The Psalmist and Solomon both tell us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A respectful fear of God is a good thing. However, it should not be incapacitating. In the parable of the talents, Jesus tells us about the unprofitable servant who was so afraid of losing what he had been given that he took his talent and buried it in the ground to keep it safe to return to his lord. He was not a thief, but he allowed fear to so immobilize him that he did nothing. Our fears can either motivate us to action to serve our Lord, or they can cause us to retreat and do nothing. Do we fear God, and if so, what are we doing about it?
God’s words to Moses help us to understand what God wants: “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” Fearing God implies loving Him, obeying Him, and living a life of whole-hearted dedication to pleasing Him.
Our God is a loving, merciful God who wants to save us. Peter tells us, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is long suffering towards us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Unfortunately, in our world there are many who are like the unjust judge in the parable who says, “I fear not God, nor regard man.” God may be calling, but many folks are not listening and certainly do not fear Him. God will not save those who are unwilling to respond to Him. Most in our world are following a path to destruction. They lack a healthy fear of God.
God is looking for hearts that will respond to His call. Sometimes these hearts are found in places we would not expect. God sent Jonah to the city of Nineveh. Jonah did his job of warning them that in 40 days their city was going to be destroyed due to their wickedness. We read that the people believed God and proclaimed a fast, and from the king on down they covered themselves in sackcloth and cried mightily unto God. God spared the city. In the city of Jericho, Rahab told the two spies she was hiding, “We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea and what you did unto the two kings of the Amorites, and as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did remain any more courage in any man because of you.” Rahab saved herself and also her entire family because of her faith in God and her courage to act on her faith.
Both cities were doomed. Both cities were known for their wickedness. Everyone in both cities was afraid. Both cities were visited by someone who gave advance warning. Jericho was destroyed, but God spared the family of one who trusted in Him, and in Nineveh the whole city responded and all were spared. It is important to fear and respect our God and to cry mightily to Him, the only source of salvation.
From the signs of the times around us we can see that a time of trouble is coming on the earth such has never been before. We face problems on every front: climate change, economic collapse, widespread violence, and declining standards of morality. The common man is very aware of the crises the world is facing and that there are no good answers. Jesus tells us of a time coming when men’s hearts will be failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth; we may be seeing it now — and it probably will get worse.
Our God is merciful and not willing that any should perish and has provided warning signs for mankind to change his ways; God has sent droughts, famines, diseases, floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions to shake up a world bent on ignoring Him. The Bible’s prophecies of the time of the end are coming closer to fulfillment as we see the nations of the earth aligning in the prophetic patterns and a world that will resist the rule of Christ coming sharply into focus. The outcome will be a disaster for most people in our world. The prophet Jeremiah tells us, “The slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground”.
What saved Rahab and her family was her understanding of the power of God and faithfully obeying what was required. What saved Nineveh was hearing the preaching of Jonah and responding by repenting and seeking mercy from God. Our world is not responding correctly. They may be afraid, but not of God. Sadly, those who are wise in their own eyes are determined to accomplish their agenda of wiping God from people’s minds and imposing their secular, humanistic philosophy. The sanity of a scientist who believes in God is now suspect, and humanistic acts that were considered immoral even 10 years ago are now not only common but are protected by law.
We who fear God and know what has been prophesied must follow the command of Jesus to go out and preach the gospel to every creature so that they might change their ways. Noah was a preacher of righteousness for 100 years, yet only his personal family was saved from the flood. We may not be as successful as Jonah was with Nineveh, but we hope to possibly save some in a world that thinks it is too smart for God. God sent Jonah to the men of Nineveh, and we may be whom God is sending to preach to our world. Let us not try to run away like Jonah did. Our world needs to know what God has foretold about its fate and how the gospel can save us. Our preaching, which may appear foolish to the world, may cause some to believe. The alternative is clear from Hebrews, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Let us truly fear God and act on it. We share Zechariah’s prayer that we might do our part, “That He would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life”.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One