“...Let the fear of the Lord be upon you” (2 Chronicles 19:7)
“Then he [Jehoshaphat] set judges in the land throughout all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, 'Take heed to what you are doing, for you do not judge for man but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment. Now therefore, let the fear of the Lord be upon you; take care and do it, for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, no partiality, nor taking of bribes.' (2 Chronicles 19:5-7)
“I want to serve You my God, I want to give You everything” sings in the background.
My bible commentary notes, “When Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, he assumed a trust. Like all kings, he was to lead the people, protect the people, and manage the resources of the nation.” [1]
Seeing his duties as a trust that God gave Him and held him accountable for, he carried a sense of responsibility to God. Responsibility is, “the ability to meet obligations; the act of being accountable; a duty of trust.” And responsibility is the “ability to make and keep commitments.” [2]
His sense of responsibility to what was entrusted to him came from a fear of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 17:3-4 says, “Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel....And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah”
Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.”
Fear of the Lord, as noted by Robert B. Strimple, is more than simple fear. It is the “convergence of awe, reverence, adoration, honor, worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and, yes, fear."[3] Because we fear the Lord, we desire to respect Him in our actions. This fear results in hating and putting away evil. Instead, we seek God's wisdom, desiring to be responsible for all that he entrusts us with.
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Solomon is another example of someone who feared the Lord and desired to be responsible for the kingdom that God had entrusted him with. God asked him what he wanted in a dream and Solomon responded, “Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?”
God was very pleased with Solomon's response and granted him wisdom and knowledge as he requested and also those things that he did not seek after, wealth and honor, “such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”
The fear of the Lord is central to our walk with God. Without the 'fear of the Lord' that results in our having knowledge of God, we would perish in our sins. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
And in Proverbs 1:28-31 God says, “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.”
Knowledge used in Hosea 4:6 and in Proverbs 1:7, and 1:28 is the Hebrew word daʿat. It means to discern and understand. It is used in Genesis 2:9 with the 'tree of knowledge of good and evil.” And in Isaiah 11:2, “The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
The fear of the Lord was a core characteristic of the Spirit resting on Jesus. Isaiah 11:1-5 says,
The Psalmist says in Psalm 89:7, “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reference by all those around Him. O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O Lord?
The Wikipedia notes that it is the Holy Spirit that gives us the fear of the Lord as a gift. It notes that the “Catholic Encyclopedia explains that this gift 'fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread, above all things, to offend Him.'”[4]
This fear of the Lord helps us to work out our salvation. Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
The fear of the Lord and belief in Him are tied closely together. Hebrews 4:1-2,11 says,
holiness in the fear of God." (2Co 7:1)”[5]
The fear of the Lord is something we can choose to enter into and act out of. In 2 Chronicles 19:9-11, Jehoshaphat commanded the Levites, priests and chief fathers he appointed to judge Judah to act in the fear of the Lord. He told them, “Thus you shall act in the fear of the Lord, faithfully and with a loyal heart: Whatever case comes to you from your brethren who dwell in their cities, whether of bloodshed or offenses against the law or commandment, against statutes or ordinance, you shall warn them, lest they trespass against the Lord and wrath come upon you and your brethren. Do this, and you will not be guilty.”
And Joshua commanded the Israelites to fear the Lord in Joshua 24:14. He said to the people, “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!”
Jonah finally went to Nineveh and called the people to repent, telling them that otherwise their city would by overthrown in forty days. Jonah 3:10 says, “Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.”
Revivals and a spiritual awakening are often accompanied by the fear of the Lord. John 16:8-9 says, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me." [8]
In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit poured out on the awaiting hearts and people were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Then as people stood back in wonder and amazement, Peter shared the gospel with them and told them, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36) And upon hearing this, “they were cut to the heart” and repented, being baptized in the name of Jesus. About 3000 came to know Christ that day. (Acts 2:37, 41)
One article notes that the fear of the Lord is the distinguishing characteristic between real and counterfeit revivals. This article notes about a revival in Lewis, “ As Rev. Campbell put it, The second main feature [of the revival in Lewis] has been deep conviction of sin - at times leading almost to despair. I have known occasions when it was necessary to stop preaching because of the distress manifested by the anxious, and many would find expression for the feeling in their hearts and the burden of their guilty conscience, in the words of John Newton:
And in Revelation 6:15-17 it says about the very end times, “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hid us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
“Who shall gaze upon you and not tremble? The nations will come and they will worship before You... Come oh Spirit of burning” sings in the background.
