Vol. H-0005 March 2000 No. H-0003

​THE FEAR OF THE LORD

"​​Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." (Ps. 33:8)

The word "fear" in this verse, and in the others mentioned below, is usually translated as "reverence." Throughout the Scriptures we are instructed to fear the Lord. What must we do to demonstrate our fear, our reverence, of the Lord? The ultimate demonstration of our reverence is our obedience to His Word. Yeshua tell us "If you love me, keep my commandments."  (John 14:15)  He stated what He requires of us. Therefore, we must obey His commandments if we truly love Him and revere Him. In Scripture we find that it is to man's advantage to have a reverence for the Lord.  Among these advantages are healing, long life, wisdom, compassion, knowledge, mercy  and blessing. (Ps. 103:11,13,17; Ps. 111:10; Ps 115:13; Prov. 1:7; Prov. 3:7,8; Prov. 10:27)   If we choose to be disobedient and fail to demonstrate our reverence for Him, Prov.1:28,29 tells us that the Lord will not answer those who do not fear Him, nor will those who disobey Him find Him. Quite a contrast to the advantages!

As the Lord looks upon this world that He created, does He find reverence and obedience? When we look within our own hearts we find the answer to that question. Within all of us dwell selfishness and self-centeredness, anger, jealousy, hatred, idolatry, lust, greed, pride, rebellion....an endless list of traits that show us, as well as Him, that we are not keeping His commandments. Do we not fear the Lord? We think we do, and even say we do. Yet He knows our hearts, our disobedience, our lack of reverence for Him. We, as individuals, do not obey Him, do not fear Him.

When we look at the nations of the world we also find there that they do not fear Him. In the United States of America the President gives a State of the Union Address to the people each year. He enumerates all the memorable events of the past year and makes promises for the future. What he doesn't include is his message is the state of the soul of the US. A few moments of news reports, however, quickly reveal that state. Abortion, child abuse, drug abuse, homosexuality, murder, pornography, suicide, and witchcraft  are among many of the indicators of the state of the soul of the United States, as well as the rest of the world. The actions of the people are a reflection of what is in their hearts - whether or not they stand in awe, in reverence, in fear of the Lord.

Let's look at Israel.  Yahweh (God) established Israel as a nation (Gen. 35:9-12).  He told Israel what He required of them. "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the Lord's commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?" (Deut. 10:12, 13) The people Israel were disobedient toward Yahweh and, consequently, they were driven from the land which He gave them. They returned after each exile, only to be driven away again because of their disobedience. In 1948 the land of Israel was re-established by a declaration of statehood containing the following excerpt. "By virtue of the national and historical right of the Jewish people and of the resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations, we hereby proclaim the establishment of the Jewish State in Palestine, to be called Israel." (1) Where, in that declaration, is the recognition that this land is a gift from their Father Yahweh? (AThis is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, "I will give it to your descendants..." (Deut.34:4) Where is their Yirat HaShem (fear of the Lord)?  To this day the leaders of Israel fail to demonstrate this reverence. As they continue to negotiate away the land which the Lord gave them they reveal more of a fear (as in dread or fright) of their enemies than a fear (as in reverence) for their Lord. The words of the prophet Samuel contain a necessary directive for Israel. "Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you." (1Sam. 12:24) Israel needs to know who they are, as did Jonah. "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land."  (Jon. 1:9) Yet, despite their lack of reverence for the Lord, Israel has not been rejected by Him (Rom. 11: 28, 29). 

