UNDERSTANDING THE FEAR OF THE LORD

ROMÂNĂ

What is the “fear of the Lord” as spoken of in the Bible? Certainly the “biblical definition” of “fear” is important to know and especially in its different contexts. In researching the “fear of the Lord” came much revelation. The “fear of the Lord” is just as important to being a true follower of the Lord as repentance. Without it, there is no real relationship with God. The “fear of the Lord” is a tremendous and essential necessity for all who love God.

The biblical definition of “fear” as in the “fear of the Lord” is: a moral reverential fear. The biblical definition for “fear” when used most commonly, is to be “frightened by” as in scared or afraid. However, the “fear” in the “fear of the Lord” comes from respect, honor and love. One definition is a wholesome dread of displeasing the Lord. While the “fear of the Lord” brings obedience and submission to the Lord, it is so much more. Webster's dictionary calls it a “reverential awe (of God).” It is a “spiritual awe” of the “heart and soul” that is also a “respectful reverence” (not religious), that comes from a “good and sincere reaction” to who God truly is. The “fear of the Lord” results in the deepest motivation to please the Lord and in sincerely not wanting to displease Him. This comes from the Holy Spirit in us and in learning who the Lord is and His ways.

Please take a fresh look at this amazing prophecy about Jesus found in Isaiah.

• Isaiah 11:1-5 “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; but with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.”

Jesus was prophesied of in Isaiah that He would have “the fear of the Lord” and that “His delight” would be in “the fear of the Lord.” Jesus, (Emanuel, God with us) had (has) the “fear of the Lord” and His delight is in it. The Son of God Himself, God with us, had the “fear of the Lord.”

When Jesus came in the flesh, He continuously stayed in one accord with the Father. The “seeking the will of the Father” by Jesus was/is actually the “fear of the Lord.” God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are always of the same mind. They “purposely regard” each other and stay unified. When Jesus came in the natural, He not only stayed in union with the Father but with the Holy Spirit. This union was only broken one time and in our behalf. Our sins, when taken upon Himself by Jesus, separated God, the Son from God, the Father. Note that the Father was still His Father the entire time but for the only time ever, a separation came. Just as Jesus walked and lived in the “fear of the Lord” so we must also walk and live in the “fear the Lord” with sincere and truthful hearts that seek the will of our Father in heaven. The “fear of the Lord” is not an attitude of terror, but the characteristic of love and respect for God in the sense of wanting to please Him and in keeping from disobedience.

• John 5:30 "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me."

 

• John 10:30 "I and My Father are one."

 

• John 8:28-29 Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."

 

• Matthew 10:18-20 "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you."

 

• John 14:25-26 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

The “fear of the Lord” is an intrinsic part of God's character. God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are each their own person and at the same time, all one and all God. They are each unique but each have the same purpose, same character and stay in one accord because of the “fear of the Lord” between them (if Jesus had it, which He did, then we know they all do). Even God, in His three Persons, has the “fear of the Lord” One for the Other. Jesus came humbly and fully submitted to the Father's will and when He returned to heaven, the Holy Spirit came to indwell born-again Christians to continue God's plans. The Holy Spirit leads us and guides us according to the Father's will to keep us in union with Him, just as Jesus did when He was here in person.

As the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all in one accord, they want us to join in this unity with them. But to do so, we must have the “right heart” to even begin with and once we do, we must continue as the Holy Spirit leads and teaches us for the rest of our lives. How marvelous an opportunity that God invites us to be in one accord with Him! Jesus came and made it possible as this was the desire of God in all three Persons. With Jesus having returned to heaven and the Holy Spirit having been sent to us, He can indwell and be with all who choose Him as Lord/Savior and make it possible. Blessed are they that fear the Lord!

The “fear of the Lord” makes this “unity” and being in “one accord” possible. Being unified or in one accord does not mean personalities or roles disappear. It means submission. It means submission of the heart; not a forceful submission. It is the kind of submission of the heart that one cares what the other persons feelings are, even more than their own sometimes.

Please consider a scenario. I am a helper in someone's ministry. And sometimes they are a helper in mine. While this person helps me with my work, they look for and follow my lead in whatever work is being done. And when I help in their ministry, I follow theirs. In this fashion, sometimes I lead and sometimes I follow. But I do not do it out of bondage or crushing pressure rather I joyfully care to do it right for them and they do the same for me.

God wants submissive hearts. He wants hearts that will “joyfully” follow Him. That respect Him as He is God. As He has all knowledge, all sense and even knows the end from the beginning. And He created mankind to be a part of His creation.

