The Fear of the Lord

God has graciously given us His most precious book, the holy bible, for in it we find the wisdom of God, and in finding wisdom we begin to understand the fear of the Lord. The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 3, tells us that when wisdom enters our hearts, it delivers us from the way of evil (Proverbs 2:10 & 12), and Proverbs 2:6 declares ‘For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.’

We therefore glean that it is in the observing of His words and ways that our feet are turned away from the path of evil. However, as our minds are still in the process of transformation, in our humanity, we are often quick to veer from the path of understanding. Our flesh kicks in all too readily, and before we know it, like an errant child, we are doing things our own way.

There are many voices in life clamouring for our attention, and when we give heed to the voice of human reasoning or our own fleshly thoughts, we can easily be led astray, out of the will of God. God will not compete with other voices for our attention. The secret is in learning the fear of the Lord, for the fear of the Lord will deliver us from evil and from the fear of man, which brings a snare.

Samson was one of the few people in Israel’s history, whose birth was heralded by an angel. Divine favour was his from the womb, but in his lifetime the lack of the fear of the Lord and the constant determination to do things his way, sadly led to the departure of the Spirit of the Lord from his life, which allowed his enemies to afflict him, rob him of his sight and almost destroy him. He assumed that he could continually disobey God, live the way he wanted to live, and there would be no penalty. However, when he realised what he had forfeited, he repented, and in the goodness of God, his strength returned to him one last time.

Ruth, on the other hand, from the land of Moab, outside of the promises of Israel’s God, and in spite of the loss of her husband, clung to Naomi and declared ‘Your people will be my people, and your God, my God’ (Ruth 1:16 ). This decision catapulted her into divine favour, and in Matthew, Chapter 1, we find her name listed among those in the lineage of Christ, the Messiah.

Each day, as we incline our hearts to the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the treasures written in the holy bible, the light of the Lord will renew our mind and lead us in His ways. This will keep us on the narrow path and in the will of God, for we will learn the wisdom of God, and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Heavenly Father, help us to continually choose the wisdom and ways of God, that we might grow in the fear of the Lord and remain under the shadow of the Almighty. For under His wings we can trust, and no weapon formed against us can prosper. In Jesus’ name, Amen.