STAND & COMFORT Newsletter
Email NEWSLETTER #10
By Ed Tarkowski

November 8, 2001

A False Conception Of "FEAR OF THE LORD"

Fear of the Lord - it's often thought of today as an awe of God, felt because of His manifested power to solve our problems or make us happy or give us goose bumps or make us prosperous. God's wondrous power earns Him an APPRECIATIVE reverence. I often wonder how many check their flesh from yielding to anger with God because they don't want to cut off the blessings. The fact that seems to have been lost is that God is also a God who disciplines His people when they depart from what He's spoken or treat His word as a plaything. For instance, by insisting that there is more than one interpretation to what He has said. How can we think He wouldn't get angry at constant disobedience to, or changing of, His word?

Apostasy is a falling away from the faith once delivered to the Church. Rather than contending for the once-delivered faith, the faith has been reinterpreted in almost every area. It seems like the majority of Christians today have become careless with God's word? Why? I believe its because the "negative side" of the fear of the Lord has been all but lost. I am speaking here of fear and trembling. Has God not spoken clearly with warnings and exhortations through the sending of His Son?:

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Do you believe God's anger is building up because of what has been done to His word in the past 10 years? I do, but I also believe three other things:

1. God has sent a delusion in the midst of which all men must decide whether to believe His word or the untruths created by the changing of His word.

2. He is manifesting the ultimate in forbearance and mercy, waiting for repentance and a return to Him according to His word, in the context in which He gave it.

3. His anger is building to the point where He will send Jesus back to judge all things, once all have made their decision concerning Christ.

If fear of the Lord had not been redefined in our day and age to mean simply reverence, we would not have the spiritual problems we have today. This is my attempt to give us all something to think about concerning what Scripture says regarding the fear and trembling that is inherent in fearing the Lord.

"FEAR OF THE LORD" In The Old Testament

There are a number of words for "fear" and "dread" in the Old Testament. Here are some condensed definitions from Strong's and some verses containing these words:

1. FEAR 3372. yare'; to fear; mor. to revere; caus. to frighten:-dread (-ful), (be had in) reverence (-end).

Psa 90:11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy FEAR, so is thy wrath. 12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Psa 76:7 Thou, even thou, art to be FEARED: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?

Wisdom is to hear, meditate, know, understand and do His word in its intended context. God's message to Israel was clear: they were to have the fear of God by being wise enough to know, understand and do His statutes so as not to get Him angry. Through Moses, God asked if they would accept His law and do it, and they said yes. Then the mountain blazed with fire and the surrounding area shook at His presence. So they had His word, consented to obey it, and knew there was good reason to fear Him.

In Psalm 90:11 above, we are given the degree to which He is to be feared: according to the highest degree of His possible wrath. We do know from Scripture the power and degree of God's wrath when He gets angry. Israel gained a knowledge of it when they came to Sinai:

Heb 12:20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake

The simple message: don't get God angry, but fear Him to the same degree He can get angry, reverancing Him by being obedient to Him and His word. Though we are dealing here with the Old Testament, I think it is important to interject these New Testament verses before continuing:

Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Hallelujah! We're safe from Sinai and the fire and the trembling! So what if some have a few "new" revelations and some extra interpretations of His word? The writer to the Hebrews, though, continued:

Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

Fear of the Lord and reverence did not disappear with the ushering in of the New Covenant. With all due respect, in contrast to what is to come, Sinai will look like a marshmallow roast. God HAS PROMISED He is going to shake THE WORLD one more time ACCORDING TO what He has spoken from heaven. EVERYTHING that is not in line with what He has spoken will be shaken and fall. His Kingdom will be established according to what He has said, not according to what man has invented or the devil has inspired. THEN there will finally be a service to God that is acceptable with BOTH "reverence and godly fear." Don't be mislead into believing that men WILL LEARN reverence and godly fear BY Jesus' return. That must be learned and lived in now to be part of His visible Kingdom to come.

In the Old Testament, there are many examples of what happened when Israel did not fear or dread God and didn't follow his decrees and declared ways. Leviticus 10 is one example of God showing His anger against the priests of the tabernacle:

Lev 10:1 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.
2 And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
3 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

The sons of Aaron did not follow God's decrees and therefore did something God had not commanded, and fire shot out and devoured them on the spot. Moses' reaction to this was aimed at Aaron, immediately cautioning him, "Don't say a word, Aaron, not one word. God is exceedingly angry," and Aaron "held his peace." As if this was not bad enough and hard enough for Aaron and his remaining sons,

Lev 10:6 . . . Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.
7 And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.

