The Fear of the Lord

Eastertide
June 7, 2014

Scripture Reading: Exodus 20:1-21

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.’ Then the people stood at a distance, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
 — Exodus 20:18-21

 Our scripture today recounts what is known as the Ten Commandments. If you have not read them recently I would encourage you to read them today, although I am focusing on what happened after the receipt of these commandments.

I have been one who has not wanted to dwell on the “fear of the Lord”. To me it rather seemed counterintuitive to a being that is love. As I pondered my hesitancy, I realized it was based on my incorrect logic. I understood the fear of the Lord as a response to possible punishment, which I no longer think is the case. The God of love wants the very best for God’s followers: that is love.  God sets forth for us guidelines that are designed to insure our wellbeing. Our failure to follow those guidelines results in the diminishing of our wellbeing.  The fear of the Lord thus results from our desire for wholeness. It is a good thing. I think we sometimes, or most times, perceive fear as a bad thing.  I cannot image what it would be like to not have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ—probably lost and afraid. On the other hand, being in relationship with the Creator of all that is, if I really stop and think about it, can be terrifying. A being that knows my every thought and action, knows what I am totally capable of being and doing for good or for bad, and loves beyond measure must be respected, which at times feels a lot like fear.

It should also be noted that one of the common themes of contact between God/angels and humans in the Bible incorporates some form of the phrase “Fear not”. While fear might be a natural response to an awesome God, it is not necessarily God’s desire that we fear. God wants our love and our wholeness.

Prayer: Thank you God for your gifts of guidance to show us the way wholeness. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.