to fear the LORD. We will know what it is to fear Him because we will know Him as we have never known Him before, for "we shall see Him as He is." (I John 3:2)

The fear of the Lord is not something to dread, but to embrace.