In other words, "Don't even take time to mourn for them, Aaron, lest this be disrespectful of what the Lord has decided and has done because of their manifested disobedience. If you show this disrespect, He will slay you on the spot. Stay before the Lord in the tabernacle because you are anointed to minister to Him. Fleeing will display such disrespect that it could result in His wrath falling on all who witness it."

The Lord did not allow His commands to be changed lest He be seen as a wishy-washy God who changes His words and plays favorites. He didn't say, "Oh, these are Aaron's sons. I guess I can let this go." No. God is holy and His decrees are holy and He expects them to be followed. When they are not, He will show Himself to be holy through discipline and then judgment.

2. FEAR 3374. yir'ah; mor. reverence:--fear (-fulness).

Prov 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the FEAR of the LORD men depart from evil.

Knowing that God is perfect in holiness, we know that what He says is perfect in holiness. The combination of fear of God and reverence towards Him and His word was the impetus for sinful Israel to depart from iniquity by obeying His words. "Fear" here is a moral reverence towards God as a response to His mercy and forebearance towards sinful man. For Israel, this reverence was fortified by the possibility of discipline and then wrath if they did not respond to His mercy and truth. Take away this response of moral reverence and all God is left with is His discipline. God knows that without the possibility of discipline standing over His mercy and forebearance, man is sorely tempted to mock His holiness by not yielding to the context of His word. Reverence and dread and fear cannot be separated. They are all necessary to walk in the proper fear of God.

The above verse says "by mercy and truth iniquity is purged." Where would men be without the mercy of God, or His reminders of the truth and the opportunities He gives to repent? In the Old Testament, God continuously sent His prophets to implore Israel to return to Him by walking according to that which He had spoken. They were to trust in Him, rely on Him, and pursue holiness. This merciful forbearance of God was to give Israel time to turn back to Him, yet often they didn't, and He had to deal with those situations according to His holiness and truth. He did all He could to turn them around, but Scripture says,

Acts 13:18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.

Acts 7:42 Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?

1 Cor 10:5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

Our verse continues, "by the FEAR of the LORD men depart from evil." When Israel became prosperous, they lost their trembling and the Lord had to raise up nations to discipline them. Can we even imagine what it would be like if God did not extend His mercy towards men when they didn't follow His word? If He just let things slide, the true knowledge of Him would eventually be lost. But through reminding men of the truth, He gives them time to wake up and pay attention to what He's said, to realize their evil deeds and actions, and to forsake those things which contradict His word in their lives and distort who He is. This is His mercy accompanied by truth:

Job 36:9 Then he showeth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded.

This is hopefully man's response followed by the Lord's response:

Job 33:23 If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to show unto man his [God's] uprightness:
24 Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.

When Israel refused to listen and correct their lives, God had no choice but to discipline, and if that was rejected, He then got angry and "gave them up" (Acts 7:42). That generation died in the wilderness. (Leviticus 26 is a good example of how God continually works to turn His people back to Him.) In another time period, Ezra prayed to the Lord,

Ezra 9:14 Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?

A rather similar spiritual situation is found in the New Testament:

2 Thess 2:3 . . . there come a falling away first, . . .
10 with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

FALLING AWAY 646. apostasia, ap-os-tas-ee'-ah; fem. of the same as G647; defection from truth (prop. the state) ["apostasy"]:--falling away, forsake.

Apostasy is once having the truth and forsaking it, defecting from it. Apostasy is a negative response to God's discipline to conform to the truth. It's a choice to believe the lie, and in that lie men will perish.

3. FEAR 6343. pachad, a (sudden) alarm (prop. the object feared, by impl. the feeling):--dread (-ful), terror.

Psa 119:120 My flesh trembleth for FEAR of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments.

This word seems self-explanatory: One simply fears God because of his judgements. Judgements for what?:

Psa 119:117 Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.
118 Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their deceit is falsehood.
119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.

