The Fear of the Lord

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

A Virtuous Woman

July 31, 2013

A Virtuous Woman

Proverbs 31:10, 30

New King James Version (NKJV)

10 Who can find a virtuous wife?

For her worth is far above rubies.  (keyword: Virtuous wife)

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.  (Keyword: woman who fears the Lord)

Proverbs 30, 8-9

8 Open your mouth for the speechless,

In the cause of all who are appointed to die.    

9 Open your mouth, judge righteously,

And plead the cause of the poor and needy.   (Keyword:  defending the defenseless)

Commentary:

Proverbs 31:10 talks of the virtuous woman.  She is a woman of excellence, a woman of valor (personal bravery).  She is the crown of her husband because she represents her husband.  The crown (mark of victory and honor) represents royalty.  Therefore, a virtuous wife is precious and priceless.  She is of royalty to her husband.  

Proverbs 31:30 mentions that beauty is passing.  How many women do you know that likes to dress pretty, wear makeup, high heels, use perfume, wear lots of jewelry, show cleavage, wear mini-skirts?  A whole bunch, right?   How many do you know who dress modest?  Not too many? I have visited many churches and have seen the attires of the sisters.  And I ask myself this question.  

Why would a sister-in-Christ dress in a mini-skirt with cleavage showing at church?  Is she really in church to worship God or to play and hook up with guys?  The answer is obvious.  God told us not to judge. “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1) However, fruit inspection is allowed. “For every tree is known by its own fruit.”  (Luke 6:44a)  We know that  you can tell much about a tree by its fruits.  In the same way, you can tell much about a woman by her attire, speech, mannerism and character.   

A godly woman’s attractiveness is her character, not her costly clothing.  (Hayford)

1 Timothy 2:9-10

New King James Version (NKJV)

9 in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, 10 but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.

Thus, may we as women of God seek dress modestly and develop characters that glorify God instead of trying to look like a Christmas tree wherever we go.   For if the women in church choose to dress scantily, where is the testimony that glorifies God?  

Proverbs 30:8-9 talks of defending the defenseless.  We are to advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves.  There are many people out there who are poor in spirit and in need of many things ( i.e. money, direction, friends, homes, wise counsel, and the list goes on and on).  If God is tugging at our hearts to reach out to the least one of these, we are to do so.  But how can God tug at our hearts to help others unless we are walking with Christ?  How can we walk with Christ unless we have destroyed the flesh and have submitted completely to Christ?  

Conclusion:  Crucify the flesh, yield to Christ Jesus and be used by God to  defend the defenseless.  If we are still in the flesh, we are still into ourselves,  what WE need and what WE want.   If we are still in the flesh, we are spiritually blind and will not be able to see the ministry opportunities around us.  If we don’t see those opportunities, we will not serve the Lord.  If we don’t serve the Lord, we are serving the devil by default AND we miss out on the blessings that God wants to give us.  See the big picture?

Poem:

Herein lies a woman of valor

Committed to excellence in her life

Who has chosen to live the straight and narrow

for she is the purpose-driven wife

To dress modestly, to honor the Lord

to always be mindful to be kind

To have a gentle spirit and a helping hand

To be virtuous until the end of time

Byword:  A virtuous wife will fear the Lord and defend the defenseless.

Work Cited

Hayford, Jack W., Spirit filled Life Bible NKJV, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991.

Aldwin and Wendy Naruse

The Body of Christ Jesus Fellowship

Makaha, HI USA

The Devil's Puppets

July 26, 2013

The devil’s puppets:  Busybodies, flatterers, lazy people

Proverbs 26 breaks down into three sections:

(1st section) verses 1-12 shows us how to relate to fools

(2nd section) verses 13-16 shows us how to relate to sluggards

(3rd section) verses 17-28 shows us how to relate to gossipers

Proverbs 26:17, 28, 16

New King James Version (NKJV)

17 He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own

Is like one who takes a dog by the ears.  (Keyword: Mind your own business)

28 A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it,

And a flattering mouth works ruin.  (Keyword: Flattery is of the devil)

16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes

Than seven men who can answer sensibly. (Keyword: The lazy man thinks he is smart.)

Commentary:  

God has appointed certain people with power and authority to maintain peace, like the police.  And only these people have the power to meddle.  We are to mind our own business when it comes to other people’s affairs.  To stick our nose where it doesn’t belong is to ask for trouble. That is a foolish thing to do.   Busybodies are notorious for sticking their noses in other people’s business.  They seem to have too much idle time on their hands, so they create drama.  

A wise person will observe and listen to what is going on around him.  He will keep quiet and not react hastily.  He will discern every situation and transcend it into the kingdom realm.  A fool, on the other hand, is quick to vent his unsolicited opinions and comments.  He usually thinks that he knows exactly what is going on and has an answer for everything.  Dumb, dumb, dumb !!  

May we be forewarn by verse 17 to mind our own business.

Verse 28 states that flattery works ruin.  This is because the person who flatters you does it for his own selfish gain.  He wants to get on your good side.   A person who pays you a genuine compliment does so to edify you.    And we must discern the spirit behind the compliments that we receive.  Prideful people who are full of themselves will respond to the praise of man by basketing in the glory.  They cannot get enough of it.  And they eat it up every time.  A wise and humble man will respond to the praise of man  by deflecting the glory back to God.  He will say things like “praise the Lord” instead of sitting there and basketing in the glory and agreeing with the other people that he is something wonderful to behold.  

Verse 16 talks about the lazy man who is wiser in his own eyes than seven who can answer sensibly.  That means, he thinks that he is smarter than everyone in the room.  He justifies all of his behaviors and he cannot be taught.  In his mind, he knows everything.  Beware of people who has an excuse for everything.  

Conclusion:   We need to discern and be wise in our dealings with fools, lazy people and gossipers.  Never become close friends with them.  If so, you are asking for trouble.  

Poem:

Beware of those who behave as fools

Who exists on this earth without rules

And the sluggards who thinks that he is wise

and will justify everything in his eyes

Stay far away from the gossipers

They are only mere trouble makers

These are all puppets in the devil’s hands

for they operate in the carnal man

Byword: When you are lazy, when you meddle in other people’s business, when you flatter with your mouth,  you are being used by the devil because all of these ways are of the flesh, not of God.  

Aldwin and Wendy Naruse

The Body of Christ Jesus Fellowship

Makaha, HI USA