As children of God, we must cultivate a clean or holy fear of the Lord. We must not take God and His Word for granted. Neither must we take our relationship with Him casually. Yes, He has given us access to Him and yet, He is the Owner of creation and the Owner of our lives. He has condescended to come and dwell in our hearts and speak to us. Yet, He is God Almighty. Though, He is our Father, He is also the King of the universe. The Lord Who blesses us with all things is also the righteous Judge who will shortly judge everything. It is good to have a holy fear of God. The good news is that God’s judgments are not inconsistent and without basis. When we hear judgment from God’s Word, they are always grounded on divine truth and morality.
“The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether (Ps 19:9).
The Fear Of The Lord.
What is the relationship between the Word of God and the fear of the Lord? The fear of the Lord used in this passage refers to the awesomeness of God’s Word. In the Bible, we see God in awe-inspiring situations. He does things or makes statements about Himself that make us stop in our tracks in holy dread. Does the Word of God have to put fear in us? Yes. Our passage says the kind of fear we must have for God should be clean. We must not approach Him with the fear that He will hurt us. Instead, we must approach His extraordinary power and greatness. The awe we hold God in must be our enduring attitude towards Him. When God first spoke the words, which are now written in the Bible, those who received them did so with a sense of wonder and astonishment. That is what we must have when we read the Bible.
Judgment Of The Lord.
One of the reasons people fear God is because of His judgments. The Word of God judges. It separates things that do not belong together. The same Word that enlightens our eyes also judges us. Sadly, many of us are quick to claim the promises of God’s Word or learn its principles to improve our lives without considering its judgments. Have you ever felt judged by the Word of God? Have you read the Bible and felt God wanted you to stop doing something you were or weren’t doing? That was most likely the judgment of the Lord at work. How did you respond to it?
