The Fear of the Lord and True Change
There is nothing more profound and life changing that the fear of the Lord. It is an encapsulating phrase that holds every manner of spiritual and temporal good. The fear of the Lord is the treasure chest that holds the gospel, wisdom, fearlessness, eternal perspective, and fullness of life.
There is much to be said about this phrase and certainly some misunderstandings that arise naturally. “Fear” never sounds positive, and yet this word is a completely positive word when it comes to the fear of the Lord. Therefore, definitions are helpful when coming to this term. But for this post I simply wanted to highlight two defining features of the fear of the Lord that are used repeatedly in Scripture. They are two ideas that serve as a further illuminator when it comes to the fear of the Lord.
The Oldest Description In the Bible
As you probably know, the book of Job is probably the oldest portion of God’s Word. It was written somewhere around the time of Abraham, which means that was about 400 years before Moses who wrote the Pentateuch. So this book of wisdom literature is the first.
After tragedy befalls Job, his three “friends” begin to bring accusations against him. And for every accusation, Job has to bring a defense. He is right to bring a defense because he really was a righteous man. It is in one of his last speeches of defense that Job gives us one of the most interesting and picturesque understandings of true wisdom that we have in scripture. Chapter 28 is sparkling gem of truth in a book filled with speeches that are littered with error.
Job says in chapter 28 that some of the most valuable things in the world are also the hardest to come by. Gold, silver, sapphires, iron, copper are only found by mining deep into the earth. Job gives us a picturesque description of turning a mountain upside down to get those deposits. Turning the mountain over is what men do because of the value seen in those minerals.
But wisdom is something altogether different. It is the most valuable thing in the universe (vs. 15-16), but where do you find it (12-14)? The conclusion of the chapter tells us where it is found. It is found in the fear of the Lord. But what I want you to notice is that there is a second part to the answer. The fear of the Lord is wisdom, but secondly, to depart from evil is understanding. So, are we talking about one thing or are we talking about two things?
In light of this statement about departing from evil, I want you to see what God’s word says emphatically about Job.
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.
Job 1:8 The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.”
Job 2:3 The LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause.”
We see that fear of the Lord and turning from evil is repeatedly stated about Job,. And therefore, when we come to chapter 28 and read that wisdom is found in the fear of God AND turning away from evil is understanding, we know that this characterizes Job. He was a wise man, even though he was not perfect.
So the fear of the Lord is strongly tied to departing from evil. But there is one additional statement that we find tied to the fear of the Lord.
The Second Feature Found in Psalms
Not only is the fear of the Lord described by what you depart from, it is also described by what you run to and do.
Psalm 34:11–14 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 12 Who is the man who desires life And loves length of days that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.
Notice that the fear of the Lord is also spoken of by “doing good” and of those who “do His commandments”. So, it is not just quitting evil, it is also by positively doing what is right according to God’s commandments. The fear of the Lord makes you stop doing some things and start doing others.
These Two Features Found Regularly with the Fear of the Lord
Just so you see that these are not isolated verses, I want to give you the other passages that show the fear of the Lord joined with one of these two features.
Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.
Proverbs 16:6 By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
Nehemiah 5:15 But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
There are a few passages that have this same idea but while the fear of the Lord is not explicitly mentioned in the verse, it is there by implication.
In Proverbs chapter 2, the fear of the Lord is tied to wisdom in verse 5-6. And then in verse 10 we see wisdom again, doing what we know the fear of the Lord does. It delivers you from the evil way because you know to depart from evil.
Proverbs 2:10–12 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things;
James has two verses that touch on this. Pure and undefiled religion is most assuredly a religion that is full of the fear of the Lord. And chapter 1:27 tells us what pure and undefiled religion does. In chapter three we see wisdom again, and it is doing what the fear of the Lord does when it obeys God’s commands.
James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
James 3:17 (NASB95) — 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
The Fear of the Lord is the Heart of True Change
So what do we see here? We can say that the fear of the Lord is at the heart of true change. Departing evil and obeying God are the hand-in-hand ideas that define the fear of the Lord and are the change you want and need in your life. It is the original “put off and put on” of the Bible.
If you want the truest deepest kind of change, it will begin with knowing God and seeing him in his beauty and power and wisdom and glory. As you grow in seeing him and knowing him, the fear of the Lord will grow. You will stand in awe at him. You will want him more than anything. And in that desire, you will begin to flee from what he hates and obey him with a new trust that you have in his power and faithfulness.
Therefore, don’t deceive yourself about your growth. Self-help principles and common sense improvements are not the growth you truly need. That kind of growth is not bad, but it also is not impactful for eternity. Look to see where the evil is in your area of need and see if you are departing from that evil because it is an offense to God. Then look to determine what the righteous call of God is in that area and if you are seeking to please him in obedience.
The fear of the Lord is not only reverence and awe, it is action. This is not a Sunday morning emotion. This is not a feeling that comes upon you in the sway of the crowd. It is not herd mentality. It is something that possesses you and so that you begin making real-life decisions in light of the Lord worth and majesty.
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