One article notes that in Exodus 20, “immediately after receiving the Ten Commandments, the Israelites were terrified by the thunder, lightning, and smoke that signaled God’s presence. In response, Moses told them, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (verse 20).”
This article writes, “God didn’t come simply to terrify them. He wasn’t trying to get an emotional response just to prove His power. But He did want the people to fear Him for their own sake. He wanted to give them a glimmer of the One with whom they had made promises of loyalty. God intended for this revelation of who He was to affect them so deeply that they would take His instructions seriously, even when disobedience felt better. Author and theologian Craig Blaising described the balance for all of God’s children: 'God has not come maliciously, but neither has He come permissively; and in between the two is grace.'” [10]
Looking to Jesus, we are not left standing in our sins, but in grace. In Christ we have found mercy. Proverbs 10:12 says that love covers all sins. It is standing in the love of Christ, knowing we are His masterpiece[a] that we can face our sin in a way that bears fruit in our lives.
David, when he had revelation of God's love for him in Psalm 139, declared, “Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” Then he turned and cried out, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Another article writes, “This present revival and awakening involves the fear of the LORD, the power of His awesome presence, and the resulting persecution against the saints... The wicked... do not enjoy the increasing presence of God and the fear of the LORD (Yahweh) which is increasing the conviction of their wicked ways. [11]
As noted in this article, people do not always respond in repentance to the increased presence of God and fear of the Lord that increases the conviction of their sin.[12] An example is Acts 7:54-58 where Stephen was accused of blasphemy and addressed council, convicting them of their sin. It says: “When they [the council] heard these things they were cut to the heart.” But instead of repenting, they “gnashed at him with their teeth... But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, 'Look! I see the heavens opened and the son of Man standing at the right had of God!' Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.”
So what can I learn from this?
When we fear the Lord over fearing man, we will be willing to speak up and act righteously, even when it costs us the approval of man. We will refuse to 'take bribes' or give partiality to someone because we like them or they are especially nice to us. We will not allow favors by someone or favoritism of them to dictate our actions.
Instead we will stand strong in the will of the Lord, trusting Him to deliver us in our time of need. And even if he doesn't, we will say like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
Removing the high places and wooden images from Judah was probably a very politically unwise thing for Jehoshaphat to do when he just had stepped into his role as king. He risked the approval of the people. If he feared man over God, he may have not had the courage to do what needed to be done.
When Gideon tore down the altar of Baal of his father and cut down the pole beside it, people were not happy with him and they wanted to kill him. But then they agreed to let Baal deal with him for destroying his altar. (Judges 6:25-32)
When we fear the Lord, our sense of responsibility will be to those things that we have been entrusted with by God rather than to the approval of man. Whatever situations come our way in the day, we will warn people when they trespass against the Lord so that they have an opportunity to repent and so that we will not bear the guilt of their sin for failing to speak up.
Jehoshaphat told the judges he was charging to fear the Lord, “Behave courageously, and the Lord will be with the good” (2 Chronicles 19:11). When we fear the Lord, we will speak up when we need to. We will also manage the resources we have been entrusted with wisdom and a strong sense of accountability.
Additionally, we will protect those we have been called to lead. We establish systems and structures that give them a sense of stability and order. We will plan ahead and look out for their best.
Sometimes I have thought of 'protecting' my people as making excuses for them or not letting them pay consequences for actions. However, just as with the judges, sometimes we need to speak up and warn people when they are off course from what is expected. Then if they continue to go down that path, we need to let them experience the consequences for their actions rather than bail them out.
While people grow best in environments of grace, they also need discipline, order and structure to grow. They need to be held to a high (but realistically achievable) standard of performance. Part of empowering people is sharing with them not only the responsibility, giving people freedom in how they accomplish their goals, providing assistance with barriers and obstacles, but also holding them accountable to standards of performance and accomplishments.
