He who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his livestock flee to the houses. But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field. (Exodus 9:20, 21 NKJV)
The word "fear" is used in a couple of senses in the word of God. First, there is the type of fear precipitated by the terror of something ominous and frightening such as been bitten by a snake or being in a plane crash. There is the fear of attempting something because of a possibility of failure. etc. These types of fear are negative emotions which the bible encourages us in many places not to entertain. Someone did the count and found 365 places in the bible where a form of the phrase "Do not fear" or "do not be afraid is used." That's equivalent to one per day of the year.
However, there is another sense in which fear is used, which is a positive command - the fear of the Lord. In many passages of scriptures, reference is made to the fear of the Lord, often as a command or a statement of the benefits of having it. for example,
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge... (Proverbs 1:7)
The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy. (Psalm 147:11)
Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him. (Psalm 34:9)
These are great promises but what does it mean to fear the Lord? This is where our text today comes in. It is an accurate illustration of what fearing the Lord entails. Moses had warned Egypt of an impending judgment. There were two categories of people who heard him. Those who feared God acted in response to God's word but those who didn't disregarded it. From this and other evidence of scripture, the fear of the Lord is a deep reverence for God and his word that shows up in obeying or acting on it. So to fear the Lord is to respect his words enough to consistently act on it, refusing to ever violate its injunctions.
Do you practice the fear of the Lord? How do you treat the things of God, especially his words? Is it just another book you have in the house? Do you esteem his word enough to place it above your opinion or every other view? Are you a doer of the word? Your level of respect for the word of God is a gauge of how much you fear him. Determine today to begin to practice the fear of the Lord by deliberately conforming your walk with his word. Do what he says to do regardless of your feelings and opinions. Exalt his word above everything. Chose holiness instead of sin, love over hate. Follow the Spirit instead of your flesh. Honor the Lord with your consistent fear. He has promised to look with favorable respect on those who fear him.
For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word. (Isaiah 66:2 NKJV)
Decision of the Day
I will choose the fear of the Lord by respecting his word, esteeming it above my opinions and any other opinion. I will honor him with my unquestioning compliance to his commands, guidance and instructions. I will show deep respect for the things of God, esteeming them above all natural things. I let none of his word to me fall to the ground. In my fear of him, I am a practitioner of his word - a person of action.
