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For His Glory!
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Fear Not – Fear YHVH In scripture we find the word FEAR used in many places. It is typical for the Christian community to suggest that fear is equivalent to reverence. This is true, but it also involves a greater degree of awe and respect; even a degree of trembling lest we abuse His great mercy; for He alone, as a loving Father, holds our future in His hand. Putting together some Scriptures may help us understand how Elohim (God) wants us to fear Him. Note! There are great blessings for those who properly fear Elohim. Psalm 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. Ps 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear <03372> Him. 03372 AV-fear, afraid, terrible, terrible thing, dreadful, reverence, fearful, terrible acts; Commentary by Poole: (Toward them that fear; which clause he adds here… to prevent men’s mistakes and abuses of God’s mercy…)
Commentary by Spurgeon: (All this mercy is for "them that fear him;" there must be a humble, hearty reverence of his authority, or we cannot taste of his grace. Godly fear is one of the first products of the divine life in us, it is the beginning of wisdom, yet it fully ensures to its possessor all the benefits of divine mercy, and is, indeed, here and elsewhere, employed to set forth the whole of true religion. … Those who are presuming upon the infinite extent of divine mercy, should here be led to consider that although it is wide as the horizon and high as the stars, yet it is only meant for them that fear the Lord, and as for obstinate rebels, they shall have justice without mercy measured out to them.) Fear of the Lord: (Easton)Is in the Old Testament used as a designation of true piety #Pr 1:7 #Job 28:28 Ps 19:9 It is a fear conjoined with love and hope, and is therefore not a slavish dread, but rather filial reverence. (Comp.) #De 32:6 Ho 11:1 Isa 1:2 63:16 64:8 … A holy fear is enjoined also in the New Testament as a preventive of carelessness in religion, and as an incentive to penitence #Mt 10:28 2Co 5:11 7:1 #Php 2:12 Eph 5:21 Heb 12:28,29
The fear we need is recognition of YHVH’s awesome power; a fear that keeps us humble lest we lightly esteem His mercy. It is a reverence that causes us to turn from evil and defilement; knowing that His commands, His instruction, has our best interest at heart, because He is our Father (Deuteronomy 32:6 "Do you thus repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you.) At the end of this MEM are additional Scriptures that help establish our need to have the Godly fear, that keep us in a loving, trusting, relationship with our Creator/Father. YHVH does not want us to be afraid of Him. Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great." Nor are we to fear mankind: Deuteronomy 1:17 ‘You shall not show partiality in judgment; …You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s…’ Purpose for Godly fear: (Here we see the type of fear God wants us to have.) Exodus 20:20 …"Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin." 2Corinithans 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
What does YHVH require of us? Deuteronomy 10:12 "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,
Here is the result of NOT applying the fear of YHVH: Deuteronomy 28:58-61 "If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses. "He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt of which you were afraid, and they will cling to you. "Also every sickness and every plague which, not written in the book of this law, the LORD will bring on you until you are destroyed.
Wrong fear; Job 3:25 "For what I fear comes upon me, And what I dread befalls me. Rescued from the slavery of the wrong fear: Romans 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" Isaiah 41:10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you…’
Instruction to fear God: (This fear produces trust that keeps one focused on YHVH) Proverbs 23:17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always. Ecclesiastes 8:12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly. 1Peter 2:17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear(5399) God, honor the king. 5399 AV-fear, be afraid, be afraid of, reverence YHVH’S promise and reason for His fear in our hearts: Jeremiah 32:39-40 and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.
Benefits of fearing YHVH – Consider these Promises: Job 28:28 "And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom… Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them. Psalm 34:9 O fear the LORD, you His saints; For to those who fear Him there is no want. Psalm 103:13 …So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. Psalm 145:19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge… Proverbs 16:6 …by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil. Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the LORD leads to life…
Prophecy about Messiah’s Godly fear: Isaiah 11:2-3 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
Yeshua’s instruction on fear: Matthew 10:28 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. First century believers: Ac 5:11 And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.
Our need for proper fear: Philippians 2:12 … work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 1Peter 1:17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth;
Our Awesome YHVH: Jeremiah 10:7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Your due! For among all the wise men of the nations And in all their kingdoms, There is none like You. Revelation 15:4 "Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; For ALL THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP BEFORE YOU, FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED."
The conclusion: Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 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. |
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Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil. Proverbs 8:13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate. Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted. |
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"Our physical creations are simply our mental creations made concrete by our actions." Stephen R. Covey Going along with our theme of Godly fear this shows our need for a changed, transformed mind; that we might walk in a newness of life. That is why YHVH wants us to fear Him so that it might be well with us, and we sin not. |
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In our pursuit of humility: "Learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). Jesus offers himself as Teacher. He tells us both what the Spirit is and what we can learn and receive from Him. Meekness and Lowliness are the qualities He offers us; in them we will find perfect rest. Humility is our salvation." Andrew Murray The key to Godly fear is a humble mind and attitude which results in our peace. That humility results in faithfully walking in the law or instruction of our Savior; experiencing the beginning of our salvation. When man goes his own way he is subject to unrest and turmoil of soul; he finds himself fearfully looking forward to nothing. Philippians 2:12(NLT) …Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. Hebrews 5:9(NLT) …he (Yeshua) became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. 2Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. |
Senior Moment:
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Friends One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. On graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll do great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others. (from an e-mail article) |
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1. God’s - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 2. Ecclesiastes - Ecclesiastes 1:1 3. Bethesda - John 5:2-9 4. Christ Jesus (Messiah Yeshua) - Romans 8:1 5. When Elijah ascended to heaven - 2 Kings 2:11-12 6. Philip - Acts 8:1-6 7. Pharaoh - Genesis 41:17-18 |
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More Scripture that re-enforce our need to fear YHVH. Exodus 14:13 But Moses said to the people, "Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today… Haggai 2:5 ‘As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!’ Psalm 36:1 …Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes. Deuteronomy 5:29 ‘Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear Me and keep all My commandments always, that it may be well with them … Luke 12:7 "Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
Ever get caught up with the fear of the conspiracy group? Isaiah 8:12-13 "You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread. Ecclesiastes 5:7 For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.
Additional benefits of fearing God: 1John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread? Psalm 25:14 The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him… Ps 111:5 He has given food to those who fear Him… Psalm 147:11 The LORD favors those who fear Him… Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom… Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence… Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life… Malachi 4:2 "But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings... Revelation 11:18 "And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth." Revelation 14:7 and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters." Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. Praise YHVH, we are the work of His hands; fear Him, He is our salvation! May we rightly fear Elohim. |