Sometimes where I struggle is with taking too much responsibility. With resources how this plays out is a feeling too much the sense of ownership. Being in finance, I have a voice, but most frequently am not the final decision maker on how resources are spent. However, I feel accountable for them to be stewarded well because I have been entrusted to oversee them. As a result, I often carry a heavy weight of responsibility.
At the same time, I have no direct power over spending. I can only report information as I see it and give advice, hoping to have influence with the key decision makers to steward wisely. I need to make certain I am speaking up where I need to courageously. At the same time, I need to learn to let go of the heavy weight of responsibility of what I do not have control over -the final decisions and outcomes.
With staff how taking too much responsibility plays out for me is in holding my staff accountable to the same high standards I hold myself to. My staff are, for the most part, very high performers. They consistently produce very good results. In some cases, exceptional results. However, where I struggle is that I will too often take the responsibility back onto myself when they fail to come through as I expected rather than going back to them and holding them accountable -helping them to be truly successful.
One book notes about those who have a strong sense of responsibility. “You naturally take ownership of every project you are involved in. Make sure that your capacity to own does not keep you from sharing responsibility. Allow others the opportunity to experience the challenges of ownership. In doing so, you will contribute to their growth and development.” [10]
Another thing I can learn is that the fear of the Lord does not always result in the same reaction by everyone. When the fear of the Lord is experienced where someone does not at the same time know God's thoughts towards them are more then the sands of the seashore (Psalm 139), they can react very negatively in the moment. If it is sin they are reacting to in their lives, they could repent, they could run and hide in shame and condemnation, or they could throw stones.
Often, when people react negatively, I assume it is because what I said or did must have been wrong. Because of this, I often try to control reactions by what I say or can fail to say what I need to for fear of a negative reaction. This is not love but a desire to control. It has a twist of manipulation to it. When I speak the truth in love and people respond negatively, what I said may be exactly what they needed to hear. I need to have courage to speak up and then stand back and leave room for God to work in other's hearts and trust He knows best.
“He who testifies says 'Surely I am coming'... 'I am coming quickly'” sings in the background.
I had a dream some weeks ago that someone came over to my house that I had known or seen before. He was a messenger that was sent by God and had news for me. When he came and announced the message he had for me, the wrath of the enemy came powerfully at the same time because he knew his time was short. Everything went flying around the room and this heavy tv came flying towards me. I prayed and it came crashing to the ground. I was not at all harmed but needed to let all the stuff in my room go. In my heart I wanted to salvage what I could of what I considered 'mine' but everything was a wreck. The news the man came with was that Jesus was returning. I knew this in my heart but this made it 'official.' Just before I woke up, I looked at the clock and it read 3:33. When I awoke, my clock read 5:55.
Then a few weeks later, on January 28th, Matt Gilman came to town from the Kansas City International House of Prayer for a two day worship event called “Awakening.” I looked at the clock and it read “3:33.” I felt that what God was speaking to my heart was that Matt Gilman was the messenger from my dream -someone I knew that was coming to my house. I went to his worship service that night. He gave a message that God had spoken to him that the Twin Cities was a key region for spiritual awakening / revival but that the Lord's bride needed to awaken out of her sleep and seek God wholeheartedly -turning from sin and asking Him to pour out His Spirit in this region.
Matt Gilman mentioned 2 Chronicles 7:14, "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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." And he noted that this scripture noted 'IF my people willl.... THEN I will...'
Then the next day, on January 29th, when I looked at the clock, it again read exactly '3:33' [the clock was not broke and I had looked at the clock very infrequently on these days with no expectation or idea of what time it was]. That night I went to hear what Matt Gilman had to say again during his second night of the 'Awakening' worship service. That night he mentioned that he believed Jesus would be returning and that some of us alive today would see it. I knew this in my heart for some time but his confirmed for me the word in my dream and made it 'official.'
Then again on January 31st, as Misty Edwards sang in the background “Return Son of David” I looked down at my clock and it read exactly 3:33.
