The Fear of God

introduction

Who has heard of the phrase “A healthy dose of fear”?

When was a time you experienced fear?

(looking down a waterfall or somewhere from great heights, a great storm, earthquake) Have you ever reached for something steady around you?

These moments put us in our place and humble us. We realize how frail we truly are and how small our position is in this world. During those times of fear, we gather our respect of the situation and the greatness of God’s creation.

When we read the Word of God, we encounter the Creator of all these forces of nature. The Bible speaks having a sense of fear when engaging God.

What does this mean? What does fear God mean in this context? We know what it means in normal context but should we run from Him? Attempt to hide either physically or emotionally?

As we go through this passage we will learn what it means to fear God in all His glory and hopefully it will draw us closer to Him.

We fear God when we stand in awe of Him as Creator.

Psalm 33:6–9 (CSB)

The heavens were made by the word of the Lord, and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the water of the sea into a heap; he puts the depths into storehouses. Let the whole earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spoke, and it came into being; he commanded, and it came into existence.

Try to imagine what looking at creation would have been like for ancient people. Everything was filled with wonder. Science played no part in explaining the “why” in what they saw.

Water would come down and grow the seeds that they would put in the dirt. It would grow and provide food to eat and water to drink. Snow would fall and the sun would melt it. The circle of life of the animals would be around them and at night, they would marvel at the moon and stars.

They couldn’t explain the why but relied on these things to sustain them. They would know what it would be like to go without one of these things and the consequences of that. This would expose their vulnerabilities and cause them to rely on God for sustaining daily life. They felt fragile and at risk, but with God, there was hope.

In these psalms, we are reminded of the creation story. We remember the awesome power of God and how he created everything by His words alone.

By His word, He created the universe.

The Bible references this multiple times throughout the Old and New Testament.

The Israelites knew that God is not chaotic and unpredictable. Instead, they worshiped him, according to his power, rooted in order and the use of the breath of his mouth to bring about marvelous and powerful things. This contrasted with other nations, who managed a chaotic portfolio of gods, who competed for the attention of worshipers through tales of competition and force.

Gathering water of the sea into a heap was a description of God filling the storehouses above the earth with water which would eventually rain down to feed the earth. The Israelites saw intentionality and order in the way God commanded the forces of creation to work in sync to sustain his people.

The reaction of the whole earth, as verse 8 reveals, is to fear of the lord, to stand in awe – to tremble. It is here that we come into an understanding of the reverent fear that God evokes in his creation. God is proclaimed as the king of creation.

For people of earth who worshiped all types of gods, fear was often understood as terror. In the case of the God of Israel, the sense of reverent submission and devotion was to be directed toward the true king of creation.

He spoke, and it came into being. When he declared something, it was established.

The Psalmist was declaring that God stands distinct above all others. He alone is worthy of reverent fear and respect.

And this fear was rooted in trust. For the Israelites who struggle to survive and faced all types of adversity, their God was firm, reliable, and worthy of respect. In a world of life or death consequences, God created stability.

The ancient reader of his passage was no different than we are today. Even with the technological advancements that humanity enjoys in the 21st-century, people still feel vulnerable. The world can feel chaotic and people can feel one step away from financial calamity, illness, and loss.

Life is just as vulnerable today, no matter how much people try to hedge themselves with security. The God who holds the universe together, provides the same sense of security and stability today that made life hopeful in the ancient world.

We fear God when we willingly surrender to His plans as Lord.

Psalm 33:10–15 (CSB)

The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; he thwarts the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation to generation. Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord—the people he has chosen to be his own possession! The Lord looks down from heaven; he observes everyone. He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth from his dwelling place. He forms the hearts of them all; he considers all their works.

Psalm 33:10–12 (CSB)

The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; he thwarts the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation to generation. Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord—the people he has chosen to be his own possession!

Psalm 33:10–11 highlights what was reinforced throughout the old testament. Those who oppose Yahweh ultimately failed. Throughout human history, God and his people ultimately prevail. Through Jesus, the same is true for Christians. They prevail! Nothing gets in the way of god’s purposes.

The contrast was between the plans of humanity and the plans of God. Human schemes, the council of the nations, are frail. Gods way stands forever. Notice the duration of human plans in comparison to gods plans. His plans are rooted in his heart, and are dependable from generation, to generation.

As displayed in psalm 33:10–11, God was fully in control of creation. He had a plan. He is not surprised by the actions of humanity. Feeble attempts to stop God or his plans are always thwarted.

Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord. God declared that those who embrace him are his own possession. God personally and passionately took custody of what he loved. Israel was gods inheritance! They belong to the one who holds the universe in perfect order, and God had a vested interest in taking care of what he possessed.

God essentially told Israel, “I choose you.” The relationship was tender, rooted in love, and founded on gods choice. Believers are gods chosen inheritance through Jesus (Ephesians 1:11–12).

Christians experience, the same courage, relief, and confidence as the god described in Psalm 33, because he is their Lord and sustainer.

Psalm 33:13 CSB

The Lord looks down from heaven; he observes everyone.

Fearing God, as this psalmist revealed, results and happiness. To drive home this point, verse 13 explains that God is not distant, but present. He looked down and observes everyone, not only those who acknowledge him. God is all knowing and actively aware of what is happening with all people, even if they are far from him.

Psalm 33:14 CSB

He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth from his dwelling place.

God gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth. God pays particular attention. He is interested in the details of those he loves. While God was described in cosmic terms, namely, creating the universe, he was also described in terms of knowing the intimate details of peoples lives.

