Faith & Reflection
The meaning of the phrase, “the fear of the Lord” has been discussed and disputed by many. And no wonder, because it will be defined differently from person to person depending upon their beliefs and personal perspective.
For unbelievers, the fear of God will be taken lightly; perhaps even scoffed. They may say, as Peter wrote, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created” (2 Peter 3:4).
For the unrepentant, those who believe that there is a God, but haven’t yet turned to Him, the fear of God often incorporates anxiety about future judgment and eternal death.
For believers, the fear of God contains reverence for God rather than terror of Him. Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” and Proverbs 9:10 adds that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Knowledge is the acquisition of information; wisdom is the proper application of that knowledge.
The fear of God includes but goes far beyond respect. Believers recognize that God is awesome, but approachable. Hebrews 12:28 explains that Christians should, “...be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe...” This reverence and awe is what prompts Christians to submit to God and surrender their lives to Him.
Reverence for God should not be taken lightly. Based upon what we’ve discussed, where there is no fear of God, there will be, spiritually speaking, a deficit of both wisdom and knowledge.
Years ago the king of Hungary was depressed so he spoke to his good-natured but indifferent brother hoping to receive help. He told him, “I’m a sinner; I fear to meet God.” His brother roared with laughter and left. The king felt even worse. Though he was a believer, he felt guilt for the way he’d been living and wanted help. Now he was even more concerned for his brother who seemed to have no fear for God or His judgment.
In those days execution was preceded by the sounding of a trumpet at a man’s door. The person to be executed would then be led away. The king sent his executioner to his brother’s door in the middle of the night. The trumpet blasted and the prince was seized and dragged pale and trembling into the king’s presence. He fell to his knees and begged to know how he had offended the king. “Brother,” answered the king, “if the sight of a human executioner is so terrible to you, shall not I, having grievously offended God, fear to be brought before the judgment seat of Christ?”
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning...”
— Pastor Ross Helgeton is senior pastor at Erskine Evangelical Free Church