The Fear of the Lord

One of the things the Holy Spirit has been convicting me of is that I lack in some measure a fear of God. If I had a total fear of God, I would immediately obey Him.Since I do not always do that, I believe I lack the fear of God. I say that's to a degree because I do obey most of the time quickly and generally repent quickly as well.The common answer is that a Godly fear is simply a reverance to Him. I thought that too but it's apparently distinquished in Hebrews 12:28 Heb Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire. How does one obtain this Godly fear?

In John's gospel (I like John's gospel because over 90% of it isn't found in the other gospels and most of it deals with the last weeks of the life and teachings of Jesus while here on this earthly plain.Last things spoke or taught are always very precious.),there's a verse of scripture thats so wonderful that if one could just let it get ahold of you it will change your life for ever.Jn 7:16-17 you can read the whole discourse but try to zero in on verses 16 and 17.Let me know what you think---God bless

Thanks Dohzman,I actually have been listening to a sermon by David Wilkerson entitled Wild Donkeys and I have confessed that I sometimes have this spirit where I want to do whatever I want. I read the verses you cited but don't see how that answers the question I raised. Could you explain? My brain is rather cloudy this week.I'm simply asking you and anyone led to respond to answer how you came into this fear of the Lord. I know it must come from Him and it goes beyond a reverential awe. I'm not asking how it worked for any of the great saints of old but specifically how has this fear of the Lord gripped your own heart. This fear of the Lord issue is something the Holy Spirit has repeatedly raised itself in my prayer closet the last few weeks.Here are some verses on the fear of the Lord (there are obviously more). And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. 1 Samuel 11:7The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Proverbs 8:13By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. Proverbs 16:6Just to show that this not simply something from the old covenant here is a telling verse from Acts 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

Greetings You who are Chosen to Know the Great GOD of All.The Fear of the Lord is somthing that I seek as well.Upon reading your last Post Gideons I started to think what do I fear about GOD.Should I fear his Awesome Might and Power?Should I fear His Word that Condems Sinners?Should I fear the fact that I can do nothing without HIM?Yes on all accounts!But even though I Know these things yet I feel as though I do not Know the Fear Of the Lord.Until I remember the last time I turned my back on him...I had gotten into a Prosperity Gospel Church and I did not know what a Prosperity Gospel was at the time...I was in Love with the Lord...I thought that God had finally Given me a Church to go to. I started to notice the messages were somehow wrong and my spirit would fight against the words they spoke.I realized what it was and was shaken and broken and confused. In time I blamed GOD, Then in more time I said "there is no GOD"I started Smoking Pot and Drinking again Looking for Harder stuff too.I Left My Wife... Ohh GOD forgive me I left my Wife.I lost about 40 pounds in 2 months.I could not sleep and had some kind of perspiration problem.I handed my Wife Divorce papers and proceeded to commit Adultery.I knew I was Dammed so to keep my mind off of this terrifying fact I would be High 24/7.I really Wanted to Die, but I was a Coward.What is the Fear of the Lord to me?Betraying My GOD again.Being Without Him In Me.How can I go on without You LORD, I am Terrified Of being Without you JESUS.PS. Jesus used my Wife to bring me back to him, and to this day I Fear being without him.The Fear Of The Lord is Being without Him.In Christ Michael

How does one fear the Lord? There is a verse that speaks about learning the Fear of the Lord from men, but i believe it is in a negitive conotation, i apologize that i cannot remember the verse, needless to say the long to short of it is i don't think there is a formula. At the start of last year i asked God to teach me to fear him, not to fear him as someone has taught me (e.g. just revrencing) but for me to really fear Him as the God of the universe. The word for fear in many places in the Bible could be translated "terror or dread". Why do you suppose the first thing that the angel of the Lord would say is "fear not"? If an angel is that frightening, how mush more so is thier maker. (note: they where not lil' naked baby angels with a towel around thier shoulders and thier bottoms showing :-P )I think it is a deeply personal issue to fear the Lord is divine. We must be taught to honor and revrence and fear and dread by God Himself. My advice ? Ask God to teach you to fear Him. . .might turn out to be a rough year and you might find some stuff in you that is terrible. . .but it will change your life!

You will get a good sense of the way the Bible uses the word if you see how Jesus interpreted it.Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name. (Deu 10:20 KJV)Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Mat 4:10 KJV)

I believe that Ron's reference to the verses in Deuteronomy and Matthew brings up a vital link here, that of fear of the Lord and service.I know the Lord has been working in my own heart concerning this issue of confidence in the flesh, of serving God and doing that which seems to be very good, but doing it in my own strength ala Romans 7.But where is the fear and trembling? Where is the uncertainty that I may well be mistaken in my efforts? Where is the leaning on God? I believe that when God works self-confidence out of our lives, He works the fear of the Lord into our lives.In Christ,Ron

Thanks to all for your comments. The other message I've been meditating on this week is entitled "No Confidence in the Flesh" also by David Wilkerson.It's certainly worth a listen as well to those who may be struggling, as I am, with this particular issue of heart.

