The Fear of the Lord

No other subject in Scripture is so fundamental and pervasive yet so misunderstood and confusing as the fear of the Lord. Throughout Scripture, we are encouraged and commanded on numerous occasions to fear God. Ecclesiastes 12.13 says that fearing God and keeping his commandments is the whole duty of man. The opening and possibly the controlling theme of Proverbs is, “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline” (Pr 1.7). But then we hear in 1John 4.18 that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” The one command we hear possibly more often than any other is “Fear not.” We need not even go across the Scriptures to see this paradox. Exodus 20 has it all in one passage:

Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” (Ex 20.18-20)

 “Do not fear” because God has come to test you “that the fear of him may be before you.” Do not fear because God wants you to fear. Any first-time reader is confused. So, are we to fear, or are we not to fear? Yes. Just as with anything else in Scripture (or in any other literature for that matter) we must understand the different senses and contexts in which “fear” is used.

We all assume that we know what fear is because we have experienced it. When we hear that unusual bump in the night or see that car heading for us, not paying attention to the red light, our minds begin to race, palms get sweaty, adrenalin rushes through our bodies, creating this fight or flight scenario. This is certainly fear, but this experience of fear is the revelation of something deeper; fear that is built into us as humans from our creation in the image of “the Fear of Isaac” (Gen 31.42, 53).

To begin to understand the fear of the Lord, we must begin with a more general understanding of the nature of fear. Fear is our disposition being controlled by something or someone outside of us (real or perceived) drawing us closer to what/who we love and repelling us from what/who threatens the beloved. The definition is a little cumbersome, but fear itself is cumbersome because of the way it weaves through all human experiences revealing itself in sinful and righteous ways.

Our disposition is the whole of our minds, wills, emotions, and actions. It is the way we are oriented. Our fears control our disposition. Whatever we fear shapes the way we think, desire, feel, and act. When I face something outside of me that I perceive as a threat, at that moment, everything I think, desire, feel, and the actions I take are controlled by what I fear. If I am walking along a creek bank and see a poisonous snake, whatever else I was doing recedes into the background until I take care of this threat. Fear controls, repelling me from real or perceived threats.

We normally understand this in a negative light only. But fear is also experienced in being overwhelmed with joy and wonder. When I walk into a magnificent cathedral, the architecture and artwork are intimidating, fearful, not in a repulsive way, but in a way in which I feel my smallness. At the same time, I am being drawn into its beauty so that at that moment everything else I was doing or thinking recedes into the background. Fear draws you to that which is lovely as well as repels you from that which is ugly.

What fear reveals is our love. Whatever we love, we fear the loss of and will excitedly protect. We love ourselves, our family, and our friends. If any of these faces a threat, we are drawn closer to those we love so that we may fiercely guard them against the threat. What we fear reveals our deepest loves and loyalties.

Fear is a fierce guardian of the beloved that is a part of our creation in the image of Fear himself. God, eternally existing in relationship as Father, Son, and Spirit, is fearful; not afraid of loss from any threat, but overwhelmed by the love he experiences in his eternal relationships. He is eternally fearful because he is eternally love. He fiercely guards that which he loves and hates anything that would disrupt that relationship.

Made in his image, we are made to fear in the same way. The fear of the Lord is participating in the fear of the Triune God; to love our relationship with him so much that our whole disposition is controlled by this relationship. We are drawn to him in trembling wonder and overwhelmed love. Because of this love, we dread the prospect of disappointing him, and we hate evil, anything that threatens the holiness of this relationship. “The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil” (Pr 8.13).

The difference between sinful and righteous fear is the object of fear. Sinful fear sees God as the enemy, the tyrant who is a threat to my loves. He wants to keep me from fun, to take my children away from me, to take my life. Sinful fear draws us to protect the evil that we love and despise God, always afraid of his punishment (1Jn 4.18). Righteous fear draws us to God as our chief and controlling love. This fear fiercely protects the beloved relationship at all costs.

Fear is a part of our constitutional make-up as the image of God. The only question is whether or not it has been perverted by sin to see God as an enemy or be drawn to him as a loving Father. How do you know if your fear is sinful or righteous? What do you seek to protect above all things? Your actions won’t lie.