The Bible urges us to fear God. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge …” (Proverbs 1:7). Having an appropriate reverence and holy respect for God is the beginning point for all true knowledge about spiritual realities. “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).
What is the gift of fear of the Lord?
Fear of the Lord (Wonder and Awe): With the gift of fear of the Lord we are aware of the glory and majesty of God. ... He describes the gift as a "filial fear," like a child's fear of offending his father, rather than a "servile fear," that is, a fear of punishment.
Who is the man who fears the Lord?
Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.
The Scripture says the fear of God is the the beginning of wisdom, and wisdom is to depart from evil. That means we must avoid evil, or anything that lures us to do evil or wickedness. Stay completely away from sin as a child of God.
Proverbs 1:7 The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence];
But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline. (AMP)
The fear of the Lord: Expressed in many ways, this is the theme repeated throughout the book as the key, the means, the secret of obtaining genuine wisdom. It is not the terror of a tyrant, but the kind of awe and respect which will lead to obedience to Him who is the wisest of all.
In Proverbs various kinds of fools are discussed including those who are closed-minded, over-confident, and reject instruction and correction—the unteachable; those who lack spiritual insight—the spiritually blind; and those who are flippant, hardened, and who deliberately choose to reject God and wisdom—the arrogant.
What does it mean to walk in the fear of the Lord?
He simply meant that Christians should never want to offend God with their lives. Working out our salvation with fear and trembling implies a heightened sense of reverence for God by living our lives in ways that testifies to the fact that we are saved. ... Proverbs 8:13: “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.”
Psalm 147:11 The Lord favors those who fear and worship Him [with awe-inspired reverence and obedience], Those who wait for His mercy and lovingkindness.
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.” When we “fear” God, His divine and unfathomable wisdom becomes available to us.
Psalm 34:8-14 AMP | O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good; How blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who takes refuge in Him. O [reverently] fear the Lord, you His saints (believers, holy ones); For to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions lack [food] and grow hungry, But they who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing. Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you to fear the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worship Him with obedience]. Who is the man who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
The New Testament apostles frequently used references from the Book of Psalms as texts for teaching Christian doctrine. The forgiveness of sins by grace, the faithfulness of God, the sinfulness of all men (Jew and Gentile), the inclusion of Gentiles in the church, the existence of angels, and the appropriate conduct of saints, are all doctrines reinforced by quotations from the Psalms.
Lamentations 3:20–23 It is because of the Lord’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, Because His [tender] compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great and beyond measure is Your faithfulness.
Jeremiah had almost given up hope (v. 20). Then he remembered something that restored his hope again (v. 21). This was the mercies of God (v. 22). Mercies (Hebrew hesed) can be translated “covenant love” or “steadfast love.” It is linked with compassion (Ps. 103:4), truth and faithfulness (Ex. 34:6), and goodness (Ps. 23:6). The ability to offer sacrifices was gone and everything seemed hopeless, but God’s hesed remained.
How do I start loving God? I find my love for God growing as I do the following:
1. Think about Him. The more I think about Him, the more I fall in love with Him. 2. Tell Him I love Him. When I tell God I love him, I find the words are very true. 3. Spend time in His presence. 4. Choose to do everything out of love for Him.
Is the fear of the Lord a gift of the Holy Spirit?
Fear of the Lord is the last of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3. We often think of hope and fear as mutually exclusive, but the fear of the Lord is the desire not to offend Him, and the certainty that He will give us the grace necessary to keep from doing so.
Prayer: Father, I think that the more we know you, the more we experience a wide range of emotions when we think about you and spend time with you. You are the sovereign God of the Universe, all-powerful in every way. You are the Creator and you have awesome power to destroy if you chose to do so! You know every little facet of my personality and character. You know my thoughts! You know every sin I have every committed and will commit in the future- Yet you love me!
You are the ultimate Lover of my soul. No matter how many times I screw up, you don’t give up on me and put me on a shelf. You call me precious. You have taken your righteousness and put it in place of my unrighteousness, calling me righteous. Thanks to you, Jesus, on Judgement Day, I will be called blameless and will have the privilege of living forever with you!
And yet, I so easily forget to you include you in my daily life. That seems pretty bold and bull-headed considering all that you’ve done for me and all that you are. It’s downright foolish, actually. The author of the Universe wants to walk side-by-side with me daily, and I’m like, “Nah, I’m good. I got this.” God, save me from my own stupidity and pride! I need you. I need you today and every day.
Your power is awesome. Your knowledge is endless. I’m afraid to go through life without seeking you daily and without checking in with you as often as I can think to do so throughout the day (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). I respect you God, sure, and I know that I would never want to be your enemy. I’m not afraid of that though. I fear my own foolish pride that would make me try to go it on my own.
I don’t fear the world, Lord. Fear would love to overcome me and have me tied up in knots; useless. That’s not who I am! That’s not who you created me to be. In you, Jesus, my Lord, I am more than a conqueror. You’ve got this. The enemy would love for me to believe that I can’t do this and I’m doomed to fail. I will not buy into that half truth! I can’t do this, but in you, Jesus, I can do this and a whole lot more! I trust you, Lord. I fear you as the Lord of my life, and I know that you are on my side.
I thank you for showing me mercy in the name of Jesus. I come against any power that wants me to be an enemy of God in the name of Jesus. Lord, today, I receive grace to walk in Your fear, in the name of Jesus.
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