Added 3/3/11: What I felt God speaking to me yesterday was that the huge TV represented for me something that was a big part of my life in the past. -it was my fear of disaster. On Sunday I had friends pray with me around the incredible amount of fear of disaster I was having and it came crashing to the ground over the next few days. The large round table in my dream was my sense of over-responsibility. I could no longer carry the heavy weight of responsiblity related to what was going on in my own strength and it came crashing to the ground and I had to let it go. I kept wanting to pick it back up again. As I processed the dream last night with some friends (one of my pastors and her husband), one of them mentioned that what may have been being wrecked is my comfortable order and my way of keeping things. He suggested that perhaps these were being cleared out so there would be room for a dance floor. This really resonated with me.
As a side note, the 'dance floor' comment has to do with another comment that I had made to them about a prayer some time ago. I was sitting in a room praying that had all these pictures of fathers on the wall. As I was talking with my Father, I felt He spoke to me that He had saved the very last dance for me. Then there was this song about a father and daughter having this one last dance before the father gave his daughter away to her groom. When I heard this song, I asked God with all my heart for this Father / daughter dance with me. What I felt that God was speaking to me through the dream was that He was tapping me on the shoulder and giving me no doubt of the time because He was inviting me into this dance with Him :-)
Lord, You are coming! Through such incredible confirmations, You have left me without any possible doubt. I will get to see it with my very own eyes. We long to be ready – a bride prepared and waiting for the great day of the joy of Your heart. Would you prepare us? Send your Spirit to convict of us of our sin. And at the same time, cover us with Your love and mercy.
We deeply desire along with You that none should perish in their sin. Would You have mercy on us and pour out Your Spirit on this region. Would You send Your Spirit in the fear of the Lord. Would You come and turn hearts to repentance that they may have everlasting life.
a. I am referring to a recent message one of my pastors, Steve Wiens, gave last week called 'Masterpiece.' Located at: http://www.thedoor.org/ under 'Recent Messages.' January 30, 2010.
1, 2. Maxwell, John. The Maxwell Leadership Bible, Second Edition. NKJV. Lessons in Leadership from the Word of God. Thomas Nelson. Nashville, Tennessee. 2007.
3, 4. Wikipedia on Fear of the Lord. Located at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_the_Lord
5. Copeland, Mark A. "Walking in the Fear of The Lord" Located at: http://executableoutlines.com/text/ac9_31.htm Last Accessed 1/31/11.
6, 7, 10. Center for Christian Leadership: Located at: http://bible.org/seriespage/session-7-fear-lord Last Accessed: 1/31/11.
8, 9. Hymers, Dr. R. L., Jr. The Last Great Regional Revival in the Western World. A message published by the Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles. June 29, 2003. Located at: http://www.rlhymersjr.com/Articles/062903LastGreatRegionalRevival.html Last Accessed: 1/31/11.
11. Baptism in Fire. Located at: http://awakening1s.net/articles1/fire.htm Last Accessed: 1/31/11.
12. Rath, Tom. Strengths Finder 2.0. Gallup Press. New York. NY. 2007.
“I want to serve You my God, I want to give You everything” sings in the background.
My bible commentary notes, “When Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, he assumed a trust. Like all kings, he was to lead the people, protect the people, and manage the resources of the nation.” [1]
Seeing his duties as a trust that God gave Him and held him accountable for, he carried a sense of responsibility to God. Responsibility is, “the ability to meet obligations; the act of being accountable; a duty of trust.” And responsibility is the “ability to make and keep commitments.” [2]
His sense of responsibility to what was entrusted to him came from a fear of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 17:3-4 says, “Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of his father David; he did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not according to the acts of Israel....And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord; moreover he removed the high places and wooden images from Judah”
Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.”
Fear of the Lord, as noted by Robert B. Strimple, is more than simple fear. It is the “convergence of awe, reverence, adoration, honor, worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and, yes, fear."[3] Because we fear the Lord, we desire to respect Him in our actions. This fear results in hating and putting away evil. Instead, we seek God's wisdom, desiring to be responsible for all that he entrusts us with.
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Solomon is another example of someone who feared the Lord and desired to be responsible for the kingdom that God had entrusted him with. God asked him what he wanted in a dream and Solomon responded, “Now, O Lord God, let Your promise to David my father be established, for You have made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?”
God was very pleased with Solomon's response and granted him wisdom and knowledge as he requested and also those things that he did not seek after, wealth and honor, “such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.”
