Proverbs Jan 2

Fear or Fool

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. ~Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the holy one is understanding. For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. ~Proverbs 9:10-11

The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. ~Proverbs 10:27

He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning the possessor from the snares of death. ~Proverbs 14:27-28

Blessed is the one who always fears the Lord, but the one who hardens the heart falls into trouble. ~Proverbs 28:14

The fear of the Lord teaches wisdom, and humility comes before honor. ~Proverbs 15:33

The fear of the Lord leads to life:  then one rests content, untouched by trouble. ~Proverbs 19:23

God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. ~1 John 4:16B-18

Have you ever seen these verses all strung together in this way?  Now perhaps you understand better what I mean by “theme.” If we just look at the verses in Proverbs, we get the idea that it is wise to fear the Lord, but then, John tells us that perfect love drives out fear. So, which is it, are we supposed to be afraid or not? What is fear?

I’ve been told that the Eskimos in Alaska have at least ten different words for our word, “snow.” You could say, living where they are, that they are experts on the subject. We do a little of that when we differentiate between snow and sleet, but they break it down even further depending on temperature, hardness and so forth. The Greek language does something similar with much of their language. For example, there are at least four different words for our word, “love,” depending on what kind of love you mean: family, romantic, love of God, or love like God’s and so forth.

Unfortunately, the word “fear,” is another one of those English words that could really be appreciated better if we knew just what exactly is meant here. Are we supposed to be afraid of God, like most people are afraid of wild animals, vicious weather or even death itself?  Adam and Eve were certainly afraid of God when He came looking for them after they had sinned in the Garden and they were right to be so. Perhaps that was the beginning of wisdom for them, purchased at a high price, but a first step anyway.

I think of Samson, who appeared to have no fear of God until he lost everything. He is the proverbial fool, but he is not alone. He is like so many of us who turn to God only after we have used up our limited resources and finally decide to try things His way. While we are doing life our way, we are not afraid of God. We believe we are safe and right.

Then, there is healthy fear. For example, it is good to exercise caution around electricity. That is a case in which fear actually serves as a source of protection. It preserves us and keeps us from harm. It would be so much easier however, if there were separate words, one meaning “fear of punishment” and one for “fear that protects.” That would be good even though, when you think about it, the fear that protects is a fear of the “punishing” effects of grabbing a live wire!

A third use of the word fear can mean a healthy respect for authority. It is giving the deference that is owed to those over us. Respect for parents or teachers would fit in this category. They care about us, but those in authority are also responsible for us. They have a vested interest in what will become of us.

It may be that the word fear, is appropriate because, in our relationship with our LORD, all three types of response to His presence are appropriate. We should fear the Lord when we stray from His way. If we refuse to be corrected, even with discipline, we are acting as fools and have good reason to be afraid of the punishment to come. When we are exercising caution, as with fear of electricity, that is totally appropriate.

God is not just a buddy that we like to hang out with and have coffee with. He has laid out certain parameters for us in approaching Him, not with bravado and arrogance, but with a broken and contrite heart, repentant and humble in heart. We approach Him because He has invited us too, not because we have earned the right to. Finally, as our creator and Father, we hold an awesome respect for Him as the ultimate authority over our existence. He has created us and designed us to do best when we follow His instructions. He is very interested in how we turn out. He has gifted us and is very interested in how we use the gifts He has blessed us to have.

But then, if fear means all these things, and it can be good, what does it mean that perfect love drives fear away? Think about it. If we are in a perfect relationship with our Father Creator, we don’t need to fear punishment because we are obeying Him completely, so we know that we are in His will. There’s nothing to fear. If we are in a perfect relationship with our Father Creator, then we know the boundaries that He has set for us and we resist being tempted to violate them. We need not fear because we know our place and we are content to be there. If we are in a perfect relationship with our Father Creator then we trust completely in His love for us that He is providing His best for us. We respect His perfect love, but the fear is gone because we trust that He knows best.

Prayer: Lord, if only I could trust You so completely that all unhealthy fear would be gone from our relationship.  At times, my sinful, human frailty makes it so hard to resist fear and worry, to relax and trust You completely.  May today be a day I walk fully in Your peace.

Hymn:  “When Peace Like A River”