Understanding the
Fear of the Lord

Understanding the fear of the Lord is a vital necessity in our daily walk. 

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When praying and fellowshipping with the Lord one day, He said in my spirit “The Fear of The Lord is the path to resurrection power.” 

 

That certainly got my attention, however I realized I didn’t really know what the Fear of The Lord truly means to me as a believer and child of God. 

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Proverbs 9:10 says, 

“The Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and Knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” 

 

 

Basically, this verse teaches that the Fear of God is foundational to true wisdom; all other types of learning are worthless unless built upon a knowledge of the Lord Himself. Many other passages talk about the Fear of the Lord. 

 

 

Psalm 111:10 (NKJV)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

 

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Proverbs 1:7 (KJV)

The Fear of the LORD is the Beginning of Knowledge: But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 

Proverbs 14:27

The Fear of the LORD is a Fountain of Life, turning a person from the snares of death.

 

Proverbs 15:33

Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor.

 

Before we can understand how the fear of the Lord leads to wisdom, we need to define what the Bible means by “fear” in this context:

 

• In Hebrew the word translated “fear” can mean several things. It can refer to the “terror” one feels in a frightening situation. For example:

 

Deuteronomy 2:25

This very day will I begin to put the terror and fear of you upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of you, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of you.

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• It can mean “respect” in the way a servant fears his master and serves him faithfully:

 

Joshua 24:14

Now fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and in truth (with all faithfulness): and throw away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the Euphrates river, and in Egypt; and serve the LORD.

 

• Fear can also denote the “reverence or awe” a person feels in the presence of greatness.

 

Isaiah 6:5

“Woe is me!” I cried. “For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.

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The Fear of the Lord is a combination of all of these:

Terror

Respect

Awe

 

 

Fear of the Lord can be defined as: 

“The continual awareness that our loving heavenly Father is watching and evaluating everything we think, say, and do” 

 

Matthew 12:36

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty (idle) word they have spoken.

 

Personally this scripture always gives me a healthy dose of the Fear of The Lord!

 

I make a habit of repenting of idle or empty words and thoughts. This is done in context with: 

Psalm 103:12

As far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

 

And I ask the Lord to do this over my mouth Psalm 141:3

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.

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Psalm 139:2-4

You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. (3.) You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. 

(4.) Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.

 

Jeremiah 12:3

But You know me LORD; You see me and test my heart (thoughts) about You: Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.

 

As Jesus told each of the seven churches in Revelation 2:2 and 3:1, “I know your works.” 

 

Nothing escapes His attention.

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Revelation 2:2 (NKJV)

I know your works, and your labour, and your patience, and how thou cannot bear them which are evil: and You have tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and have found them liars:

Revelation 3:1 (NKJV)

And to the angel of the church in Sardis write; “These things says He that has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; 

‘I know your works, that you have a reputation that your are alive, but you are dead.’”

 

In order to develop the Fear of the Lord, we must recognize God for Who He is. We must glimpse with our spirits the Power, Might, Beauty, and Brilliance of the Lord God Almighty.

 

Revelation 11:17 (NKJV)

saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One Who is and Who was and Who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned.

 

Hosea 12:5

Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD is his memorial.

 

Isaiah 6:1-5 (NKJV)

(1)In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a Throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.

(2)Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly.

(3)And one cried unto another, and said, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.”

(4)And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

(5)Then said I, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” 

 

Those who fear the Lord have a continual awareness of Him, a deep reverence for Him, and sincere commitment to obey Him.

 

Proverbs 1:7 says, “The Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” 

 

This verse gives us some added insight with its sharp contrast between the wise life and the foolish life. A wise person fears, reverences, and obeys the Lord; a fool despises God’s instruction and cannot be told what to do. The wise person is wise because he has started at the starting place of Fearing The Lord; the fool has no foundation on which to build wisdom.

 

Romans 1:21–22 speaks of those who “neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” 

 

This is a description of people who try to obtain wisdom while ignoring God—it cannot be done for the simple reason that: God is the source of wisdom.

 

The link between the Fear of God and wisdom means we cannot possess wisdom if we recreate God in our own image. Too many brothers and sisters want to “tame” God into a non-threatening nobody. If we redefine the Lord as “a god” that makes us feel comfortable, a permissive “buddy” who exists simply to bless us and give us what we want, we will not Fear Him in the way He deserves to be feared. The Lord God Almighty is far greater than that, and the Fear of the Lord begins when we see Him in His majesty and power: 

 

Revelation 4:11 - “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being.”

 

Job 42:1–2 (NASB) - “Then Job replied to the Lord, ‘I know that You can do all things, and that no plan is impossible for You.’”

 

The Lord shows Job (and us) a glimpse of His power in Job  chapters 38—41 when The Lord God Almighty describes His absolute sovereignty over everything. If you haven’t read those chapters, definitely check them out!

 

The Word is a Spiritual Book! It takes the Holy Spirit within you to open your eyes to it. Therefore, these instructions the Lord has carefully placed in His Word are for us!!! Not for unbelievers. His correction is for us. 

 

When the reality of God’s true nature has caused us to fall down in worship, we are then in the right position to gain wisdom from the Lord. Wisdom is merely seeing life from God’s perspective and responding accordingly. Wisdom is a priority, and we are told to seek it above all else (Proverbs 3:13; 16:16). Proverbs is known as the wisdom book, and the entire second chapter gives a detailed explanation of the value of gaining wisdom.

 

Until our hearts are in a right relationship with God, we are unable to have the “wisdom that comes from heaven” (James 3:17). Without the Fear of the Lord, we may gain knowledge of earthly things and make some practical choices for this life, but we are missing the single key ingredient that defines a wise person, and that is the Fear of the Lord - (Psalm 14:1; Exodus 20:3; Exodus 34:14; Jeremiah 25:6; Matthew 22:37). 

 

In the parable of the rich farmer, the rich man had a “wise” and practical plan for his profits, but God said to him, “You fool!” because the farmer’s plans were made with no thought of God and eternity (Luke 12:16–21).

 

Without the Fear of the Lord, we make final decisions based on our faulty human understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6). When we incorporate the Fear of the Lord into every moment of our lives, we make decisions based upon His approval. We live with the knowledge that the Creator of the universe is intimately involved in our every move. He sees, knows, and evaluates all our choices, and We Will Answer To Him: 

Psalm 139:1–4 -  

1.You have searched me, Lord,

and you know me.

2. You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3. You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4. Before a word is on my tongue

you, Lord, know it completely.

 

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 -

10.By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11.For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.12.If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,13.their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.14.If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15.If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

 

He and He alone will judge as to where we spend our eternity, in heaven with Him or the lake of fire. If this does not make you tremble you are indeed foolish.

 

• Our respect for God’s majesty causes us to honor Him:

    Psalm 29:2 - “Honor the LORD for the glory of His Name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.”

 

• Our gratitude for His mercy causes us to serve Him well: 

    Psalm 2:11 - “Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate His rule with trembling.”

 

    Psalm 107:15 (NKJV) - “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men!”

 

 

• And the understanding that our God of Love is also a God of Wrath inspires enough fear to help us stay away    from evil:

    Romans 1:18 (NKJV) - “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”

 

    Proverbs 8:13 - “To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” 

 

• Sin is foolish; righteousness is wise. When we live righteously, we are on the path of wisdom, and everyone in our lives benefits: 

    Proverbs 13:20 (ESV) - “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” 

 

    Proverbs 19:8 (NKJV) - “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; He who keeps understanding will find good.”