I am not afraid of God. 

But I do fear Him. And the difference between the two is significant. 

 Allow me to present a condensed version as to what it means when I say I ‘fear God’: I believe He means what He says; All of it. 

 And there are many things He has declared in His word that many professing believers seem to dismiss, ignore or be ignorant of these days...and it shows. 

I  know people are quick to replace that word ‘fear’ and prefer to use the phrase “reverential awe” instead, which seems to ‘take the edge off’ in their sincere but misguided thinking. When you look up that word in its Greek and Hebrew origin, there are multiple uses offered up like ‘terror, alarm, dread, and fright...along with...awe and respect’. Here is a way I like to sort through that: As one who likes to get out and photograph storms, I will admit I have yet to see in person an actual funnel cloud on the ground weaving its path of destruction. I have no doubt that if I did see one from a distance, I could not help but to feel ‘reverential awe’ and 'wonder' while watching it and snapping photos. 

 But if that F4 or F5 tornado began to move in my direction and draw closer, I would also suspect that ‘reverential awe’ would be ramped up more than a few notches to ‘alarm and genuine fear, if not terror’. 

 It’s not a term you hear used much these days...other than that casual expression of ‘putting the fear of God into someone’. But that suggest more of conjuring up or invoking some kind of feelings of terror...that are often short lived. I would even suggest that the idea of ‘fearing God’ is so rarely taught on, that if/when anyone was to experience a genuine touch of the fear of God, they would immediately disassociate it with having anything to do with the ‘loving and gentle Jesus they have come to ‘know and love’. 

 Here are a few notes of interest you might ponder: 

 The fear of the Lord is something that we must be ‘taught’. (Ps. 34:11). 

 When Israel was carried away in to captivity by Assyria, a ‘certain priest came to teach them how they should fear the Lord.’ (2 King 17:28) 

 Paul writing to the Romans quotes the words of the Psalmist who had this to say about God’s rebellious children – “the way of peace they have not known, there is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Rom. 3:17-18) 

 The fear of the Lord is something we can choose to do...or not do. (Prov. 1:29). Isn’t that interesting? 

We also read in Proverbs 1 that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (7). And why did God say His...people were destroyed in Hosea 4:6? I believe it was due to a ‘lack of knowledge’. 

You might want to spend some time going over that first chapter in Proverbs as you may glean some insightful and sobering truths. It can be seen there that God continues to point out how His people “disdained all my counsel” (25) and they ‘hated knowledge and did no choose the fear of the Lord. They would have none of my counsel” (29-30); and what happens as a result does not look encouraging at all. Speaking of ‘tornadoes’, look how it describes terror coming as for those who seem to dismiss His word – (vs. 27). 

 Yet...glance down at vs. 33 and take in His loving promise: “Whoever...listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” You might also note Ps. 91 and 1 John 5:18 as well. 

 King Solomon, believed to be one of the wisest and wealthiest men to ever live...had much to write about in the book of Ecclesiastes. Talking of all his accomplishments and wealth and fulfilled desires...at the end of his life, he concluded that all he had pursued was empty vanity. What truly mattered...in the end...was that man would do well to ‘fear God and keep His commandments.” (12:13) 

 I know we are conditioned to want to dismiss anything we read in the OT other than some historical information. Yet, what do you think the early believers were reading and studying and having ‘opened’ to them by revelation? (Luke 24:32,45). And let’s not forget in those early days of the newborn church, God was moving in a mighty way in their midst. We would be silly to overlook a significant ‘exclamation point’ made by God when a ‘little sin’ attempted to slip in to the church body. Both Ananias and his wife, Sapphira were struck dead for their deception. It was a defining moment where once again, God was proving that He means what He says. And look...what was the result there in Act 5:11- “So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.” 

 The ‘fear of God’ was continuously ‘coming upon’ those early new believers – Acts 2:43; 5:5; 9:31;19:17. 

 As I have asked here before, when did God change? (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8) 

 Is it even remotely possible that we modern day ‘believers’ who serve sincerely in our local churches ...could have traveled a similar path that previous generations of God’s people did that we read about constantly in the OT? How often did God tell one generation how ‘their fathers’ forsook Him and His ways...and we’d see the fallout on the ensuing generations, just like God said would happen in His second commandment. 

 Again, I point you back to the group in the wilderness who had come out of Egypt. God had a land for them to possess where He wanted to bless them, protect them, provide for them, and reveal Himself to them as God Almighty, their healer and provider. And yet...they continued to refuse to believe what He said. This was demonstrated in no better example than what we read in Numbers 13-14. It was because of that rebellion of refusing to believe God, that their stay in that hostile wilderness was extended for forty years. 

 Then, after that time expired, and that first generation of folks died out (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb), God was ready to try again with that next group. Take a look at Deut. 4 where Moses would gather the people and teach the people what would be vital to hear, understand, and do...IF...they wanted things to go well for them. Prior to the reading of the law, Moses reminds them of the first gathering at Horeb and how God spoke ‘out of the midst of the fire’...declaring “Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.”(4:10). Look what they are also reminded of there in vs 24- “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” Does Paul not later ask: "Shall we too provoke God to jealousy?"  (1 Cor. 10:22)

 So after a re-reading of the commandments (law) in chapter 5, listen to the cry of God’s heart here: “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever.” (29) Go ahead and read the last few remaining verses there in that same chapter. Again, when did God change? 

 Do you feel ‘safer’ in the NT? Fine...flip back to Hebrews 3-4. After pointing back to those previous generations we just read about in the OT, (3:7-19) look what we believers are admonished to do today, there in Heb. 4:1. We are warned that we too, could ‘fall short of entering this place of rest’ and look what word is used to tell us ...”let us _______”. 

 Why is there such an absence of the ‘fear of the Lord’ these days? I would submit to you that it is because we are ignorant of God’s law and due to little if any teaching on it, we lack understanding of the significance of how the Law still stands today and what happens who them to fail to repent, turn to Jesus so that He can fulfill the law in us by us following Him with all our hearts. (Rom. 8:4; 2:13; 3:31)

 To not understand the law is to not understand what ‘sin’ is. (1 John 3:4) 

 When we fail to understand what ‘sin’ is (breaking God’s law), then we fail to make a connection with sin and His judgments. (John 5:14). 

 If we have been convinced or mistaught that God’s judgements and wrath and such, is a ‘thing of the past’, they why on earth would anyone have any sense of ‘fearing God’? 

 Where there is no ‘fear of God’, then we are missing out on the foundation of all knowledge which begins with the ‘fear of God’. (Prov. 1:7). And we know where a lack of knowledge leads us to...down a path of destruction. (Hosea 4:6). 

 Fearing God is to believe in your heart that He really means what He says. And while many people today may ‘say’ they believe, one might call that in to question simply based on the fruit that is being produced in their lives. They really don’t believe God means what He says, and it shows. I’ll give you and example...tomorrow.