Tag: Fear of the Lord

Multigenerational family dining together around a table with framed family quote

Who Do You Know?

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“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit; if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.” (Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Who has your highest respect? Who is the person you look up to more than any other; whose opinion controls your decision making most of all? That person will direct the course of your life. That person has a power over you that will make your life either happy or terrible. Choose that person wisely, because if you don’t, the consequences will be awful. Solomon has a suggestion of who that person should be here. Let’s take a look.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 20:18-21

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“All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the ram’s horn, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance. ‘You speak to us, and we will listen,’ they said to Moses, ‘but don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.’ Moses responded to the people, ‘Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear him and will not sin.’ And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the total darkness where God was.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When I was little, my parents took me on a thrill ride at an amusement park. It terrified me. A lot. As a result, it was a full decade before I rode another thrill ride of any kind. That first experience left me chastened. I responded by backing away and not getting near them. When Israel experienced the power and presence of God in the wild storm theophany there at Mount Sinai out of which God delivered the Ten Commandments, they were terrified. They reacted about like I did with roller coasters. Let’s talk through their response here and Moses’ efforts to encourage them.

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Morning Musing: Psalm 130:4

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“But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

The fear of the Lord is a poorly understood concept even among His people.  This is quite simply because we think about fear only in a single sense: terror.  To be afraid of something isn’t good.  Thus, while perhaps we should fear the Lord because we’re told to do so over and over and over again in the Scriptures, this isn’t something that ultimately draws us closer to Him.  We fear Him so that we’ll do what He says.  Once we develop the pattern of doing what He says, then we begin to grow closer to Him, at which point we don’t need to fear Him any longer.  The logic here seems just about airtight…and it’s just about completely wrong. Read the rest…