And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, (Deu 10:12)
We proclaim a loving God, yet men must know, to fear the LORD. We understand the fear of wild beasts. We have a latent fear of the dark. Fear the LORD? Who is the LORD? We will not fear Him if, at the very onset, we do not properly know Him.
The fear of the LORD has been explained as reverence. But is it just reverence? Can not the literal meaning be equally explicit? Has the LORD changed with the advent of the New Testament? Have His attributes changed?
From the OT, there are many good reasons for fearing Him. He flooded the earth and erased all air-breathing beings, babies included. He rained fire and brimstone to annihilate Sodom and Gomorrah. Egypt suffered plagues and the death of all her first-born, of beasts and man. Even with His chosen ones; He disposed of them by snakes and laced quail. Aaron’s sons were consumed, Miriam was made a leper. Achan’s family was stoned to death. Korah and his revolting priests; buried alive. Well-intentioned Uzzah was struck dead. The LORD Himself raised the Babylonian, Assyrian and Roman armies to destroy Israel. It does not always strike us that innocents, if there were any, also suffered censure. He was a terror, especially to His own people.
The New Testament does not veer far from the Old. The Lord spoke of Hell; a place where there will be eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth, where neither the worm nor the flames die, was He being dramatic? The eternal lake of fire; a crucible of love? That men will be trampled and blood gathered till the height of a horse’s bridle for 1600 stadia; an exaggeration or mere symbolism? When the Lord said that He would spit us out of His mouth, because we are lukewarm; was that an inadvertent choice of words. “Depart from Me” are not quite words of adoration. The Hebrew’s writer cautioned trampling underfoot, the blood of the Lamb. He further warned against falling into the hands of; not a loving, not a merciful, not a gracious forgiving God, but those of a living God. That the LORD is a consuming fire is attested to in both the New and Old Testaments. There is good reason to fear the returning Judge of all mankind. That everyone, beginning with His house, would be called to account before Him, is sufficient motivation to fear.
Our conduct proposes that we have a dulled appreciation of the fear of the LORD. Mere mortals seem more successful in evoking our fear than the LORD of Hosts. By a lopsided focus on His goodness alone, we have conjured an idolatrous deity whose pleasure is, to dote on his children; ever gracious, ever merciful, ever forgiving, ever loving. We have reduced our Abba Father to a parent who will exempt our not too significant or marginal behavioral glitches. We have decoupled forgiveness from confession, from repentance. We forget that all creation bows and trembles at His presence. Where angels proclaim to each the other, when mountain wax, and waves hold their peace, His children conduct themselves with leisurely ease whilst the returning Lion of Judah is preached; a domesticated peacenik. We perpetuate with grave consequences; when wrath and eternal damnation are submersed by inordinate promises of divine patience and love.
With the help of His Holy Spirit, a careful consideration will provide for a revised estimate of the fearfulness of the LORD Almighty. It is truly our privilege and blessing to be granted audience and may our days reflect the growing awareness and due regard of the immensity of His fearsome Being.
The fear of the LORD has been explained as reverence. But is it just reverence? Can not the literal meaning be equally explicit? Has the LORD changed with the advent of the New Testament? Have His attributes changed?
From the OT, there are many good reasons for fearing Him. He flooded the earth and erased all air-breathing beings, babies included. He rained fire and brimstone to annihilate Sodom and Gomorrah. Egypt suffered plagues and the death of all her first-born, of beasts and man. Even with His chosen ones; He disposed of them by snakes and laced quail. Aaron’s sons were consumed, Miriam was made a leper. Achan’s family was stoned to death. Korah and his revolting priests; buried alive. Well-intentioned Uzzah was struck dead. The LORD Himself raised the Babylonian, Assyrian and Roman armies to destroy Israel. It does not always strike us that innocents, if there were any, also suffered censure. He was a terror, especially to His own people.
The New Testament does not veer far from the Old. The Lord spoke of Hell; a place where there will be eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth, where neither the worm nor the flames die, was He being dramatic? The eternal lake of fire; a crucible of love? That men will be trampled and blood gathered till the height of a horse’s bridle for 1600 stadia; an exaggeration or mere symbolism? When the Lord said that He would spit us out of His mouth, because we are lukewarm; was that an inadvertent choice of words. “Depart from Me” are not quite words of adoration. The Hebrew’s writer cautioned trampling underfoot, the blood of the Lamb. He further warned against falling into the hands of; not a loving, not a merciful, not a gracious forgiving God, but those of a living God. That the LORD is a consuming fire is attested to in both the New and Old Testaments. There is good reason to fear the returning Judge of all mankind. That everyone, beginning with His house, would be called to account before Him, is sufficient motivation to fear.
Our conduct proposes that we have a dulled appreciation of the fear of the LORD. Mere mortals seem more successful in evoking our fear than the LORD of Hosts. By a lopsided focus on His goodness alone, we have conjured an idolatrous deity whose pleasure is, to dote on his children; ever gracious, ever merciful, ever forgiving, ever loving. We have reduced our Abba Father to a parent who will exempt our not too significant or marginal behavioral glitches. We have decoupled forgiveness from confession, from repentance. We forget that all creation bows and trembles at His presence. Where angels proclaim to each the other, when mountain wax, and waves hold their peace, His children conduct themselves with leisurely ease whilst the returning Lion of Judah is preached; a domesticated peacenik. We perpetuate with grave consequences; when wrath and eternal damnation are submersed by inordinate promises of divine patience and love.
With the help of His Holy Spirit, a careful consideration will provide for a revised estimate of the fearfulness of the LORD Almighty. It is truly our privilege and blessing to be granted audience and may our days reflect the growing awareness and due regard of the immensity of His fearsome Being.
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecc 12:13)
God bless.
/ckh
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