The Fear of the Lord

When I was a boy, my Sunday School teacher read a Bible verse that mentioned the “fear of the Lord.” Then, with a serious expression on her face, she said, “This does not mean you need to be afraid of God. It means that you need to respect Him.” While what she read apparently deeply troubled her, what she said deeply troubled me. Why? It is because I was raised by parents who had often taught me to “respect my elders”—that is, to respect adults. This meant being courteous to them and acknowledging their experience and knowledge.

However, by that time, my parents had also taught me that even though I needed to show respect to adults, it did not mean that adults were always right. In fact, my courtesy and deference to my elders was to be more about the kind of person I was to aspire to be than it was about the kind of person they necessarily were. With that said, I knew that the Lord deserved more than our mere respect.

Altogether, about 300 verses in both testaments mention fearing the Lord or fearing God in some way. Therefore, we need to understand what it means to fear the Lord. The following addresses . . .

1. What are some benefits of fearing the Lord?
2. How can one become a person who fears the Lord?
3. Does fearing the Lord involve fear?
4. What does it mean for believers to fear the Lord?

What are some benefits of fearing the Lord?

First, it gives wisdom. In fact, the fear of the Lord is not only the beginning of wisdom, but wisdom itself (Prov. 9:10; Job 28:28). Accordingly, this world’s wisdom is not the highest form of wisdom. Instead, the highest wisdom comes from God and leads us to Him. It requires knowledge, but it is more than knowledge. This wisdom involves knowing what is right, doing what is right, doing it at the right time, in the right way, and to the right extent, all according to God’s will.

Second, the fear of the Lord leads believers to be Christlike in their behavior (Prov. 14:6; 16:6). Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, Isaiah prophesied that “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And He will delight in the fear of the Lord” (Isa. 11:1-3a). If we desire to be like Christ, we will desire to learn what it means to fear the Lord and delight in it. Third, the Lord is a “refuge” to those who fear Him, consequently those who fear the Lord can experience a strong sense of security (Prov. 14:26). They enjoy His protection (Ps. 34:7), His provision (Ps. 34:9-10), and His ever-watchful eye (Ps. 33:18-19). Finally, those who fear the Lord have His favor and experience satisfaction in life (Ps. 115:13; 128:1-4; 147:11).

How can one become a person who fears the Lord?

Learning to fear the Lord begins with trusting and knowing Him by grace through faith as our Lord and Savior. One learns to fear Him as one grows in knowledge of Him through His Word and faithful obedience. Such knowledge and trust in Him to lead to reverence and awe of Him. By the same token, David wrote, “Who is the man who fears the Lord? He (the Lord) will instruct him in the way he should choose . . . The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant” (Ps. 25:12, 14). So, the more we know and trust the Lord, the more we learn to fear Him, and the more we fear Him, the more we will receive His instruction.

Does fearing the Lord involve fear?

Using the same Hebrew word, yareh, Moses spoke of two types of fear in Exodus 20:20. It states, “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; for God has come to test you, and so that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.'” Here, a contrast is drawn between being afraid of God (don’t do it) and properly fearing God (do it). Believers have no reason to be afraid of God. He is for us, not against us. Nonetheless, Paul wrote, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12). And Peter wrote, “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth” (1 Pet. 1:17). Both were addressing believers; both appear to be speaking of fear as we know it.

There are at least three ways fearing the Lord involves fear. First, those who love the Lord do not want to sin against Him. Nevertheless, we are sinners and know that we will. So, we “work out” our salvation with an element of fear and trembling, knowing that while we want to obey God, there will be times when we don’t. The things we want to do we sometimes fail to do, and the things we do not want to do we sometimes do (Rom. 7:14-23). Second, it is natural to fear God’s discipline, and such fear should help deter us from sinning. As our Father, God’s discipline is an expression of His love for us and is for our good, even though it may be difficult for us to experience (Heb. 12:5-13). Finally, throughout the Scriptures, even when godly people catch a glimpse of God’s overwhelming majesty and omnipotence, they experience fear and trepidation (Rev. 1:12-20).

What does it mean to fear the Lord?

The fear of the Lord is both the beginning of wisdom and wisdom itself. It is having God at the center of one’s life—the focus of one’s love, worship, and devotion—and is what results when one realizes that if it were not for God’s merciful and gracious forgiveness and salvation through His Son, he/she should have and would have experienced the wrath of God. It is a consuming, deep-seated reverence and awe for God that causes believers to hate evil and instead desire to honor God above everything else and avoid His loving discipline. It involves acknowledgement, faith, dependence, submission, obedience, consideration, attentiveness, wonder, admiration, worship, and love, inspired by His salvation, eternal attributes, and all-encompassing authority.

Conclusion

Our failure to understand what it means to fear the Lord is regrettable. When I was young, people in the church often referred to those who exhibited reverent, loving devotion to God as a “God-fearing man” or as a “God-fearing woman.” It is an expression deeply rooted in the teaching of the Scriptures. This biblical expression taught us what believers are to be. Perhaps we should bring it back today as a reminder to ourselves, as a witness to others, and as instruction for the next generation.

-Dr. T.J. Betts

Dr. Betts is Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. We are often blessed with Dr. Betts’ preaching here at Ninth & O and he teaches our Wednesday night Open Bible Study.