The fear of the Lord is central to our walk with God. Without the 'fear of the Lord' that results in our having knowledge of God, we would perish in our sins. Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
And in Proverbs 1:28-31 God says, “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.”
Knowledge used in Hosea 4:6 and in Proverbs 1:7, and 1:28 is the Hebrew word daʿat. It means to discern and understand. It is used in Genesis 2:9 with the 'tree of knowledge of good and evil.” And in Isaiah 11:2, “The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
The fear of the Lord was a core characteristic of the Spirit resting on Jesus. Isaiah 11:1-5 says,
“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 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.”“The beauty of Your majesty awakes my heart to sing. How marvelous, how wonderful You are!”
The Psalmist says in Psalm 89:7, “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reference by all those around Him. O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O Lord?
The Wikipedia notes that it is the Holy Spirit that gives us the fear of the Lord as a gift. It notes that the “Catholic Encyclopedia explains that this gift 'fills us with a sovereign respect for God, and makes us dread, above all things, to offend Him.'”[4]
This fear of the Lord helps us to work out our salvation. Paul says in Philippians 2:12-13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
The fear of the Lord and belief in Him are tied closely together. Hebrews 4:1-2,11 says,
“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it...Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.”One article notes about these verses, “With the proper 'fear of the Lord', we will 'work out our salvation', we will 'labour...to enter into that [heavenly] rest'! "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God." (2Co 7:1)”[5]
The fear of the Lord is something we can choose to enter into and act out of. In 2 Chronicles 19:9-11, Jehoshaphat commanded the Levites, priests and chief fathers he appointed to judge Judah to act in the fear of the Lord. He told them, “Thus you shall act in the fear of the Lord, faithfully and with a loyal heart: Whatever case comes to you from your brethren who dwell in their cities, whether of bloodshed or offenses against the law or commandment, against statutes or ordinance, you shall warn them, lest they trespass against the Lord and wrath come upon you and your brethren. Do this, and you will not be guilty.”
And Joshua commanded the Israelites to fear the Lord in Joshua 24:14. He said to the people, “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!”
The fear of the Lord makes us more Christlike. One article notes that the fear of the Lord is “an inward attitude of humble reverence toward God, in light of His self-revelation, that results in outward expression of Christlikeness.
According to this definition, this article notes, “the fear of the Lord involves two parts. The first is the inward attitude. This attitude is humble because as the Lord reveals His character, His majesty, His power and holiness, we are humbled before Him. We realize that God alone is worthy of our devotion and reverence (see Job 38–41; Psalm 33:8; Hebrews 12:28-29). The second part is the outward obedience, which flows from this inward humility. God reveals Himself to us so we will obey Him (see Deuteronomy 6:2-13). The two parts are linked.”[6]
We can also cultivate the fear of the Lord in our lives. One article suggests three ways to cultivate the fear of the Lord:
- Immerse ourselves in God's Word, growing in knowledge and revelation of how magnificent He is.
- Pray to God and ask Him to unite our hearts in fear of His name (Psalm 86:11).
- And, living in the reality of God's presence. [I would also add His love for us]. [7]
There are occasions in the Bible where the fear of the Lord came on non-believers as well. Sometimes when the land is filled with righteousness as the people set their hearts to seek the Lord, the result is that all the people in the land fear the Lord.
Revelation 15:4 says, “Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed."
In 2 Chronicles 17:10-11, as Jehoshaphat sent leaders, Levites, and priests to teach the people the law throughout all the cities of Judah, its says, “the fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. Also some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver as tribute, and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred male goats.”
Another example is Acts 2:42-43. It says, “and they [those who came to know Christ] continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.”
Sometimes tragic circumstances, disaster and difficulty can cause non-believers to fear the Lord. A more recent example of this is 911. After the disaster, church attendance increased significantly for a period of time as people sought God to bring them some sort of comfort, peace or consolation in the tremendous loss of lives.