God's judgement is for not having a reverent respect for His word, made manifest by sinful actions and deeds that go against what He has said. Sins, errors, falsehoods, deceits and redefinitions of His word are entertained by those who do not have that respect. But God is one who does stand on His word and totally backs it up. He doesn't rely on man for that. Therefore, keeping what He has said in the context of what He has said shows a reverent respect for Him, a knowledge that His word is absolute truth and speaks of both mercy and discipline within His call to obedience. How many of us remember what it was like when we went against what Dad had said and he headed for the closet where he kept the stick? Have you ever heard the words, "Wait till your father gets home!"? There was some fear and trembling in those words:

Phil 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Hebrews describes the chastening of God the Father and our earthly father:

Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

God does not enjoy it when He has to discipline His people, and He doesn't discipline so we will be healthy, wealthy and wise as our earthly fathers did. Our earthly fathers disciplined us so we didn't hurt ourselves. Our heavenly Father does so so we won't hurt ourselves spiritually. He disciplines us SO THAT WE WILL BE PARTAKERS OF HIS HOLINESS. He will speak and warn and implore because He wants no one to perish through apostasy. Jesus showed much righteous emotion over Israel just before He went to Calvary:

Luke 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.
43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

4. Isa 8:13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your FEAR, and let him be your DREAD.

FEAR 4172. mowra', fear; by impl. a fearful thing or deed:--dread, (that ought to be) fear (-ed), terribleness, terror.

DREAD 6206. 'arats, to awe or (intrans.) to dread; shake terribly.

The subject surrounding this Old Testament verse is God's command to Israel to avoid making treaties with other nations as though they could help resolve their problems. In other words, they were not to turn to Egypt for help but to turn to God Himself, unless God told them to go to Egypt for help. Turning to "Egypt" would show a fear of man rather than God and a trust in human aid rather than trusting in God for their very existence and continuance.

Thus, Israel is told to sanctify the Lord, look to Him and trust in Him as their help in the time of need. What does it mean to sanctify the Lord? It means to do as He has said, so He can do all that He's promised in what He has said. Then HE WILL BE SEEN FOR WHO HE SAYS HE IS - a holy God who cannot lie - as He exercises His power on behalf of His people. In a fleshy sense, we could say that God protects His own reputation.

I believe there are three ultimate reasons God disciplines us, the first being that we remain in the context of His word. Second, so that we don't apostatize from the truth of salvation as it is in Christ. The third is that our walk be holy. These are all interrelated. When a Christian walks according to the word, he remains firm in his conviction regarding salvation in Christ and manifests a holy walk as He shares God's true salvation with others. Walking in this manner relates to others a true picture of who God is.

These have just been a few comments on the words FEAR and DREAD in the Old Testament, but they give us a sense of what it means to fear the Lord. It is not just reverence. It is reverence coated with trembling. We are to fear Him "even according to . . . thy wrath" (Ps 90:11).

I will close this issue by saying that it is not as though the Lord forsook mercy in the Old Testament. God, for instance, judged Sodom and Gomorrah in the time of Abraham and Lot. Lot dwelt within those cities, yet God had to send judgment upon them because sin reigned there. What is in question here is will God's people suffer the consequences of judgment along with those whom they lived among?

Abraham approached God with this very question. Recall Abraham's mediation with God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah out of concern for the righteous. The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was great in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 18:20) and He sent two angels to destroy it. But Abraham said to Him,

23 . . . "Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

God said He would do right, for it was not like him to destroy the righteous with the wicked. So Abraham pushed the mediation a little more. "Uhm, how about 45? . . . better yet, how about 40?" The Lord agreed, but then NOTICE ABRAHAM'S FEAR OF GOD AND REVERENCE FOR HIM:

30 OH LET NOT THE LORD BE ANGRY, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

"Lord, now don't get angry, but . . ." Abraham feared and reveranced God to the uttermost.

What is the difference between this scene and the one I described earlier about Aaron and his sons? The difference is this: one had to do with the worship of God and the service to God in the tabernacle. Aaron's sons had placed strange fire before Israel's Consuming Fire. God had ordained how duties were to be strictly performed when approaching Him in His "dwelling place", and He knew that any deviation would open the door for changing the service to the place where He dwelt in their midst. It would open the way for idolatry, confusion about who God was, and the seriousness of what He established regarding Himself. The other scene concerning Sodom and Gomorrah had to do with God's judgments on a sinful city and His mercy on the righteous:

2 Pet 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

The point of what I have written is this: God's relationship with His people Israel was one of fear and dread and trembling in regard to keeping His word, His ways and His statutes. They were to show Him reverence because He was God. Yet God did not forsake His constant mercy towards Israel to draw them back to Himself according to His word. They were to have a dread of Him, and they were to reverence Him.

(This subject will be continued in the next issue: "FEAR OF THE LORD" In The New Testament.)

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