The Beauty of His Holiness
Fear The Lord and Serve Him With Your Whole Heart.
Used of a person in an exalted position, yare˒ connotes “standing in awe.” This is not simple fear, but reverence, whereby an individual recognizes the power and position of the individual revered and renders him proper respect. In this sense, the word may imply submission to a proper ethical relationship to God
Fear that leads to whole hearted obedience.
Fear that leads to repentance.
Fear that compels you to watch your step when you enter into His presence.
Fear The Lord and Obey Him Completely
I must be sanctified (ʾeqqāḏēsh). Holiness (qdsh) is one of the great themes of Leviticus. The whole nation was called to be holy, but how much more responsibility rested on the priests whose duty was to perform the sanctifying rituals and to teach the people the way of holiness. They preeminently were near (qārōḇ) to God, for they drew near to him themselves (qārēḇ) (e.g., 9:7–8) and brought near the sacrifices (hiqrı̂ḇ) (e.g., 7:9, 33; 9:9, etc.). Honored or “glorified” is the verbal form (kāḇēḏ, Niphal) of the word for “glory” (kāḇôḏ) (cf. 9:23
Moses’ words may be loosely paraphrased, “the closer a man is to God, the more attention he must pay to holiness and the glory of God.” The unspoken implication is that the sons of the high priest ought to have known better than to act so presumptuously. The same theological point is made in many different ways in the OT. It is because Israel is God’s covenant people that she faces the covenant curses listed in Lev. 26 and Deut. 28. Amos says that while other nations deserve God’s punishment for their grave sins against humanity, Judah and Israel will be punished just because they have not kept the law (Amos 2–3). Holy men within Israel are judged by an even higher standard: they are expected to follow out God’s injunctions to the last jot and tittle. In their case, the slightest transgression tends to attract the most startling punishment. The greatest of all Israel’s leaders, Moses, was denied the fulfilment of his lifelong ambition for slightly deviating from God’s commands (Num. 20), “because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the Israelites” (Num. 20:12).
I heard of a rich man who was asked to make a contribution on behalf of some charitable object. The text was quoted to him—“He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again.” He said that the security might be good enough, but the credit was too long. He was dead within two weeks.