Isaiah praises God in Psalm 25:1-3 and says,
“O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. For You have made a city a ruin, a fortified city a ruin, a palace of foreigners to be a city no more; It will never be rebuilt. Therefore the strong people will glorify You; The city of the terrible nations will fear You.”However, what God desires is not tragedy or destruction that results from a great amount of sin such as with Sodom and Gomorrah, but that his people would repent and turn to Him. An example is Nineveh. God to Jonah, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” (Jonah 1:2)
Jonah finally went to Nineveh and called the people to repent, telling them that otherwise their city would by overthrown in forty days. Jonah 3:10 says, “Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.”
Revivals and a spiritual awakening are often accompanied by the fear of the Lord. John 16:8-9 says, “And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me." [8]
In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit poured out on the awaiting hearts and people were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Then as people stood back in wonder and amazement, Peter shared the gospel with them and told them, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36) And upon hearing this, “they were cut to the heart” and repented, being baptized in the name of Jesus. About 3000 came to know Christ that day. (Acts 2:37, 41)
One article notes that the fear of the Lord is the distinguishing characteristic between real and counterfeit revivals. This article notes about a revival in Lewis, “ As Rev. Campbell put it, The second main feature [of the revival in Lewis] has been deep conviction of sin - at times leading almost to despair. I have known occasions when it was necessary to stop preaching because of the distress manifested by the anxious, and many would find expression for the feeling in their hearts and the burden of their guilty conscience, in the words of John Newton:
Isaiah 2:10 says, “Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from dread of the LORD and the splendor of his majesty!”"My conscience felt and owned its guilt,
And plunged me in despair:
I saw my sins His blood had spilt
And helped to nail Him there." [9]
And in Revelation 6:15-17 it says about the very end times, “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hid us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
“Who shall gaze upon you and not tremble? The nations will come and they will worship before You... Come oh Spirit of burning” sings in the background.
One article notes that in Exodus 20, “immediately after receiving the Ten Commandments, the Israelites were terrified by the thunder, lightning, and smoke that signaled God’s presence. In response, Moses told them, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (verse 20).”
This article writes, “God didn’t come simply to terrify them. He wasn’t trying to get an emotional response just to prove His power. But He did want the people to fear Him for their own sake. He wanted to give them a glimmer of the One with whom they had made promises of loyalty. God intended for this revelation of who He was to affect them so deeply that they would take His instructions seriously, even when disobedience felt better. Author and theologian Craig Blaising described the balance for all of God’s children: 'God has not come maliciously, but neither has He come permissively; and in between the two is grace.'” [10]
Looking to Jesus, we are not left standing in our sins, but in grace. In Christ we have found mercy. Proverbs 10:12 says that love covers all sins. It is standing in the love of Christ, knowing we are His masterpiece[a] that we can face our sin in a way that bears fruit in our lives.
David, when he had revelation of God's love for him in Psalm 139, declared, “Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” Then he turned and cried out, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Another article writes, “This present revival and awakening involves the fear of the LORD, the power of His awesome presence, and the resulting persecution against the saints... The wicked... do not enjoy the increasing presence of God and the fear of the LORD (Yahweh) which is increasing the conviction of their wicked ways. [11]
As noted in this article, people do not always respond in repentance to the increased presence of God and fear of the Lord that increases the conviction of their sin.[12] An example is Acts 7:54-58 where Stephen was accused of blasphemy and addressed council, convicting them of their sin. It says: “When they [the council] heard these things they were cut to the heart.” But instead of repenting, they “gnashed at him with their teeth... But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, 'Look! I see the heavens opened and the son of Man standing at the right had of God!' Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.”
So what can I learn from this?
When we fear the Lord over fearing man, we will be willing to speak up and act righteously, even when it costs us the approval of man. We will refuse to 'take bribes' or give partiality to someone because we like them or they are especially nice to us. We will not allow favors by someone or favoritism of them to dictate our actions.
Instead we will stand strong in the will of the Lord, trusting Him to deliver us in our time of need. And even if he doesn't, we will say like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, “our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
Removing the high places and wooden images from Judah was probably a very politically unwise thing for Jehoshaphat to do when he just had stepped into his role as king. He risked the approval of the people. If he feared man over God, he may have not had the courage to do what needed to be done.