This causes a moment for pause and reflection. To those who fear the Lord, god’s attentive watch is assuring. Yet, to the one who lives apart from God, a sense of his watchful presence can evoke terror. God is not distant and uninterested. Instead, he is fully engaged in every human experience. Just as Hagar described the Lord as “the one who sees me” in Genesis 16:13, in the same way and in the spirit of psalm 33, we understand that God sees each of us.

Psalm 33:15 CSB

He forms the hearts of them all; he considers all their works.

This was a reassuring message to those who fear God. What was unexpected was that fearing God results in happiness and assurance. This is because God is lovingly attentive to those who fear and love him. Additionally, as Psalm 33:15 declares, God not only watches; he also gets involved in the lives of those who trust him. He intentionally forms the hearts of them all. He forms the innermost beings of his people.

The psalmist emphasized gods identity as the creator to remind all people that God is intimately involved in the creative process of knitting together every human walking on the earth. He knows the hearts and conditions of people and considers all their works.

God knows the minds, thoughts, and intentions of all people. Nothing surprises him. He is fully aware of all human intentions, considering all the actions of humanity. This can be understood as God providing clear and accurate judgment of people, taking in all their actions in this life.

We fear God when we depend on Him as our Shield and Provider.

Psalm 33:18–22 (CSB)

But look, the Lord keeps his eye on those who fear him—those who depend on his faithful love to rescue them from death and to keep them alive in famine. We wait for the Lord; he is our help and shield. For our hearts rejoice in him because we trust in his holy name. May your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in you.

Psalm 33:18 CSB

But look, the Lord keeps his eye on those who fear him— those who depend on his faithful love

Those who fear him know they are seen and understood. The nature of life and toil is hard. That was especially the case for the Israelites, who strived daily to provide security and provision for families and communities. Trusting in God was a daily exercise as people sought to endure.

God loves his people and invests in their well-being. Security was no small matter for people living in the land of Israel. It was a crossroad of fertile land that was much sought-after by Nations and empires. Always on the defense, the people of Israel knew the stakes were high.

Verse 18 describe a God who is watchful, who keeps his eyes on those who fear him. He is attentive of those who genuinely fear him. For many people the thought of God’s watchfulness is a scary prospect. Here, however, the watchfulness of God was reassuring. It reminded the people that they were not alone, isolated, or unguarded.

Additionally, this first declared that gods attentiveness is deeply rooted in faithful love. The big question was “why does god watch?“ Is it to see if his people fail or mess up? Is gods, watchful eye intended for scrutiny? God’s watchfulness is solely rooted in love. God is motivated by love and intimately concerned in his peoples well-being. His intentions are rooted in love. People could depend on his faithful love.

Psalm 33:19 CSB

to rescue them from death and to keep them alive in famine.

The choice, as referenced often in scripture, is whether we trust in ourselves, or in the power of God. God was the relentless guard, always ready to rescue the people of Israel from danger and death.

In the context of verse 19, two of the biggest threats that people might face in the ancient world were referenced. One was the threat of death, whether it was sickness or the reality of invading marauders, the ancient people of Israel, as well as all people living in the land, were constantly on guard and fearful of death.

The other threat was famine. Hunger was a massive threat and food scarcity was a constant concern in the land of ancient Israel. God actively intervened in danger, threats and vulnerability to protect the ones he loved. He kept them alive .

As a conclusion to this Psalm, verses 20–22 was a shift. The body of this psalm, from verses 1–19, was a declaration of who God was to the people of Israel. The final, three verses, marked a shift in worship, turning toward the voice of the people.

Based on how God was described in verses, 1–19, a commitment was called for in verses, 20–22. The people of God, were now called to respond. Would they commit themselves to the god described in psalm 33?

Psalm 33:20 CSB

We wait for the Lord; he is our help and shield.

Their first declaration, in verse 20, was to affirm that God was worth placing their faith in. The worshipers commitment affirmed that God would be their help, shield, and warrior. As their help, the people of God declared that he was their source of safety, security, and sustenance. Hunger and all types of calamity would be averted because God was their help.

Psalm 33:21 CSB

For our hearts rejoice in him because we trust in his holy name.

Our hearts rejoice in him. In a world of great sorrow and hardship, God evoked joy within those who struggled. This defiant happiness, in the face of hardship and adversaries, was rooted in a deep fear and respect for the God of Israel.

Gods name, ascribed as holy, emphasize that he is sacred, unique, set apart and distinct. He is worthy of trust. The people of Israel reaffirm their total commitment to him, namely the one who had selected them.

Psalm 33:22 CSB

May your faithful love rest on us, Lord, for we put our hope in you.

The conclusion of this, Psalm, verse 22, summoned the Israelites and today’s reader to a common call to action. To enjoy the best that God has to offer, a person must actively place his or her hope in God. To trust God alone.

God’s promise was faithful love rooted and actionable care for his chosen children. This love of God would rest upon the people and sustain them, providing hope.

What was true for those in the ancient world is still true today. The choice is whether to place one’s faith in God alone. God, as a creator of the universe, is established as more powerful than the forces of this world.

We must take heart that God’s eyes are upon us. He watches over those who fear him and trust in his sustaining protection.

There is also an important action step. We must respond to the knowledge and truth about God. Fear of God is demonstrated in active faith.

Psalm 33 calls people to a steady and daily routine of trusting God, in the midst of threats and hardship. This trust, namely, a healthy fear of God, gives people the courage to live life with confidence amidst daily threats!