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I have my ideas and what I've read and been told over the years about what Fear of the LORD means in various verses. Just curious if others are similar or not. I don't expect anyone to tear apart each verse, just some general thoughts on what the phrase means.
Genesis 20:11 - And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God [is] not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.
Isaiah 11:3 - And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Ephesians 5:21 - Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Proverbs 8:13 - The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Matthew 10:28 - And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Proverbs 14:26 - In the fear of the LORD [is] strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.
1 Peter 2:17 - Honour all [men]. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
Respect and honor God as King, Lord and Creator of all.
Do you think some of that proper reverence is diminished by calling God such things as "The Big Guy," "The Old Man Upstairs," and other names that humanize Him? I'm not sure if it's just me thinking into matters, but it seems the world is trying to either elevate themselves or lower God down to a near equal level.
If we love and respect God it will manifest in our love for others with kindness, meekness, patience, goodness, longsuffering and seeking peace with all who come into our circle. If we do not love others, we cannot love God since hu/manity was made in His image.
How about a metaphor. Think of a staff Sargent in the Marine Corp. You will know what fear is.
He will break you down then build you back up into a new person. You will soon know how little you know. You will feel his wrath, his instruction, his guidance and if you try to kill yourself by doing something stupid he will save you. He will teach you about authority and interdependence and how to survive on your own. He will tell you about honor, courage and foolishness, he will try to make you wise. He will make you take care of your body and your brain so when called upon you will be ready. You will lean how to defend yourself, your pals, your nation and the world. You will lean about the ultimate sacrifice.... and know love is only measured in sacrifice. Your mission is to protect and liberate those who can not do it on their own. You will know evil and it will come looking for you, 'cause your 'head' will be their prize. Expect to suffer, be ridiculed and spit upon, even the very people you have sworn to protect will accuse you of murder, hate, barbarianism, you will still have to do your job. You will lean to pray for peace because it will be your butt that is in the line of fire.
When HE says you are a soldier, you will be one, not before... and when you look back, your fear will be unbridled respect.
How about a metaphor. Think of a staff Sargent in the Marine Corp. You will know what fear is.
He will break you down then build you back up into a new person. You will soon know how little you know. You will feel his wrath, his instruction, his guidance and if you try to kill yourself by doing something stupid he will save you. He will teach you about authority and interdependence and how to survive on your own. He will tell you about honor, courage and foolishness, he will try to make you wise. He will make you take care of your body and your brain so when called upon you will be ready. You will lean how to defend yourself, your pals, your nation and the world. You will lean about the ultimate sacrifice.... and know love is only measured in sacrifice. Your mission is to protect and liberate those who can not do it on their own. You will know evil and it will come looking for you, 'cause your 'head' will be their prize. Expect to suffer, be ridiculed and spit upon, even the very people you have sworn to protect will accuse you of murder, hate, barbarianism, you will still have to do your job. You will lean to pray for peace because it will be your butt that is in the line of fire.
When HE says you are a soldier, you will be one, not before... and when you look back, your fear will be unbridled respect.
Semper Fi
In basic training we had 2 drill instructors. 1 one a nice guy. The other was not. One day this young man complained to the nice instructor about the mean instructor. The nice instructor said, "Good. Glad to hear he's doing his job." Towards the end of training a bunch or us came down with the a terrible flu that was killing people in Texas. We were actually hospitalized. The mean instructor spent hours off-duty visiting us, bringing our mail, etc.. Thanks for kindling an old memory.
Do you think some of that proper reverence is diminished by calling God such things as "The Big Guy," "The Old Man Upstairs," and other names that humanize Him? I'm not sure if it's just me thinking into matters, but it seems the world is trying to either elevate themselves or lower God down to a near equal level.
I've known some pretty strong, faith-living Christians who use terms like the Big Guy or the Man (no "old") Upstairs. Linguistically speaking much of it is regional. People in the West tend to be less formal in general. I used the term the Big Kahuna in another thread. It's commonly used among the West-coast surfer set to refer to God.
Do you think some of that proper reverence is diminished by calling God such things as "The Big Guy," "The Old Man Upstairs," and other names that humanize Him? I'm not sure if it's just me thinking into matters, but it seems the world is trying to either elevate themselves or lower God down to a near equal level.
Such an attitude or terminology is never even remotely suggested in scripture; ... the Jews would not even say God's name out of reverence for His holiness. Yet, today, many seem to use these phrases either to 'humanize' God by making Him seem less Holy; .... or, IMO, to make themselves appear more 'worldly' to a lost and dying world that has no reverence toward or interest in a Holy God. (In a sense, this type of terminology attempts to "dumb down" one's faith .... while checking-out the attitudes of one's audience).
While some would deny this, few would suggest that referring to one's parents or spouse as "my old man ... or my old lady" , or perhaps, “the old ball and chain” - was respectful or worthy. Similarly, how about all those insipid 'teen shows' on TV that portray parents and adults as stupid and comical ... and teenagers as being 'in control and worldly.'
God has revealed Himself in scripture as righteous, Holy and just ... to be personally worshipped in Spirit and truth; .... not as our 'good buddy' or some abstract 'big guy upstairs.' Those who refer to God in those terms, reveal more about themselves, than about God.
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What Does "Fear of the LORD" & "Fear God" Mean To You
I read that as an outmoded concept designed to keep believers tractable by holding the prospect of Hell over their heads.
It likens the biblical god to other ancient deities like Zeus, Jupiter, Odin et al: all-powerful, tantrum-throwing, death-dealers. If such a being did indeed exist - who in their right minds wouldn't fear him?
What Does "Fear of the LORD" & "Fear God" Mean To You I read that as an outmoded concept designed to keep believers tractable by holding the prospect of Hell over their heads.
It likens the biblical god to other ancient deities like Zeus, Jupiter, Odin et al: all-powerful, tantrum-throwing, death-dealers. If such a being did indeed exist - who in their right minds wouldn't fear him?
Thank the Creator, he didn't, and doesn't.
Not so much outmoded as usually unnecessary today. It was a necessary paradigm for our savage and barbaric ancestors who had little if any self-control. Fear of God (or authority) was the only basis for it. The lesson of Abraham was a lesson in self-control and indicated he was a rarity at that time. It is why he was so afraid in the Genesis quote:
Genesis 20:11 - And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God [is] not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.
Fear of God was only the beginning of wisdom for our ignorant savage ancestors . . . NOT the end. Love is the end game and is the motivation for self-control that God desires of us.
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