When Gideon tore down the altar of Baal of his father and cut down the pole beside it, people were not happy with him and they wanted to kill him. But then they agreed to let Baal deal with him for destroying his altar. (Judges 6:25-32)
When we fear the Lord, our sense of responsibility will be to those things that we have been entrusted with by God rather than to the approval of man. Whatever situations come our way in the day, we will warn people when they trespass against the Lord so that they have an opportunity to repent and so that we will not bear the guilt of their sin for failing to speak up.
Jehoshaphat told the judges he was charging to fear the Lord, “Behave courageously, and the Lord will be with the good” (2 Chronicles 19:11). When we fear the Lord, we will speak up when we need to. We will also manage the resources we have been entrusted with wisdom and a strong sense of accountability.
Additionally, we will protect those we have been called to lead. We establish systems and structures that give them a sense of stability and order. We will plan ahead and look out for their best.
Sometimes I have thought of 'protecting' my people as making excuses for them or not letting them pay consequences for actions. However, just as with the judges, sometimes we need to speak up and warn people when they are off course from what is expected. Then if they continue to go down that path, we need to let them experience the consequences for their actions rather than bail them out.
While people grow best in environments of grace, they also need discipline, order and structure to grow. They need to be held to a high (but realistically achievable) standard of performance. Part of empowering people is sharing with them not only the responsibility, giving people freedom in how they accomplish their goals, providing assistance with barriers and obstacles, but also holding them accountable to standards of performance and accomplishments.
Sometimes where I struggle is with taking too much responsibility. With resources how this plays out is a feeling too much the sense of ownership. Being in finance, I have a voice, but most frequently am not the final decision maker on how resources are spent. However, I feel accountable for them to be stewarded well because I have been entrusted to oversee them. As a result, I often carry a heavy weight of responsibility.
At the same time, I have no direct power over spending. I can only report information as I see it and give advice, hoping to have influence with the key decision makers to steward wisely. I need to make certain I am speaking up where I need to courageously. At the same time, I need to learn to let go of the heavy weight of responsibility of what I do not have control over -the final decisions and outcomes.
With staff how taking too much responsibility plays out for me is in holding my staff accountable to the same high standards I hold myself to. My staff are, for the most part, very high performers. They consistently produce very good results. In some cases, exceptional results. However, where I struggle is that I will too often take the responsibility back onto myself when they fail to come through as I expected rather than going back to them and holding them accountable -helping them to be truly successful.
One book notes about those who have a strong sense of responsibility. “You naturally take ownership of every project you are involved in. Make sure that your capacity to own does not keep you from sharing responsibility. Allow others the opportunity to experience the challenges of ownership. In doing so, you will contribute to their growth and development.” [10]
Another thing I can learn is that the fear of the Lord does not always result in the same reaction by everyone. When the fear of the Lord is experienced where someone does not at the same time know God's thoughts towards them are more then the sands of the seashore (Psalm 139), they can react very negatively in the moment. If it is sin they are reacting to in their lives, they could repent, they could run and hide in shame and condemnation, or they could throw stones.
Often, when people react negatively, I assume it is because what I said or did must have been wrong. Because of this, I often try to control reactions by what I say or can fail to say what I need to for fear of a negative reaction. This is not love but a desire to control. It has a twist of manipulation to it. When I speak the truth in love and people respond negatively, what I said may be exactly what they needed to hear. I need to have courage to speak up and then stand back and leave room for God to work in other's hearts and trust He knows best.
“He who testifies says 'Surely I am coming'... 'I am coming quickly'” sings in the background.
I had a dream some weeks ago that someone came over to my house that I had known or seen before. He was a messenger that was sent by God and had news for me. When he came and announced the message he had for me, the wrath of the enemy came powerfully at the same time because he knew his time was short. Everything went flying around the room and this heavy tv came flying towards me. I prayed and it came crashing to the ground. I was not at all harmed but needed to let all the stuff in my room go. In my heart I wanted to salvage what I could of what I considered 'mine' but everything was a wreck. The news the man came with was that Jesus was returning. I knew this in my heart but this made it 'official.' Just before I woke up, I looked at the clock and it read 3:33. When I awoke, my clock read 5:55.
