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On several occasions the Lord Jesus commanded His disciples not to fear. He told them not to be afraid of men who, after all, can only kill you (Matt. 10:28)He instructed them to sell all they possessed and follow Him, and not to be afraid, when they do, that they might miss a good and happy life, since they are gaining the Kingdom of God(Lk. 12:32, 33). He warned that in this world we could expect to have many trials and tribulations, but added that, since He had overcome the world, we should not be afraid (Jn. 16:33). There is no reason, Jesus insisted, for any of His followers to fear anything here on earth. At the same time, as we have seen, Jesus clearly and unequivocally commands His disciples to fear God. What Jesus understood is what the psalmist also knew, that it gives God pleasure when His people fear Him as they should; and, as we have seen, that fear is based on God’s awesome holiness, justice, power, and might.
The psalmist clearly declares this; however, it leaves me wondering, How can this be so? Why should it please God for me to fear Him? Wouldn’t God much prefer that I be motivated toward Him out of love, rather than fear? But this would be to make a typical, foolish human mistake. In our minds we struggle to hold fear and love in tension as opposing but harmonizing affections. We think it’s got to be one or the other, and, since none of us likes to live in fear, we opt to relate to God on the basis of love, and leave fear out of the equation.
But that just shows our finitude and folly. God knows that, for us to relate to Him properly, that is, so that we may know the full and abundant life He holds out to us, we must both fear and love Him. Never mind if we can’t figure that out; God knows what He’s doing, and He does what gives Him pleasure.
But note also how the “fear of God” is defined in our psalm. They fear the Lord who hope in His steadfast love. We are properly fearing God when all our hope in life is focused on the love of God that we long to know as fully in the future as ever we have known it in the past. Apart from God’s love for us, we cannot so much as even exist! It is by His steadfast and faithful love that God gives us all good things, including, life, salvation, and the many and diverse blessings which constitute and sustain our daily lives. Many people live in fear of having these things taken away from them. The reason they fear this is because they do not fear God – do not hold Him in reverent awe and dread – and they have allowed the things they love to become idols in place of God. If they truly understood that every good and perfect gift – every single one – comes to us from a loving God, they would hope that His steadfast love would continue and fear Him Who, should He choose to act only in justice toward us, rather than mercy and grace, would not only withhold all future blessings but all life and existence as well.
In this we can see the close connection between fear and love. To fear God is to hope in His love; to know His love is to be prompted to fear Him. To fear and love God is to be motivated to bring Him pleasure and, hence, to walk in all His holy and righteous and good ways. If we do not fear the Lord we may take His future blessings for granted. How does it make you feel when someone takes your goodness and kindness for granted? If we do not fear the Lord it is certain that we will not be able to engender sufficient love for Him to obey Him in all His holy and righteous and good ways. But if we both fear and love God, then we will rejoice in the anticipation of His future blessings, we walk with spiritual power and blessings in the path of righteousness – and we will give pleasure to our Father Who is in heaven.
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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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As I have learned to engage in "The Practice of Unseen Things" I have learned to envision the holy God without form but as an emanation that is both white and light. As I ponder that unformed view I realize just how powerful and magnificent is God the Father. Then I also visualize the very earthy human form of Jesus, the one who loves. Those visions allow me to scratch the surface in understanding the fear/love balance from which I hope to grow.TWJJZ
I am convicted of the importance the material life has on my attitude toward God. I want to know HIM more than I desire the riches of life. And yet, when I utter that desire, a hesitancy comes and a rather strong voice says, "Do you know what you are saying?!" I count the cost as I am able. I DO want to love and fear God with all of my heart.
Thank you for your insight. I'm not sure if we are assigning the same definition to "fear", but it seems to me that we as believers and followers of Christ are defined in a relationship with our God in most cases as a bride and as children. In both contexts there is a fear and love element that is defined in those parameters. As godly parents, our children live in the love that we show them, but they also "fear" the rod if they disobey and are being taught the right way to live. As married folk, we are aware of the vows we have made, yet we struggle with our sinfulness. Fear and love again can be equally at play for the spouse that encounters challenges to their fidelity. In that way, I believe, the balances of fear and love can be reconciled....
Fear of God
MargaretHelen Brandt makes this comment
2010-02-20 18:37:45
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2010-02-16 09:27:15
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2010-02-16 09:01:23
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2010-02-09 14:36:40
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2010-02-09 08:38:33