August 1, 2013
The Fear of the Lord
Proverbs 1:7
New King James Version (NKJV)
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Keyword: Fear of the Lord)
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be secure, without fear of evil.” (Keyword: Protection with obedience to God)
24 Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them; (Keyword: Those without the fear of the Lord will be cursed, doomed, and damned)
Proverbs 1:7 states the the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This fear is not terror of a tyrant but the kind of awe and respect which will lead to obedience to God. The fear of the Lord is the secret to obtaining true wisdom. (Hayford) The fear of the Lord is reverence to God, and love for Him. It is being respectful to God and His Word and being mindful of Him always. (Miyagi)
Job 28:28 states:
28 And to man He said,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
And to depart from evil is understanding.’”
Let man look upon this as his wisdom, To fear the Lord, and to depart from evil. Let him learn that, and he is learned enough. Where is this wisdom to be found? The treasures of it are hid in Christ, revealed by the word, received by faith, through the Holy Ghost. It will not feed pride or vanity, or amuse our vain curiosity. It teaches and encourages sinners to fear the Lord, and to depart from evil, in the exercise of repentance and faith, without desiring to solve all difficulties about the events of this life. (Henry)
How simple and yet how difficult. Want wisdom? Fear God and shun evil. Live according to the Bible and choose the straight and narrow. Kill your flesh before it kills you. No man can accomplish this alone. You must rely on the help of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit fills you and baptizes you, you WILL have the power to “sin no more.” Otherwise, all your best efforts to stop sinning will be in vain. So ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. Be sure you have confessed and repented of all your sins. If you are still embracing evil and darkness, the Holy Spirit will not fill you. You will not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38
New King James Version (NKJV)
38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; (1 Pet 1:17)
God is both Father and Judge, and believers must approach Him with humble reverence and awe. (Reformation study Bible)
“....work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;” (Phil 2:12b)
Fear is a great guard and preservative from evil. (Henry)
If you have the fear of the Lord, you will love God, hate the devil, shun evil, follow the Bible, walk the straight and narrow, obey God in all things and seek Jesus first instead of relying on your own understanding. If you don’t have the fear of the Lord, you will do what you want, what you please and disregard what God’s word says. You won't care how your words affect others or what your actions will lead to. You will do what makes you feel good, period. And there are many so-call believers who live this way. There are many so-called believers who do not have the fear of the Lord. There are many church leaders who do not have the fear of the Lord. This is because they do not want to yield to the Holy Spirit. They want to make all the decisions independent of God.
If you have the fear of the Lord, you will be guided by the Holy Spirit, moment by moment. If you don’t have the fear of the Lord, you will be guided by your flesh, moment by moment.
Conclusion:
The fear of the Lord will guide you, protect you from evil and give you wisdom to live day by day. It will cause you to seek God first in all things so that you will have understanding and never be deceived by satan, the enemy of your soul.
Poem:
The fear of the Lord leads to wisdom
A thing we most often need
That which is of paramount importance
is the Word of God to heed
Understanding gives you knowledge
so you know the way to go every time
For without it you are aimless
and in the dark ‘cause you are blind
Byword: Those with the fear of the Lord are safe in God’s protection. Those without will be cursed, doomed and damned.
Work Cited
Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary,
http://biblecommenter.com/job/28-28.htm
Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary,
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians%202:12&version=NKJV
Miyagi, Miyagi’s commentary, The Body of Christ Jesus Fellowship, Makaha, HI, 2013
Hayford, Jack W., Spirit filled Life Bible NKJV, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991.
Reformation Study Bible, http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20pet%201:17&version=NKJV
Aldwin and Wendy Naruse
The Body of Christ Jesus Fellowship
Makaha, HI USA
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