In the beginning, the Lord actually gave mankind their own domain (earth/Garden of Eden) and made them in His image (sinless) so that “He and they” could be in one accord with each other. In man's disobedience, this “holy unity” was broken and troubles came seemingly without measure. He lost the domain to the liar that he let his wife fall for and he willfully disobeyed the Lord himself. And here we are today, about 6000 years later, all born with disobedient natures and spirits that have to be born-again so that we can rule over our own selves in submission to the Lord and keep the evil one in his place.

Jesus came to make a way to get the “union” back. He took the keys of hell and death away from Satan (the murderer and liar). And the whole time Jesus was here, He kept His “heart submitted” to Father God which kept Him from sin. It was not only that He refused to sin, He did not want to sin. His delight was in the “fear of the Lord” and He knew He was on the mission to save us, restoring what was lost.

The “fear of the Lord” enables and brings about the “fruit of the Spirit” in God's children.

The “fruit of the Holy Spirit” is a term which really means how we see the Holy Spirit (God) evidenced in our lives. The “fruit” is really “His character” evidenced in us. Some of the fruit of the Spirit are listed in these verses:

• Ephesians 5:8-10 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

 

• 2 Peter 1:5-8 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

• Galatians 5:22-23a But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

The “fear of the Lord” is a choice. When we truly choose God and His ways over disobedience, then we are choosing the “fear of the Lord.”

• Joshua 24:14-15 "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

 

• Proverbs 1:27-31 “When your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of my counsel and despised my every rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled to the full with their own fancies.”

We do not choose to “fear the Lord” just once in our lives, but we continue to choose daily to be faithful and obedient to our Lord and God.

• Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

 

• Romans 6:22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.”

 

• Deuteronomy 8:19-20 “Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.”

 

• Revelation 2:4-5 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent."

 

• John 15:6 "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned."

 

• Hebrews 10:26-29 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

The true “fear of the Lord” keeps those who have it: faithful.

• Psalms 103:17-18 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them.

 

• Proverbs 16:6 In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

The “fear of the Lord” is a prerequisite for wisdom. The “fear of the Lord” is wisdom but it is also the beginning of wisdom.

While the “fear of the Lord” is the beginning of wisdom, one cannot have wisdom without it; wisdom is impossible for those who do not have the “fear of the Lord.” God is wisdom, just as He is love. To have His wisdom and understanding, we must have this reverent fear and respect for Him.

• Psalms 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.

 

• Job 28:27-28 Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. And to man He said, "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding."

 

• Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 

• Proverbs 9:9-11 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. "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 multiplied, and years of life will be added to you.

 

• Ephesians 1:15-19 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power...

 

• James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (this offer is not for the lost, but for the found)

 

• Psalms 19:7-11 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.

Additionally, as the “fear of the Lord” is the beginning of wisdom (and wisdom) it is also the beginning of knowledge (and knowledge).

• Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 

• Proverbs 2:1-7 “My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly..."

 

• Jeremiah 29:13 “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

The “fear of the Lord” must be learned.

Some people who “grow up” in church, sometimes take learning “the ways of God” for granted. Even many who do, may not really learn according “the true leading and revelation of the Holy Spirit” because they are not really born-again yet. And many people have much, much to learn of the ways of the Lord because it is “all new.” It is not enough to leave the old ways behind, we must learn how the Lord truly wants us to handle things. Many times, we have false images of God and we need to learn from Him and His Word of who He truly is. Learning and growing in the “fear of the Lord” is a lifetime process.

• Deuteronomy 31:12-13 “Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land which you cross the Jordan to possess."

 

• Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

 

• Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 

• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

• 2 Peter 3:18 ... but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

By the “fear of the Lord” we know He is worthy of our most reverent fear and respect from our deepest hearts.

We are not our own. We are not accidents and we did not create ourselves or this planet or universe. But we, and all creation, do have an owner. His name is God. He brought us into this world (uniquely formed us and put His very breath in us so that our spirits are eternal like Him) and we will all meet with Him when this life is over, one way or another. We are accountable to God. And while we are to respectfully fear certain ones in our lives and this world, we commanded to never put the fear of anyone or thing above Him.

• Deuteronomy 10:12-14 "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it.”

 

• Exodus 20:2-3 "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”

 

• Psalms 24:1-2 The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters.

 

• Revelation 4:11 "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created."

