Fear Of God

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. [Proverbs 1.7]

What does it mean to fear God?

There seems to be two separate camps of thought on this question. I have heard many say that the fear of God is really all about respect. Others, like myself, have leaned more toward the idea that fear means to be afraid. Which is right? Are both right? Is one of them just flat wrong?

I used to be afraid of storms. The reason I was afraid was because, from an early age growing up in Eastern Oklahoma, there was at least some reason to fear tornados. I know what it is like to be gathered up and hurried off to the storm cellar until a bad cloud passed. As a child, the onset and arrival of such a storm was terrifying. I was terrified of death and loss. I feared storms.

Likewise, I feared my dad. Being the middle of three rowdy boys growing up in the country, my brothers and I had a certain knack for doing what we were told not to do. We were particularly adept at creating messes or destroying things when we knew not to. We had the common sense of a litter of energetic pups. And, there were fights... Back in the early days, Mom was a homemaker and was tasked with controlling the chaos particularly on long summer days. Although Mom could make a sailor blush with her words when we'd gotten on her last nerve, the very worst thing that could possibly come out of her mouth was the dreaded phrase, "I'm telling your Dad when he gets home!" Although we never feared for our lives, we certainly knew our backsides would suffer much pain. I feared my Dad.

To say these fears did not affect my opinion of what it means to fear God would be ridiculous.

As an adult, I have learned what it means to respect. Actually, as I think of it, my respect for others was very much shaped by my fear of my Dad's punishment when I was a child. My partners-in-crime-brothers and I learned early on to be polite and respectful around other people - if we weren't, and Dad found out, there was a familiar belt by his nightstand for just such an occasion. I think the respect we learned from this, although it did not prevent us from getting in trouble all the time, did keep us out of prison!

What does this all mean? Well, for me, respect is tied to fear. I know most independent people today refuse to acknowledge that fear has any ties to respect, but it does for me. Or, should I say, it did for me? I respect people today because I understand their accomplishments or position or character... which brings up an important point! I understand the character of a rattlesnake and so the fear of its bite is sufficient reason to avoid it! So, based on character, respect can mean different things! My respect for a rocket-scientist and my respect for a rattlesnake are totally different...

So what about God? Good question! Job's encounter with God became a frightening destructive thing - why? Because Job did not really respect God and he got severely rebuked for it. But then God's character as All-powerful Creator garners an altogether different respect of awe.

So, what does it mean to fear God? It all depends upon... well, let's see what the Bible says about God...

To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. [Psalm 18.26]

It falls upon us to understand when we should respect God and when we should be afraid of God. Many times we respect God when we should be fearing Him and other times we are afraid of God when we should be praising Him in respect. We must understand that God is both just and loving - how we approach and respond to Him has much to do with whether we should respect or fear Him!

I will close with this: The "perfect storm" came one night in my life as a boy that I will never forget. A storm was approaching AND I had done something for which I was sent to bed (evidently it was for a crime of lesser significance because the belt was not employed). This is important. As much as I feared my Dad's punishment, I begged my Dad to spank me and let me stay up instead of going back to that bedroom. Why? Because I trusted my Dad. I wanted to be near him in the storm even if it meant suffering the pain of a spanking...

Father, I realize what I have said here is probably meaningless to anyone else. But I thank You for allowing me to process my thoughts here about fearing You. With the Psalmist, I can say, "My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees. (Psalm 119.71) May I retain a perfect fear of You - whether it is defined as 'being afraid' or as 'respecting.'