Tag Archives: Fear of God

Fear of God

Living in the Spirit
October 3, 2017

Scripture Reading: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20

When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.’ –Exodus 20:18-20

I don’t think about being afraid of God much and do not think many Christians do. I cannot tell you when I have heard it mentioned in a sermon or study group. Perhaps we have lost something important. I can imagine the God of Justice being very fearful as God sees some of God’s children oppressing others.  The absence of love in any circumstance causes fear.

Fear is a God-given emotion provided to keep us safe from harm. Hearing the rattle of a snake alerts one to potential danger, and causes one to take preventive action.  The evening news alerted my community yesterday to the rise in mosquitoes carrying West Nile Disease and urged all citizens to avoid the risk.

We who live in privilege have lost some of our sense of fear. We trust locks and cameras, guns and alarms, to protect us. Sometimes they do not work. According to the Hebrew prophets, the people of Israel too lost their sense of fear. They put their trust in shallow worship and ill-gotten gain gradually over time losing their connectedness with God. That did not work either as they were overthrown and taken into captivity.

The fear of God protects us from the evil that would harm us. When we are in right relationship with God, we can sense spiritual danger when it accost us and turn around and return to God’s way of being.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we are so caught up in the world around us we fail to respond to your caution of danger ahead. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Fear of God

justiceLiving in the Spirit
November 16, 2015

Scripture Reading: 2 Samuel 23:1-7

The spirit of the Lord speaks through me,
   his word is upon my tongue.
The God of Israel has spoken,
   the Rock of Israel has said to me:
One who rules over people justly,
   ruling in the fear of God,
is like the light of morning,
   like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
   gleaming from the rain on the grassy land. –2 Samuel 23:2-4

What is the fear of God? Do we act in the world as we do out of a desire for a positive outcome for ourselves in eternity? I somehow don’t think the people of today think too much about standing before God in judgment. We may not be too different from our ancestors. They may have been just as dedicated to the moment as we are letting tomorrow take care of itself. We are after all taught to pray give us this day our daily bread*.

The word “reverence” is a synonym often used to talk about the fear associated with God. Merriam Webster defines it as profound respect mingled with love and awe**. Thus to treat others justly in the fear of God means to treat them with respect out of our love for God. If we find it hard to love the others, letting our love of God discern how we treat them will result in our growing in love for them. I do not know if I will ever actually stand before God in a final judgment, but if I do the judgment will be based on how well I loved God and loved others throughout my life. I rather think of judgment as tiny bits of conscience stirring my being with each person whose path I cross when I fail to love them. If I am in synch with God, I will know about my failures to love at the time they occur. The fear of God is in the now and guides us in our living.

Our world is torn apart from the fear of terrorist. We sense them to be everyone and begin to not trust anyone. Governance that rules in the fear of God thus functioning with respect mingled with love is the only salvation from our current situation.

Prayer: Lord you came to us some 2000 years ago with a simple message but life makes it so very hard to accept and live. Grant us wisdom, grant us courage***, for the facing of this hour. Amen.

*Phrase from the Lord’s Prayer Matthew 6:11
**http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/reverence
***Phrase from the hymn God of Grace and God of Glory by Harry E. Fosdick see at http://www.hymnary.org/text/god_of_grace_and_god_of_glory

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.