 

• "Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand

 

• Isaiah 29:15-16 “Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, and their works are in the dark; they say, "Who sees us?" and, "Who knows us?" Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; for shall the thing made say of him who made it, "He did not make me"? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?

 

• Matthew 10:37-38 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”

Our God, who created everything, is not a figment of someone's imagination or an idol made with hands. One day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Some gladly do it now and will forever but every single person with a spirit and soul will have to one day make His confession whether they like it or not. And we are all accountable to Him. God requires obedience. This earth is passing and in order to spend eternity with a holy God, He has requirements. For those that insist upon rejecting Him, there is a price tag. The cost of sin is death.

• Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

• John 3:18-20 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

 

• Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus came to acquire for us, the pardon that we each need to escape our due punishment. But after we are pardoned, we are required to be faithful. Thankfully, Jesus by-way-of the Cross and His Resurrection, made it so that we can be born-again and the Lord can indwell us with Himself in the form of the Holy Spirit. And in this process, we begin and learn to “fear the Lord” by the power and direction of the Holy Spirit. “Fearing the Lord” is a condition of the heart that keeps us on the right path.

It is not enough to know the character of God or even His Word; we must also listen to the Lord for His guidance. The Lord through Solomon said there is a time for everything.

• Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to gain, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

How can we know the time to do each? By our “fear of the Lord” and by our “reverent listening to Him” for direction. All through our days, we must make decisions. By wisdom and the “fear of the Lord” we know that following the direction of the Lord is the best way to live. Jesus did it the entire time He walked this earth. And He kept sin conquered by His “fear of the Lord” in His wanting to please the Father and staying in one accord with Him.

The true “fear of the Lord” keeps God's people so submitted to Him that in the submission to Him is the rejection of the carnal nature. This can only be the result of the Holy Spirit's power and influence.

Twice when Jesus was with us in the flesh, the Father said that He was well-pleased with His Son. Note that He did not say He was “proud” of Him. God is not about pride. He was well pleased. Is the Lord well-pleased with me? Is He well-pleased with you? There is one sure way to know. He is pleased with those are born-again and walking in one accord with Him by the direction and strength of the Holy Spirit. Those that put and keep Him first and love and live as He directs. Those that live with the “fear of the Lord” ruling their hearts, this pleases the Lord.

The “born-again nature” is “good and godly” and as we “learn the ways of the Lord” - leaving the old carnal nature behind; under the leadership and lordship of the Holy Spirit – and in the “fear of the Lord” then we become more like Jesus and more pleasing to the Father. God loves everyone but He is not pleased with everyone. What pleases the Father is a good heart and right living because of our “fear of the Lord.”

To many “believing on the Lord” merely means a “form of faith” but to “true followers” of Jesus Christ, it is much more than faith. As Jesus wanted to please His Father, so do we. The “fear of the Lord” is invisible like the wind, but can be clearly seen wherever it resides. As Christians, “the fear of the Lord,” is as involved and necessary to the inner man as breathing is to the body. The “fear of the Lord” is the way to true life.

The “fear of the Lord” is to test us.

• Exodus 20:18-21 Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. Then they said to Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die." And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin." So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

Many say the Lord tests us so He will know how we will do. Some say He knows before He tests us. Certainly He always knows the end from the beginning. The testing did not stop when Jesus came. The situation is still that God is refining us and helping us grow in Him. We would never know we had a problem if situations did not bring it out of us. By knowing God's Word and having the direction of the Holy Spirit, we can grow through the areas in which we err, struggle and need help.

• James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

 

• Proverbs 17:3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the hearts.

 

• 1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

 

• 2 Peter 1:2-8 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

There is a song by the late Andrae Crouch that has been very popular since he wrote it called: Through it all. And the gist of the song is that we would never know God's power and how He could help us if we never had a trial, for our trials only come to make us strong. And this song is the biblical truth.

• Deuteronomy 8:1-5 "Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you.”

 

• Deuteronomy 8:11-16 "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest--when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end--”

God is for us, not against us. He, with the most utmost wisdom and love, works with each and every person on this earth until their last breath, to see the best for them. Whether we cooperate or not and how successful we are in His plans, is up to us.

The “fear of the Lord” is to hate evil.

• Proverbs 8:12-14 "I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge and discretion. The “fear of the Lord” is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength.”

 

• Psalms 97:10 You who love the Lord, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

 

• Proverbs 16:6 In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

 

• Jeremiah 2:19 “Your own wickedness will correct you, and your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thing that you have forsaken the Lord your God, and the fear of Me is not in you, says the Lord God of hosts.”

