Jesus said to search the scriptures. So, we search the   scriptures out of glad obedience on the subject of “The Fear of the Lord.” Believers can earn a good living in an honorable position, and be industrious in everything except one thing, which is reading the Bible.  Psalm 19: 9 “the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.” So, there’s never a time when the fear of the Lord ceases to be relevant. It endures forever. Proverbs 23: 17, “You may continue all day long in the fear of the Lord.” So, the fear of the Lord is forever, and it’s for all day long. In other words, there is no time in your life when you should not be in the fear of the Lord. First of all, the fear of God is not natural fear. It’s not the fear of an auto crash.  1 John 4: 17, “There is no fear in love. For perfect love cast out fear. Ungodly fear has torment.  Tormenting fear is from the devil, and it has no place in the life of a Christian. The greatest remedy for the tormenting fear is the true fear of the Lord. So, what is the fear of the Lord?  It’s can be a very overwhelming physical fear. For instance, when Moses was confronted with the glory of the Lord at Mount Sinai, Moses said, “So terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.” When Moses was confronted with a revelation of God’s majesty and glory, the fear of the Lord shook him. You cannot have reverence without revelation. When God reveals himself, I believe the only appropriate response is reverence which goes with submissiveness. A submissive attitude toward God is an expression of the fear of the Lord in our lives. Another very amazing thing revealed in scripture is that in a certain sense, what you fear is your God.

If you fear people’s opinions, that’s your God. If you fear poverty, that’s your God. If you fear disease and sickness, that’s your God. What you fear for you is God. Do you fear the Lord?  Study the  fear of the Lord in the life of Jesus. Jesus is God’s own beloved Son.  Isaiah speaks about the anointing of the Holy Spirit that was to mark Jesus out as Messiah, as the anointed One that Israel was expecting. The described 7 distinct aspects of the Holy Spirit that would rest on Jesus. Isaiah 11:1 “There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The mark of the son of God. 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.” 

The 7 fold manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Revelation of the 7 spirits of God, which are 7 lamps of fire burning before the throne. The 7 spirits of God. The first one is the spirit of the Lord. That is the spirit that speaks in the first person as God. Read Acts 13. The final manifestation of the Holy Spirit that marked out Jesus as the Messiah and God’s beloved son. “His delight is in the fear of the Lord. And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes nor by the hearing of His ears.” Jesus was marked out as Messiah by the  7 fold anointing of the Holy Spirit upon Him. The seventh and final anointing was the fear of the Lord. “His delight is in the fear of the Lord.” Jesus, God’s beloved son, Messiah and our savior, was marked out by the fear of the Lord, and if He delighted in the fear of the Lord, how can you or I ever dare to say we don’t need the fear of the Lord? Psalm 34:11 God is speaking. “Come, you children, listen to ME. I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” The Holy Spirit gives us great understanding as He teaches us the fear of the Lord. If we listen to the Holy Spirit, He will teach us. If we don’t listen, He won’t teach us.

“Who is the man who desires love, who desires life, and loves many days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking God.” The first mark of the person who receives the fear of the Lord is found in his speech. The way we use our tongues and our lips. Does our speech reverence the One who is in us listening? Does it represent the fear of the Lord as we criticize anyone? Are we slow to speak and quick to listen? Or are you arrogant, self-pleasing, angry, irritated, impatient, unwilling to receive correction? 

The book of wisdom records God speaking to people who rejected His counsel. If you search the scriptures, you are warned. Proverbs 1:25 “Because you disdained all MY counsel and would have none of MY reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your terror comes. 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.” Why? Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. You have to choose the fear of the Lord or God will not restrain His judgments in your life. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” We can adopt an a contemptuous attitude towards the fear of the Lord and just advertise our own foolishness. Proverbs 3:7 “Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil.” So, you cannot associate with evil and have the fear of the Lord. It is a choice to depart from evil. We are not to trust in our own wisdom. If you have self-confidence and arrogance in your life, think you have all the answers, you have no place for the fear of the Lord.

“Depart from evil.” We cannot combine evil and the fear of the Lord. We have to make a choice. Which are we going to make room for in our lives? Job 28, God said, “Behold, the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.” True wisdom is inseparable from the fear of the Lord. Humans have an idea of wisdom as something intellectual, cleverness. Wisdom is not cleverness, because cleverness can be compatible with evil, but the fear of the Lord is incompatible with evil. Psalm 25:12. “Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way he chooses.”  God doesn’t teach everybody. And the Father doesn’t choose His students on the basis of examinations. He chooses His students on the basis of character. He does not commit Himself to teach those who have no fear of the Lord. You can go to a Bible school, you can go to the best training center, but without the fear of the Lord, you’re not a pupil of God. You can be a pupil of world scholars and teachers, but not of the Lord. Be careful.

Psalm 14:25. “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him.” Isn’t that marvelous? That if you fear the Lord, He will share His secrets with you. Nobody shares secrets with an enemy. If you share your secrets with somebody, that’s a person who is intimate with you. It’s a person whom you trust. One of the most critical truths of the Bible is the truth of covenant. In fact, the whole Bible revolves around covenant.  Covenant is the theme of scripture. “The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.” Proverbs 14:26 “In the fear of the Lord, there is strong confidence.” Reverencing God Does not make you timid or weak. It gives you strength. When you choose to fear of the Lord, you don’t have to fear anything else. It’s the remedy for all other ungodly forms of fear.

Proverbs 19: 23 “The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will abide in satisfaction. He will not be visited with evil.”   Proverbs 22:4 “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.”  The fear of the Lord does not mix with any pride. The awe of God is a remedy for all pride.  “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.” The carnal mind stammers over this truth. How can you have fear and be rejoicing? By the Holy Spirit giving understanding, the two go sweetly together.  Acts 9:31 “Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified or built up, and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.”  The carnal mind can’t understand that. How can they go together? They were supernaturally edified, and they multiplied. The key to church growth is the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. God says, “Submitting to one another in the fear of God.” So all Christians should have a submissive attitude to all other Christians.

1 Peter 1:15 “But as He is who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. Because it is written, be holy for I am holy. And if you call on the Father who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear. Whom is it written to? The People redeemed by the blood of Jesus. What did it say? Conduct the time of your sojourning here in fear. Why? Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spot. That very fact that God paid our redemption with the blood of Jesus, the most precious thing in the universe, is a reason why we should always walk in fear. Fear that we somehow betray our redeemer. Fear that somehow we lower the price of our redemption to something cheap and insignificant.

The “fear of the Lord” – is a reverent awe and submission to God. It is not a fearful terror, but a deep respect that leads to wisdom, obedience, and spiritual growth.

– The fear of the Lord is an essential quality that should mark the life of every believer. It is not temporary, but endures forever.

– Jesus himself was anointed with the “spirit of the fear of the Lord”, showing its importance. Jesus delighted in this, so we should too.

– The fear of the Lord is incompatible with evil or pride. It leads to life, joy, satisfaction, and protection from harm.

– The fear of the Lord should impact our speech, attitudes, and willingness to receive God’s correction. It is a mark of true wisdom.

– Those who fear the Lord will be taught by Him and given access to His secrets. Our intimate relationship is the foundation for spiritual growth. George Whitefield is an example of how God responds to our desire to know God intimately.

The fear of the Lord is a necessary spiritual quality that brings great blessing and should be actively pursued by believers. It is a key to unlocking God’s wisdom and favor.

George Whitefield