Acts 9:31
In writing about the early church, Luke recorded:
“Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.” (Ac 9:31)
Note that they were “walking in the fear of the Lord”! In writing to the church at Philippi, Paul told them:
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;” (Ph 2:12)
The concept of “fear and trembling” in connection with God is not a popular concept today.... People prefer to hear about God’s love, longsuffering and mercy. Sometimes, when we point out God’s righteous indignation, holiness, and justice, people reply
“My God is not like that!” The emphasis on God’s love and mercy today is probably an reaction to the “hell, fire, and brimstone” preaching of another generation. But could it be that we have gone to other extreme...? An extreme where there is no concept of “fear and trembling” as it relates to the Christian? Could this be why many Christians are apathetic in their service? Could it be that we have forgotten Whom we should fear if we are negligent in our service? – Mt 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” In this lesson, I hope to accomplish three things.... Define the “fear of the Lord”; point out why the “fear of the Lord” is important to the Christian and suggest how we can develop a healthy “fear of the Lord” without going to one extreme or the other.
We begin by defining the “fear of the Lord”. The word “fear” in the Hebrew, is the word yir’ah and is used in the Old Testament to describe: fear, terror, an awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear) and fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety. The Greek word is phobos, and it is used to describe: fear, dread, terror or that which strikes terror.
In connection with the fear of the Lord, it is often defined as “reverence” or “awe”, which is fine as far as it goes.... But I wonder if this definition truly goes far enough.... For though the terms “reverence” and “awe” imply a place for “trembling”, do most people make the connection? The fear of the Lord should include a place for “trembling”…. Even as Paul indicated in Ph 2:12, by combining “fear and trembling” (“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,”). The Greek word for “trembling” is tromos and means “a trembling or quaking with fear”. Just as one would likely tremble in the presence of one who could take our life, so Jesus taught us to fear the Lord - Mt 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
A proper fear of the Lord would then include “reverence and awe...” - “being afraid to offend God in any way” - Hendricksen. A trembling and quaking if one knows they have offended God and have not obtained forgiveness! - He 10:26-27 “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”, 30-31 “For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”; 12:28-29 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”
The value of such an attitude is seen as we continue on and now notice the importance of the fear of the Lord. From the book of Proverbs, we learn:
1. The “fear of the Lord” is the beginning of knowledge - Pro 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
2. The “fear of the Lord” will cause one to hate evil - Pro 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.”
3. The “fear of the Lord” will prolong life - Pro 10:27 “The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.”
4. The “fear of the Lord” provides strong confidence and is a fountain of life - Pro 14:26-27 “In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.”
5. The “fear of the Lord” prompts one to depart from evil - Pro 16:6 “By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.”
6. The “fear of the Lord” leads to a satisfying life, and spares one from much evil - Pro 19:23 “The fear of the LORD leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.”
7. The “fear of the Lord” is the way to riches, honor, and life! - Pro 22:4 “The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.”
Without the fear of the Lord we close ourselves to the treasures of God’s wisdom and knowledge! We will flirt with evil and be corrupted by it. Our lives are likely to be shortened by our refusal to heed God’s word (e.g., suffering sexually transmitted diseases because we did not heed His Word on sexual relationships). We will not come to know the love of God that gives us assurance and confidence of our salvation. When fallen into sin, we will not be motivated to repent and turn to God! We will not be motivated to truly “work out our own salvation”! Without the fear of the Lord, we cannot please God (Isa 66:1-2 “Thus says the LORD: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”). Only the person who “trembles at His Word” has God’s promise to receive His tender mercy! (Psa 103:17-18 “But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.”).
In part two of our lesson we will look at how one develops the proper fear of the Lord without going to the extreme of earlier generations...?