The “fear of the Lord” brings God's blessings. By it comes a good heart that loves obedience which pleases the Lord. The blessings are for those who fear the Lord.

By choosing and living in one accord with the Lord we find and know the best place to be! Blessed are they that truly fear the Lord. One look at someone's life and anyone can see how much they fear the Lord or not. Those that fear Him, love Him and want to keep it that way. God loves every single person there is (and impartially) but the ones who love and fear Him, these are the ones He is pleased with. Who would not want to be in this category?

God hears the prayers of those who “fear the Lord.”

• 2 Chronicles 7:13-15 “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.”

 

• Psalms 34:11-15 Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.

 

• 1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

 

• Hebrews 5:5-8 So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son, today I have begotten You." As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek"; who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.”

Those that “fear the Lord” have His help in times of trouble.

• Psalms 25:12-15 Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.”

 

• Psalms 31:19-20 Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

 

• Psalms 33:18-19 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

 

• Psalms 34:7-10 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

 

• Psalms 115:11-15 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great. May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

 

• Psalms 145:19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.

 

• Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.

Those that “fear the Lord” will have provision, food and their needs met.

• Psalms 33:18-19 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

 

• Psalms 34:7-10 The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

 

• Psalms 111:5-6 He has given food to those who fear Him; He will ever be mindful of His covenant. He has declared to His people the power of His works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.

 

• Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Those that “fear the Lord” receive mercy from the Lord.

• Psalms 103:11-13 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.

 

• Psalms 103:17-18 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them.

 

• Proverbs 16:6 In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; and by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil.

Those that “fear the Lord” will have godly prosperity.

• Psalms 112:1-3 Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

 

• Psalms 115:11-15 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great. May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

 

• Psalms 145:19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.

 

• Proverbs 15:16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble.

 

• Proverbs 22:4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.

Those that “fear the Lord” will have “the works of their hands blessed.”

• Psalms 128:1-4 Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.

Those that “fear the Lord” are not only loved by the Lord, but please Him.

• Psalms 147:11 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.

Those that “fear the Lord” are blessed and have true life and God's favor.

• Psalms 115:11-15 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield. The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the Lord, both small and great. May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

 

• Proverbs 28:14 Happy is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

 

• Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.

 

• Psalms 128:1-4 Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labor of your hands, you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine In the very heart of your house, your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.

 

• Proverbs 8:35-36 “For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord; but he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death."

The “fear the Lord” lengthens lives.

• Proverbs 10:27-29 The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened. The hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. The way of the Lord is strength for the upright, but destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.

 

• Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.

Those that “fear the Lord” find and acquire wisdom, knowledge, understanding.

• Job 28:27-28 Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. And to man He said, "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding."

 

• Psalms 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.

 

• Proverbs 15:29-33 The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous. The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy. The ear that hears the rebukes of life will abide among the wise. He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, but he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, and before honor is humility.

 

• Isaiah 33:6 Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, and the strength of salvation; the fear of the Lord is His treasure.

Those that “fear the Lord” are blessed with revelation knowledge.

• Psalms 25:12-14 Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.

Those that “fear the Lord” will the Lord fulfill their desires.

• Psalms 145:19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.

Those who “fear the Lord” will find salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

• Acts 9:31 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

 

• Revelation 19:5-9 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, "Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!" And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."

 

• Malachi 3:16-17 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name. "They shall be Mine," says the Lord of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."

 

• Proverbs 23:17-18 Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day; for surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off.

In conclusion, the “fear of the Lord” is only found in true Christians. It is impossible to have it without being born-again. And if we as Christian's, will honor the Holy Spirit and not grieve Him, the “fear of the Lord” - the loving, reverential awe of God that wants to please Him and stay in union... will direct our lives. And in so doing, it is beneficial to God's heart and to ours. In contrast, the more we as born-again Christians grieve the direction and voice of the Holy Spirit, the more out of union with God we will find ourselves. If life and its cares and frustrations have choked out the love and direction of the Holy Spirit in us, we know the mercies of the Lord are not only, new every day, but even millisecond to millisecond! Let us accept this loving offer of God Almighty to be in a covenant and intimate relationship with Him and by doing so, we can be a joy & a blessing to Him and we can truly live with the amazing and incredible blessings that come from such a union.

COMPANION ARTICLE

UNDERSTANDING THE "FEAR OF THE LORD" - BIBLE VERSES
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​Copyright © 2017 E. Cockrell. May be used for personal study or instruction but shall not be copied and/or distributed in whole or part without permission or for financial profit.