The Fear of the Lord

As we consider the fear of the Lord, take a moment and think of the story of Pinocchio.  A wooden puppet becomes a real boy.  Something inanimate becomes alive and vibrantly real.  For many the fear of the Lord is a static inanimate thing; not particularly attractive and something to avoid.  But that is such a misperception.

The good news is that the Lord will enable us to see and understand how vibrantly wonderful the fear of the Lord is, and how valuable it is for us to possess it.  Listed below are a number of verses that speak of the fear of the Lord.  It truly is a multifaceted treasure for us.

2 Chronicles 17:10  The fear of the LORD fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat.

Proverbs 1:7a  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge

Proverbs 9:10 a  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom

Proverbs 14:27  The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

Proverbs 16:6b  through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil

Proverbs 22:4  Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life

In the New Testament in Acts 5:11 it talks of great fear seizing the whole church because of events involving Ananias and Sapphira.

Acts 9:31  Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.

Hopefully these verses will produce a desire to learn more about this important subject.  One of the more practical applications for me over the years was “through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil” coupled with the verse from Numbers “your sin will find you out”  At times my motivation wasn’t what it should be, but I didn’t sin.  This is also an example of the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Not sinning is always wise.

A scripture that always moves me is Revelation 1:17 “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.”  This is John’s response to seeing Jesus.