The fear of the Lord.

     We are told in the scriptures, that the fear of the Lord is the begining of wisdom (Prov 1:7). The concept of fear takes on several meanings in the Bible. It is used to mean reverence, awe, a proper understanding of who we are, who God is, and how we stand in relation to Him. This is the begining of wisdom, to understand that God is God, and we are not! He has created us, His character is upright, He is perfect in every way, without sin of any kind. His justice is perfect, His love is perfect, His mercy is perfect. God is Holy, and demands the same of us, to be separated from sin and self, and to live our lives in devotion to Him. He demands our love, loyalty and obedience. He is perfect and requires that we be perfect as well.
     These demands placed on us by God stagger the mind. A life free from the taint of sin seems out of reach, perfect obedience to the will of God seems impossible. As a Holy and Just God, He cannot allow sin to go unpunished, there are consequences to our actions. All of this should work on us to create a healthy fear, or respect of God. He desires that we revere Him alone, that we stand in complete awe of Him. That we take Him and His word seriously. He means what He says, where He demands obedience, He expects obedience. When He says He will punish, He means He will punish. David, in Psalm 36:1, observed that the actions of the wicked show that they have no fear of God. The Hebrew word for fear in this verse deals with the concept of guilt and punishment. Individuals know right from wrong, know that sin deserves to be punished (Romans 1:32), but do not take God or His word seriously. They deceive themselves into thinking that all is well, and progress deeper into sin. Paul concludes that there is no one righteous, no one who seeks after God, no one who takes Him at His word and fears Him (Romans 3:10-18).
     A true fear of the Lord is evidenced by a life of obedience. Job is an example of this. In the eyes of God he was perfect, upright, feared the Lord, and turned from evil (Job 1:8). Job's life was not driven by a slavish dread of God, or fear of punishment, but by a proper understanding of who God is, and how he needed to relate to Him. Satan desired to prove to God that Job acted out of self interest (vs 9,10). God knew the integrity of Job, and allowed him to be tested. The Bible recognizes those who truly love and serve God as fearing Him.
     The fear of the Lord is not an old testament concept. It was Jesus who warned that we must not fear man, but God (Luke 12:4,5). Often we worry about what others may think of us, or what may happen to us if we stand for Christ. We allow this fear to hold us back. Instead we need to understand that if we are ashamed of Christ in this world, He will be ashamed of us. We need to understand that a lack of the fear of  God carries heavy, eternal consequences.
     The writer of Hebrews desired that we would have the grace to serve God with reverence and awe (godly fear), because God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:28,29). God desires us to walk before him in obedience, and we would do well to understand this in all its implications. Through the offering of Jesus Christ on our behalf, we have been given everything that we need for life and godliness. There is nothing that we lack, in Christ, to live a life that pleases Him. We have been given much, but where much has been given, much is required. We often look at Old Testament passages with the understanding that God was very severe at that time, but now under grace He is more relaxed. Sure we shouldn't sin, but if we do God understands right? It is true that Christ understands our weakness (Heb 4:13), but the context of this verse deals with receiving help in time of temptation. It is also true that when we do sin we have Christ as an advocate. If we confess our sin, He will forgive our sin (1 John 1:8, 2:1). However, these verses do not give licence to live a sinful life. The writer of Hebrews tells us that if God was severe in the days of Moses, we should expect Him to be much more so  now. To sin wilfully is to trample on the Son of God, count His blood as unholy, and to insult the Holy Spirit (Heb 10:26-31). This passage was written as a warning to the Church, people already saved! They were warned of the danger of sin, but also encouraged to press into Christ, where they would find grace for every need. The demands of God placed on man have not changed. The command to love Him with all the heart, soul, mind and strength, is still binding today. We are still bound to love our neighbor as ourselves. The ten commandments were never relaxed by grace, rather Paul declared that faith established the law (Rom 3:31). The old covenant could show man what God required, but left him powerless to fulfill it. Under grace we are now able to live the lives that God requires, empowered by the Holy Spirit. We read in Hebrews 11 of individuals who possessed great faith, overcame great obstacles, and were used in mighty ways by God. There were individuals in the Old Testament days such as Job, Enoch, or Noah, who walked blamelessly before God. Daniel and his friends remained faithful to God, even though they were captives in a foriegn land. How much more today, should we be living an overcoming, victorious life, as we have all the advantages that Christ has procured for us?
     To walk in purity of heart and life is vital to the life of the christian. We want to avoid legalism, but we also need to understand that grace sets us free from the power sin once held on our lives. A healthy fear of the Lord is a necessary element in the life of one who truly desires to know and experience God in all His fulness. It truly is the begining of wisdom.