"THE BOOK OF PROVERBS" (2)

The Fear Of The Lord

INTRODUCTION

We now change our approach to studying the book to the book of Proverbs...

Using a topical rather than textual approach

Noting recurring themes dispersed throughout the proverbs

A good topic to begin with is "the fear of the Lord"...

Described as "the beginning of knowledge" - Proverbs 1:7

Also as "the beginning of wisdom" - Proverbs 9:10

[Yes, we examined "the fear of the Lord" in an earlier lesson. But its importance to living wisely justifies another look. So let's begin with...]

UNDERSTANDING THE FEAR OF THE LORD

THE MEANING OF THE WORD "FEAR"...

In Hebrew, the word is yara'

In the Old Testament, it has a three-fold range of meaning:

Dread, terror - Deuteronomy 1:29; Jon 1:10

To stand in awe (in reference to a king) - 1Kings 3:28

To revere, to respect (in regards to parents) - Leviticus 19:3

Notice when God descended upon Sinai amid geophysical convulsions - cf. Exodus 20:18-20

Moses encouraged the Israelites to not be afraid of God arbitrarily striking them dead for no reason ("Do not fear!")

He informed them that the Lord revealed Himself in such a terrifying manner to scare them from sinning

("God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.") -- The proper kind of fear is that which causes one to stand in awe, to revere, to respect

ITS ROLE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN...

We are to fear God, not man - Matthew 10:28

The early church walked in the fear of the Lord - Acts 9:31

We are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling - Philippians 2:12

We should be fearful of apostasy, serving God with godly fear - Hebrews 10:26-31; 12:28-29 --

The fear of the LORD is expressed in reverential submission to his will - NET Bible [With a proper understanding of the fear of the Lord, we are more likely to appreciate the value of the fear of Lord as revealed in the Proverbs...]

APPRECIATING THE FEAR OF THE LORD

WITH THE FEAR OF THE LORD...

We will hate evil - Proverbs 8:13

We will prolong life - Proverbs 10:27

We have strong confidence and a fountain of life - Proverbs 14:26-27

We will be prompted to depart from evil - Proverbs 16:6

We will have a satisfying life, spared from much evil - Proverbs 19:23

We will enjoy riches, honor, and life! - Proverbs 22:4 -- Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

WITHOUT THE FEAR OF THE LORD...

We deprive ourselves of the treasures of God's wisdom and knowledge

We will flirt with evil and be corrupted by it

Our lives are likely to be shortened by our refusal to heed God's word (e.g., suffering sexually transmitted diseases if we do not heed His Word on sexual relationships)

We will not come to know the love of God that gives assurance and confidence of salvation

When fallen into sin, we will not be motivated to repent and turn to God!

We will not be motivated to truly "work out our own salvation" -- Sounds dreadful, doesn't it?

[The fear of the Lord should be a highly regarded and sought after trait, one that we desire to develop in our lives. With that in mind, here are some suggestions on...]

DEVELOPING THE FEAR OF THE LORD

THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD...

Just as faith comes by hearing the word of God - cf. Romans 10:17

The same can be said for the fear of the Lord - cf. Deuteronomy 31:10-13

a. Israel was to gather every seven years to read and hear the Word

The purpose? "...that they may learn to fear the Lord"

As one reads the Word of God, they should gain a healthy degree of the fear of the Lord

For example, consider the words of Paul - Romans 2:4-11

Or how about the words of Peter? - cf. 2Peter 3:7-14 -- Do we allow the Word to develop a proper reverence for the Lord?

PROPERLY USED TO MAINTAIN BALANCE...

To avoid extremes we must read all of God's Word

Some read only about God's love, and have no fear of the Lord

Others read only about God's judgment, and know nothing of His loving kindness

The one develops an attitude of permissiveness that belittles God's holiness and justice

The other develops a psychosis of terror that forgets His grace and compassion

Even in the passages noted above, the context of each speaks much of God's grace and forgiveness for those who will repent - cf. Romans 2:4-11; 2Peter 3:7-14 -- We must be careful how we use the Word of God, but use it we must!

CONCLUSION

If we desire to be truly wise, then let us begin with the fear of theLord

Understanding it, appreciating it, and developing it in our lives as children of God!- Acts 9:31