This is kind of an odd way of looking at "the fear of the Lord," but the common reference of this fear in the bible seems to be from Strongs number H3372 specifically from Lev. 19:32 (fear thy God), which breaks down into a morally revering or a causatively making afraid. This particular word is also used in Psalm 139:14 "for we are fearfully and wonderfully made." If we are to believe the psalmist, I'd say that there was no fear as the concept we would hold in God's mind at the time. The same word is also translated to reverence on several occasions in the King James Translation. Deut. 6:2, 8:6, 10:12 also deal with the moral rather than causative side as well.2Ki 17:28 says that the fear of the Lord can be taught, or at least has been, leaning towards the moral aspect.Sidenote: 2Ki 17:36 makes a differentiation between fear of the Lord and worship as well, commanding us to do both.Genesis 15:1 also uses this particular word when God tells Abraham to fear not, and tells Isaac the same thing in Gen 26:24, which deal with more of the causitive side and not the preestablished or moral side. It seems to accompany military endeavours as well, as God tells man not to fear his enemy. Exo. 14:13, Jos 8:1, 10:8, comparable Jdg 6:10Note the distinct difference in overtone. When God tells us to fear him, it is not straight fright nor anything that would cause us to run away. It is instead at the very least accompanied by something. Quite honestly, after walking behind a fiery pillar and cloud of smoke, and with God knowing that idolatry is something I'm predisposed to, I can understand fear as being something God might want to use to keep me remembering what the difference is between His good and bad graces. But on the other hand, God intends to draw us to Himself on literally a moment by moment basis. If that is the case, why would he want us to live in a state of fearing him as an English derived concept?Psa 19:9 "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever:" There's quite a few references in psalms and proverbs to H3372, H3373, and H3374, of which the foremost is the root. As a logical step, I don't see how an emotion that I tend to associate with flight, a lack of clear thinking due to particular worry, and something that causes me to steer clear of something, even if it be bent towards God, institutes wisdom.The fear of the Lord in 1.Sam 11:7 refers to H6343, which comes out as a (sudden) alarm (properly the object feared, by implication of feeling). This word more readily refers to fright, but also has an inclination of action with it.1Ch 14:17, 2Ch 17:10, 19:7, lotsa others in Chronicles.Isaiah wraps both of these words for fear and a few others into the "fear of the Lord," but I think the concept remains relatively intact.What I'm going to draw from this Hebrew word study is that, in the end, the fear of the Lord as commanded isn't just a feeling. It involves action, reverence, and respect. Fear, or the state of being afraid is involved, but is probably more readily a part of reverence and respect as it applies to action. A coexistant concern.Hope this helps, and I'm not just rambling... :-P *Edit: This is kind of wrapping up of the logical steps involved in the discussion, but methinks adding a few verses to it mighta helped.Dave

Simple definition of the fear of the Lord."To hate sin and every false way and to reverence God in all things". Application: Jn7:16-17 here we have the promise from the mouth of none less than Jesus Christ (GOD) himself claiming that if we DO his teaching in our daily lives there would be a knowing(witness) as to his doctrine being from God (the Father). Now what does that mean? God himself will prove His Word in our daily experience.If the full realization that God is really watching over our lives let alone His Word to preform it ever settles in to a persons heart it will cause a proper "fear of God", that "reverential awe" , to manifest in our hearts. To think that The God who created the Heavens and the Earth is in the most literal sense watching over me on a personal basis---as well as His Word to do it. WOW! What a wonderful treasure for Jesus to give us.He even proves He's God!

Thanks Dohzman and Dave,I think the pieces are beginning to fall into place. The fear of the Lord is a holy reverance that results in a change of behavior.Here's a couple of additional verses from the NASB.Jeremiah 32:40"I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.Isaiah 8:13, 14 13"It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. "Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

I'll speak for me here. I have this passion, burning desire to do that which pleases God.I know its not from my flesh because the flesh wars against the spirit and Jesus said his words(teachings) were spirit and they are life. I also know the devil doesn't want me to do God's word at all. So for me as a process of elimination I've rested in a simple doing of His word believing it to be walking in the Spirit.Now I know there is a supernatural or extra special move we do at times move into but much like needing a miracle you can't live in this mode 24/7 or you'll end up burned out for good much like what I believe Evan Roberts had happen to him. You don't need a miracle everyday (unless your life is a real mess---been there done that!)but when u do , praise God he's all powerful.I have seasons where there are certain outward manifestations of fear and trenbling or great humility or deep conviction of how Holy God is and how unholy I am but to be in these states constantly I believe would be unhealthy and unproductive. For me anyhow. God Bless---Daryl