What Is The Fear of the Lord?

Quite a few years ago, I was leading worship every three weeks in my former church. Casey Corum of Vineyard Music had written a song about "The Fear of the Lord." The chorus was very simple, "Teach me the fear, the fear of the Lord..." 

My wife and I really liked the song and did it a couple of times at church. One week we were rehearsing the song with the band for Sunday. I sensed a less than enthusiastic response from the rest of the band when we worked on it. So I asked what they thought of the song and all of them said that they didn't like it. I was shocked. I thought it was deep, profound and the tune was good.

But the band members did not like the idea of singing about the "fear" of the Lord. To them, it was too much of a bummer to think of being afraid of God.

But is that what this phrase really means?

A very common expression in the Old Testament is "The Fear of the Lord." This is especially true in the Wisdom books, especially Psalms and Proverbs.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, 
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Pro. 9:10).

One of the ways we can understand the meaning of various Hebrew words is to see how they are used in poetry. You can tell you are reading poetry because the phrases are given a separate line in most of our translations, instead of being written in prose paragraphs. For instance, all of Psalms and Proverbs are poetic. And Hebrew poetry is constructed around the concept of "parallelism." That is, two lines are conveying parallel thoughts and often the words and phrases in the first line are mirrored in the second line.

The two lines can be either restating the same idea or contrasting that idea with an opposite. And sometimes the parallelism becomes more subtle and sophisticated. The purpose of this blog is not to give an exhaustive teaching on Hebrew poetry, but to show the meaning of "The Fear of the Lord."

For instance, in Proverbs 9:10 quoted above, the first line is parallel in meaning to the second line. "wisdom" and "understanding" are both in the same position and therefore are referring to the same concept. "The fear of the Lord" is in the same position as "knowledge of the Holy One." To know God is to understand that He is awesome in power and to be treated with respect. 

In other places, fear of the Lord is in parallel to the ideas of "honor, respect, reverence." 

To enter the presence of God is to enter the presence of the Highest Power in the Universe. Someone who recognizes that will be mindful of their humble and weak state relative to God's glory. One might tremble in the presence of such power. One of the little discussed names of God is related to this concept: "The Fear of Isaac" (Gen. 31:53).

If I were invited to meet the President of the United States in the Oval Office, no matter who is currently holding that office, I would prepare myself beforehand and would be mindful of my lowly position. I would be respectful, full of honor and reverence for the office. Should we not also act that way when approaching the Creator of the Universe?

“I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him" (Luke 12: 4-5). God is the only one who fills this description. Yet just a few verses later, Jesus says, "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows" (Luke 12: 6).

So therein lies the key. If you belong to God, you do not need to be afraid. You are "accepted in the beloved" (Eph. 1:6 KJV). Yet, you should exhibit reverence, honor and respect for God because of who He is and because of who you are relative to Him. "Teach me the fear, the fear of the Lord..."

Who Is Your God?

"When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing--they believe in anything."

This quote has been attributed to G. K. Chesterton, although there is no evidence that he actually wrote these exact words. In a book about Chesterton, The Laughing Prophet: The Seven Virtues and G. K. Chesterton, by Émile Camaerts, he pulls this thought from an analysis of a Father Brown story by Chesterton. Still, I love the quote and I think it captures the whimsical heart of Chesterton's thinking.

Psalm 14: 1 says it this way, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" The Bible uses "fool" as a contrast to "wise" in all wisdom literature. It is not a mocking term, but an instructional term. The person who wants to walk wisely will avoid foolish things.

I recently wrote two blogs about the Divine Name, Yahweh ("What Is In a Name?" and "The One Who Exists"). This blog will be about the word for God in the Old Testament--Elohim.

God is not a name, but a description. It comes from the idea of Great Spirit--the Highest Spiritual power. And thus, Bill W. of Alcoholics Anonymous is not far off in asking people to turn their life over to a Higher Power.

Interestingly, the word is the plural form of Eloah, which itself means God and is only used a few times. Since I'm not an Arabic scholar, I can't be sure, but Allah may be etymologically related to this word. The plural form is most likely used to communicate the majesty of God (pluralis majesticus) rather than any hint at the Trinity.

Another word for God is simply El, which means Mighty One and, even though it looks similar, is from a different root. El was a name for one of the Canaanite deities. When the Old Testament uses it, it is almost always in combination with a modifier, probably to make sure the reader does not confuse the One True God with Baal. For instance, El Olam, which means the Eternal God. Or El Shaddai, which means Almighty God.

One of the key issues in the Bible is not whether or not God exists, but who is YOUR God? It is assumed that every person serves and worships something. Whatever that is, is your God.

The idols that were commonly worshiped in Bible times were derided as false gods.

For great is [Yahweh] and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all [elohim].
For the [elohim] of the nations are idols; but [Yahweh] made the heavens (Ps. 96: 4-5).

The Bible's logic is simple: How can someone think that something shaped by their own hands and their own artistry can actually be the God who created all things?

Who or what is your God? As Bob Dylan famously sang, "You're gonna have to serve somebody..." Is it your own bank account, or your physique, or your shiny car, or a celebrity, or even your religion?

You could say that the Kingdom of God is the condition where the True God is served as God. The promise is repeated throughout the Bible, like a string of pearls, leading us to their fulfillment at the end of the Book of Revelation: "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with [humanity], and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be THEIR God'" (Rev. 21: 3).

Jesus showed us a life of completely devoted worship to his God. And through him, he has invited us into that same relationship. So who is YOUR God?

