In the Old Testament, the fear of the Lord was something pleasant and wholesome, the principal source of wisdom. In the Bible, there are four general categories of fear: demonic fear, the fear of man, normal fear of danger in the physical realm, and holy fear in the spiritual realm. The fear of the Lord is the latter. The Old Testament presents the fear of the Lord as a choice and a gift imparted by the Holy Spirit. The fear of God is a choice in that it involves the decision of our will to respond to the gracious invitation of God’s Word and Spirit. As we fear the Lord, will we be delivered from slavery to all abnormal and demonic fears.
The meaning of the fear of the Lord encompasses different aspects of the believer’s relationship with God. Essential to fearing God is knowledge of His holiness, justice, and righteousness as a counterpart of His love and mercy. Godly fear is the conviction that God is a Holy God whose very nature leads to judging sin. The fear of the Lord requires a knowledge of the Holy One that regards Him with Holy awe and reverence and honors God as God because of His great glory, holiness, majesty, and power.
The real fear of the Lord causes believers to place their faith and trust in Him alone for salvation. Godly fear produces in God’s people a confident hope and trust in Him. To fear God involves recognizing that sin has severe consequences both in time and eternity. He has the power to punish those who break His righteous laws.
The fear of the Lord is the following reason for keeping them and fearing Him. We should fear him because of His authority as the creator of all things and people. The fact that God’s authority and power continue to be over the elements of creation and the human race is sufficient to cause for fearing Him. The holiness of God and his separation from and constant opposition to sin and unrighteousness should cause us to fear Him. The universal judgment of God at the end should cause us to fear Him who judges all injustice and inequity. He promises to bless and honor those who fear Him. Those who fear the Lord know that it shall be well with them that fear Him regardless of what happens in the world around them.
There are seven characteristics of the fear of the Lord and their implications for our lives. It enables us to obey God even in the most challenging times. Fearing the Lord is equivalent to delighting in His precepts. The fear of the Lord moves us to say “no” to sin and to depart from evil. Anyone content to live a life of wickedness does so because there is no fear of God before their eyes. The significant inference is that believers should teach their children by training them to hate evil and love God’s righteous commands. The ultimate goal for our children’s education is for them to live according to God’s principles of wisdom. Teaching them the fear of the Lord is a critical step.
The fear of the Lord provides the necessary perspective for God’s people to reverence, honor, and worship Him with their whole being. If we truly fear God, we will glorify Him as Lord. The fear of the Lord has a sanctifying effect on God’s people, similar to the sanctifying impact in the truth of God’s Word. The fear of God sanctifies that it causes us to discipline and restrain our tongues to be careful about what we say and how much we speak. It protects us from the defilement of our consciences and the breakdown of our moral resolve. The fear of the Lord is pure and cleansing, holy and redeeming in its effect. It causes us to serve God with a sober single-mindedness that enables us by faith to enter into God’s promises.
The fear of the Lord is assurance and unspeakable spiritual comfort for God’s people. The Holy Spirit described in the New Testament directly links the fear of the Lord in unison. On the other hand, those who live without fearing the Lord have no promise of His presence, favor, and protection. However, those who fear God and obey Him from the heart experience spiritual security in their lives and the enabling grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. The person who fears God need not fear anything else, but the person who does not fear God is vulnerable to fear everything else.