Now let's look at the Islamic people. The following sermon by a Moslem cleric, which was broadcast on Palestinian Authority Television on Friday, July 23, 1999, clearly demonstrates that they do not fear the Lord, by the way they speak of His Chosen People Israel. "O Allah! Bless all true believers in their sacred Moslem struggle against the wicked infidels. Help us to destroy the cursed Jewish invaders who have stolen Moslem land, raped Moslem women, and murdered Moslem babies. Help us in our struggle against the Christian infidel non-believers who place their disgusting idolatrous symbols on their Satanic churches in defiance of the will of Allah, blessed be his name. Help us defeat the cursed giant America, that nation of Christian whores whose women are all prostitutes and whose children are all pornographers. The non-believers want to destroy your mosques and holy places. The infidels disrespect you, holy Koran. The Jewish devils and Christian crusaders have overrun the Moslem City of Al Kuds [Jerusalem]. Help us to regain control of all areas that the Jewish soldiers have trampled upon. Help us to regain control of the rest of Gaza from the fascist hordes of Jewish settlers. Help us to regain control of the Negev, the Galilee and the Golan Heights. Help us to defeat these Jewish infidel non-believers who are your enemies. These Jewish soldiers of Meir Kahane and Ehud Barak who wish to tear down Mecca and Medina." If Allah were to answer this prayer (and he cannot), he would destroy Israel, the people and the land. Yahweh, Who calls Israel "the apple of His eye" (Zech. 2:8), would not do this. The truth is the God of Israel, Yahweh, and the god of Islam, Allah, are not the same. Allah was the name of the pagan moon-god to whom temples were built across the Middle East. When Muhammad was born, Allah's statue stood, with over 300 others, in the pagan Ka'bah shrine.  .....while the noun "allah" does mean "god", as a proper noun it has no connection to the Name of the God of Israel, the One who calls Himself "YHWH." (2)  Please make note that the above sermon also names Christians, who worship the God of Israel, as infidels, among other names he gives them!

One further comment about the United States needs to be made. Its leaders would have us believe that they are a Friend of Israel." Yet, as the mediator of the Middle East "peace" negotiations, they press (more like force) Israel to concede to any and every demand of their enemies. They are thus collaborators in the eradication of Israel, in direct disobedience to Yahweh's Word. 

However, despite all that the nations' scheme; no matter how much they conspire and manipulate; Yahweh is still in control. "The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.  The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.  Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance." (Ps. 33:9-12)

BOTTOM LINE

Why should we fear the Lord?
The counsel of the Lord is for those who fear Him. (Ps. 25:14)
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him. (Ps.33:18)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Ps. 111:10)
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. (Ps. 103:11)
Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. (Ps. 103:13)
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him. (Ps. 103:17)
He will bless those who fear the Lord, the small together with the great. (Ps. 115:13)
He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him. (Ps. 145:19)
The Lord favors those who fear Him. (Ps. 145:11)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. (Prov. 1:7)
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body, And refreshment to your bones. (Prov. 3:7-8)
The fear of the Lord prolongs life. (Prov.10:27)
The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted. (Prov.29:25)
The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.  (Ecc. 12:13)

FROM THE BRIDEGROOM

"I am asking you to acknowledge that I am God B I Am That I Am B Yahweh, the only living true God and Creator of all things.  That I am your God." (Sept. 21, 1995)
"Humbly seek Me.  Humbly greet Me." (April 29, 1996)
"Sing and rejoice at My creation. Continue to be filled with awe at all that your Creator has done, all that your Creator is." (April 7, 1998)

CHOICE

It seems obvious that we should choose to fear the Lord. He's told us that He desires us to fear Him. He's told us the rewards of fearing Him and the punishment for not fearing Him. However, because we are natural, fleshly human beings, we do not always choose to obey Him. We cannot do it on our own. We must allow the Lord to be in control of our lives so that we can obey Him. This requires surrender. When we surrender control of our lives to our Lord, allowing Him to have His way in us, then we will be able to obey Him, out of love and reverence toward Him. If we have never surrendered our lives to the Lord, then we must do that now. Acknowledge Yahweh as the one true God, and His Son Yeshua as the Messiah. This is the first step of obedience that we must take. He will then lead us to make each choice according to His desire for us. Then, in love and in obedience, we will know The Fear of The Lord (Yirat HaShem).

CURRENT EVENTS

Recently in Chicago Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, reconciled with W. Deen Mohammed, leader of the Muslim American Society, ending their two-decade rivalry.  Farrakhan told his audience of 20,000 Muslims that his Nation of Islam and the nation's orthodox Muslims were uniting "to work together for the causes of Islam.” (3) This statement, in light of the Moslem cleric's sermon quoted earlier, should be a wake-up call to the world's non-Islamic people, especially Christians and Jews, who are specifically mentioned. However, it should not be a cause for fear (dread, terror), but a cause to strengthen our desire to walk in the fear our Lord.

(1) David Ben Gurion=s address to the National Council May 14, 1948
(2) Middle East Intelligence Digest, Vol. 7 No. 3 March 1996. A publication of the International Christian Embassy.  Used by permission.
(3) The Atlanta Constitution, February 28, 2000, from an article by Dirk Johnson, New York Times