The One Who Exists

Prior to reading this blog, you may want to read last week's entry: "What Is In a Name?" This one is a continuation.

The Divine Name, Yahweh, was revealed to Moses at the burning bush:
Moses said to God [Elohim], "...suppose...they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them? God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM [or I will be who I will be]. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM [or I will be] has sent me to you.'" (Ex. 3: 13-14).

Names in the Bible are significant and usually tell you something about the nature and character of the person. In fact, the naming of babies is often prophetic. For instance, Jacob was named for the way he was born. Although his twin brother, Esau, was born first, Jacob's hand was found to be grasping the heel of his older brother (Gen. 25: 24-26). Thus his name means, "he-grasps-the-heel." But his name also means, "the supplanter, or deceiver." And thus Jacob's name is prophetic for his destiny in supplanting his older brother and deceiving his father into giving him the blessing and inheritance of firstborn.

The changing of Jacob's name to Israel occurs after he is stripped of all his possessions and comes face-to-face with God (Gen. 32: 22-32) , the One who holds the real key to his blessing. Thus his new name is given, which means "he wrestles with God." A significant life transformation. No longer will he be known as the one who deceives and manipulates to get ahead. Instead, he is engaged in a struggle with God for his blessing and God promises that he will prevail.

The Name of God is very important in telling us something about who this God is.

First, since the root of the Name is the common verb, "to be," we can say that Yahweh is the God who Really-Is. That is, all other gods are fakes and are not real. Yahweh, as "the God who Really-Is," is a polemic against all other gods who are "Really-Nots".

Second, it says something about one of the key attributes of Yahweh. He is the One who Exists as an essential attribute. That is, He exists and it is impossible for Him not to exist. And since He is the Existent One, then all other things receive their existence from Him. He is the Creator, all else is created. This sets Him apart as Wholly Other than all created things.

Finally, He is the source and end of all else. "I am" or "I will be" means that it is His will that is supreme. Thus, He holds dominion over all else. Thus, the "Kingdom of God" is the ultimate resolution of all rebellion against Him. That is, His will ruling supreme is the inevitable conclusion of all history.

Spend some time meditating on The Name and see where it takes you.

P.S. This is my 100th blog entry! I began writing in October 2010 and I have found it to be helpful in expressing my thoughts. I hope you have benefitted. Please think of posting a comment to give me feedback or passing the link along to others. Also, if there is a topic you are interested in hearing me write on, please let me know. Blessings and here's to the next 100.

What Is In a Name?

The Old Testament uses many different terms when referring to God. The most common word for God, Elohim, is actually a description and not a name. In some ways, "Higher Power," introduced by Bill W. through Alcoholics Anonymous, is a great synonym for Elohim (more on this point in a future blog).

But did you know that God actually introduced Himself and gave His personal Name to Moses at the "burning bush" in Exodus 3?

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God [Elohim] of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you'" (Exodus 3: 13-14).

God, in essence, said to Moses that He could use His personal name, I AM. In the Hebrew, the actual Name is often referred to as the tetragrammaton, for the "four letters" that make up the Hebrew root: Y-H-W-H. Since the original Hebrew text did not include the vowel markings, the only way of knowing the pronunciation is through tradition. Since the verb "to be" would be a very common word, the Name is actually conjugated in an obscure form to avoid accidentally speaking it in casual conversation. The Name is probably close to Yahweh. And it would more literally mean something like "I will be."

[As an aside: the Third Commandment says, "Do not misuse the name of Yahweh Elohenu" or "Do not take the name of the LORD your God in vain" (Ex. 20: 7). Fearing the breaking of this commandment, a Jewish tradition arose to speak the word Adonai (Lord) whenever the name Yahweh appeared in the text. Thus a distinction between the kethib (the thing written) and the qere (the thing spoken). The Masoretic text is the result of hundreds of years of Jewish scholars' attempt to codify the vocalization of a text that originally contained no vowel markings. Whenever the reader came to the word, YHWH in the text, he was to speak the word for "Lord," Adonai (or sometimes the word for "God," Elohim). In order to ensure this, the vowels for Adonai were attached to the consonants for Yahweh which created a non-word, yahovah. So, Jehovah is actually a non-word that was never meant to be spoken. This is why the over 6,800 occurances of Yahweh are usually translated "the LORD" in most English-language Bibles.]

I have a kind of pet peeve over this particular issue. God told His people to use His personal name, Yahweh. I see this as an invitation into relationship with Him. It would be like the President saying, "I know I'm the President, but please call me Abe." In essence, he would be saying, "I want to relate to you and you to me on a personal level." To refuse to use "Abe" would be a refusal of relationship.

Not only that, it creates confusion at some points in translation. Case in point: "THE LORD said to my Lord" (Ps. 110: 1). Notice that the NIV translators use all-caps when translating Yahweh and lower-case when translating Adonai. This would be more accurately translated "Yahweh said to my Lord."

Or in Psalm 8: 9: "O LORD our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" Doesn't it make more sense to sing: "O Yahweh our Lord..."?

I will continue the implications of the Divine Name in my next blog, but let me close this one with an observation. The God of the Universe is a personal God who created us humans with the capacity to enter into a relationship with Him where we can actually get to know Him. It doesn't make sense to get a personal invitation and then refuse it because we are afraid of Him.

Jesus came to us as the way that this personal God becomes accessible in a way that Israel could never seem to grasp. Don't you think it is time to accept that invitation?

More next week...