Holy Fear

The Pursuit of the Holy One

What Does God Require of You?

Deuteronomy 10:12–13 ESV

12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?

What Does it Mean to be Afraid?

2 Kings 17:38 ESV

38 and you shall not forget the covenant that I have made with you. You shall not fear other gods,

Yr (Hebrew)- to fear, be afraid: to fear God, to be feared; to be honored; terrible, dreaded, awesome.

The majority of the time this noun appears with respect to the fear of God, either in the sense of proper reverence for God or in the sense of fear at the awesome power of God.

“When men no longer fear God, they transgress His laws without hesitation. The fear of consequences is no deterrent when the fear of God is gone.” - A.W. Tozer

The Beginning of Wisdom

The phrase “the fear of the Lord” is referenced at least four times in scripture as the central aspect of wisdom.

Job 28:28 ESV

28 And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’ ”

Psalm 111:10 ESV

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

Proverbs 1:7 ESV

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 9:10 ESV

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Fear = Courage

The first time the term appears in the Bible is Genesis 15:1.

Genesis 15:1 ESV

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

“The fear of God is the death of every other fear; like a mighty lion, it chases all other fears before it.” - CH Spurgeon

Godly Fear and Awe

Hebrews 12:28-29 (AMP) - Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe; For our God [is indeed] a consuming fire.

There are two terms that I want to focus on in this passage. The first is Godly fear, and the second is awe.

The term godly fear can be translated as dread inspired by something terrific; to strike with fear and reverence. To influence by fear, terror or respect.”

The term “awe” also can be translated as the term reverence as “profound adoring awed respect.”

Is God Scary?

2 Chronicles 19:7 ESV

7 Now then, let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”

In recent years case studies have been done on the concept of fear. The results of these studies interestingly proved that people feel stronger and more confident after watching a scary movie because they faced and overcame their fear.

According to Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), stated that having taught high school classes on Gothic horror novels such as Dracula and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he has also studied horror movies for years and believes that the horror genre is “the closest to the Christian view of life, because it “acknowledges the supernatural, evil, hopes for salvation,” he says, “and asks the question, ‘Is there someone to whom I must give an account?”

According to Eckel, we often substitute cheap thrills and chills over the fear of God because “we can’t live with God, and we can’t live without Him.”

So with all this being said, is God scary? Yes, but not by the common understanding of that term.

What Does it Mean to Fear God?

To fear God is to hate sin.

To fear God is to depart from evil in every thought, word, and action.

It is to refrain from speaking deceitfully.

To fear God is to walk in authentic humility before God.

To fear God is to give Him the praise, adoration, thanksgiving, and worship He deserves.

To fear God is to give Him all that belongs to Him.

To fear God is to tremble before Him in wonder and awe.

To fear God is to obey Him. It’s not just a desire but an inward force determined to carry out His will, no matter the cost.

To fear God is to abstain from any form of complaining, murmuring, or grumbling.

To fear God is to respect, honor, and submit to His direct and delegated authority.

Now let’s partially list the benefits of holy fear. Here are some of the many biblical promises made to those who walk in it.

The fear of the Lord is the starting place for an intimate relationship with God. We become His friends, and His secrets are made known to us.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. It gives foresight and clear divine direction.

The fear of the Lord is clean; it produces true holiness in our lives.

Man’s All

“His whole character commands our reverence because it is superlatively holy, and his name is to us a word of awe never to be mentioned flippantly, and never to be quoted without earnest thought and prostration of heart before him.” —C. H. SPURGEON

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (ESV)

13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Holy, Holy, Holy

"True salvation always produces an abiding change of nature in a true convert. Therefore, whenever holiness of life does not accompany a confession of conversion, it must be understood that this individual is not a Christian." ~ Jonathan Edwards

Qados - to be holy; removed from common use; subject to special treasure.

Isaiah 6:1–4 ESV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.

“If ever there was a man of integrity, it was Isaiah ben Amoz. He was a whole man, a together type of a fellow. He was considered by his contemporaries as the most righteous man in the nation. He was respected as a paragon of virtue. Then he caught one sudden glimpse of a holy God. In that single moment, all of his self-esteem was shattered. In a brief second he was exposed, made naked beneath the gaze of the absolute standard of holiness. As long as Isaiah could compare himself to other mortals, he was able to sustain a lofty opinion of his own character. The instant he measured himself by the ultimate standard, he was destroyed—morally and spiritually annihilated. He was undone. He came apart. His sense of integrity collapsed.” - RC Sproul

Holiness

"I find nothing in the Bible but holiness, and nothing in the world but worldliness. Therefore, if I live in the world, I will become worldly; on the other hand, if I live in the Bible, I will become holy." ~ Smith Wigglesworth

Hagios (GK) - Holy, set apart, consecrated, dedicated, saints.

Ephesians 1:4 ESV

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

Be Holy

1 Peter 1:15–16 ESV

15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”