DELIGHT IN THE FEAR OF GOD

 

 

Perhaps this title sounds oxymoronic to you. How can we possibly delight in fear? However, Scripture informs us that even the Messiah delights in this fear:

 

·       And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see or decide disputes by what his ears hear. (Isaiah 11:2-3)

 

How can fear be delightful? Fear of the Lord can take many forms. Ultimately, the fear of God is to place His concerns on His Word above all else. Consequently, God should be our first concern in all of our decision-making (Matthew 6:33), as He is for even the Messiah.

 

Therefore, to fear God is to hate evil (Proverbs 8:13):

 

·       The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe. (Proverbs 29:25)

 

Inevitably, as social beings, we derive our self-worth, our self-image, from the opinions of others. Consequently, either we will fear man or fear God. One set of opinions is an oppressive trap, and the other is liberation and peace. Our Savior will always love us, while 50% of our marriage vows will be disavowed, our families torn apart, and our employment terminated.

 

I too delight in the fear of the Lord. He is my Savior, and I never want to disappoint Him. It is my joy to serve Him, as Jesus had revealed:

 

·       Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” (John 4:31-34)

 

Jesus found it nourishing to serve the Father. I have sinful impulses like you. These do not make me tremble. However, I have a healthy fear of sin and its painful consequences. When I have been hurt and become bitter, His Word instructs me to forgive and to bless my enemies. Even when I consider how I might do this, I am blessed, just by considering the different ways I might love. Serving God is nourishing:

 

·       Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. (Proverbs 28:14)

 

I am not trembling before Him, because I gladly do what I think will please Him. Nor do I harden my heart against Him, because I am convinced that His will is for my good, more so than my own will.

 

I fear Him because I know that He is the source of all that is good. Therefore, I need not envy others:

 

·       Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs 23:17-18)

 

My hope is that He will eternally give me every good thing. This makes me rich beyond comprehension and makes envy laughable.

 

·       In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:26-27)

 

It is only when we do not truly know the Lord that the “fear-of-the-Lord” reeks of death and deprivation and the “snares of death” smell of “liberation.”

 

Do not worry that you do not yet see these things. I have been following the Lord for 45 years, enough time to only begin to recover from the darkness.