Then a few weeks later, on January 28th, Matt Gilman came to town from the Kansas City International House of Prayer for a two day worship event called “Awakening.” I looked at the clock and it read “3:33.” I felt that what God was speaking to my heart was that Matt Gilman was the messenger from my dream -someone I knew that was coming to my house. I went to his worship service that night. He gave a message that God had spoken to him that the Twin Cities was a key region for spiritual awakening / revival but that the Lord's bride needed to awaken out of her sleep and seek God wholeheartedly -turning from sin and asking Him to pour out His Spirit in this region.
Matt Gilman mentioned 2 Chronicles 7:14, "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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." And he noted that this scripture noted 'IF my people willl.... THEN I will...'
Then the next day, on January 29th, when I looked at the clock, it again read exactly '3:33' [the clock was not broke and I had looked at the clock very infrequently on these days with no expectation or idea of what time it was]. That night I went to hear what Matt Gilman had to say again during his second night of the 'Awakening' worship service. That night he mentioned that he believed Jesus would be returning and that some of us alive today would see it. I knew this in my heart for some time but his confirmed for me the word in my dream and made it 'official.'
Then again on January 31st, as Misty Edwards sang in the background “Return Son of David” I looked down at my clock and it read exactly 3:33.
Added 3/3/11: What I felt God speaking to me yesterday was that the huge TV represented for me something that was a big part of my life in the past. -it was my fear of disaster. On Sunday I had friends pray with me around the incredible amount of fear of disaster I was having and it came crashing to the ground over the next few days. The large round table in my dream was my sense of over-responsibility. I could no longer carry the heavy weight of responsiblity related to what was going on in my own strength and it came crashing to the ground and I had to let it go. I kept wanting to pick it back up again. As I processed the dream last night with some friends (one of my pastors and her husband), one of them mentioned that what may have been being wrecked is my comfortable order and my way of keeping things. He suggested that perhaps these were being cleared out so there would be room for a dance floor. This really resonated with me.
As a side note, the 'dance floor' comment has to do with another comment that I had made to them about a prayer some time ago. I was sitting in a room praying that had all these pictures of fathers on the wall. As I was talking with my Father, I felt He spoke to me that He had saved the very last dance for me. Then there was this song about a father and daughter having this one last dance before the father gave his daughter away to her groom. When I heard this song, I asked God with all my heart for this Father / daughter dance with me. What I felt that God was speaking to me through the dream was that He was tapping me on the shoulder and giving me no doubt of the time because He was inviting me into this dance with Him :-)
Lord, You are coming! Through such incredible confirmations, You have left me without any possible doubt. I will get to see it with my very own eyes. We long to be ready – a bride prepared and waiting for the great day of the joy of Your heart. Would you prepare us? Send your Spirit to convict of us of our sin. And at the same time, cover us with Your love and mercy.
We deeply desire along with You that none should perish in their sin. Would You have mercy on us and pour out Your Spirit on this region. Would You send Your Spirit in the fear of the Lord. Would You come and turn hearts to repentance that they may have everlasting life.
a. I am referring to a recent message one of my pastors, Steve Wiens, gave last week called 'Masterpiece.' Located at: http://www.thedoor.org/ under 'Recent Messages.' January 30, 2010.
1, 2. Maxwell, John. The Maxwell Leadership Bible, Second Edition. NKJV. Lessons in Leadership from the Word of God. Thomas Nelson. Nashville, Tennessee. 2007.
3, 4. Wikipedia on Fear of the Lord. Located at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_the_Lord
5. Copeland, Mark A. "Walking in the Fear of The Lord" Located at: http://executableoutlines.com/text/ac9_31.htm Last Accessed 1/31/11.
6, 7, 10. Center for Christian Leadership: Located at: http://bible.org/seriespage/session-7-fear-lord Last Accessed: 1/31/11.
8, 9. Hymers, Dr. R. L., Jr. The Last Great Regional Revival in the Western World. A message published by the Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles. June 29, 2003. Located at: http://www.rlhymersjr.com/Articles/062903LastGreatRegionalRevival.html Last Accessed: 1/31/11.
11. Baptism in Fire. Located at: http://awakening1s.net/articles1/fire.htm Last Accessed: 1/31/11.
12. Rath, Tom. Strengths Finder 2.0. Gallup Press. New York. NY. 2007.
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