What does the Fear of Yahweh really mean to you and I as we live in the 80s?
It is indeed a necessary question for:
“The fear of Yahweh tendeth to life: and he that bath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil”. Proverbs 19:23
Truly, this is what we are all seeking in our lives, so how do we go about fearing Yahweh?
I have been pondering this question for some time. To unlock the key to the fear of God unlocks the pathway of mortal life that will ultimately lead us to life eternal. Fear has always conjured up in our minds the state of being apprehensive, afraid, alarmed, anxious, or frightened. Fearful things were terrible, shocking and horrible. Is this our view of Yahweh? True, some of these words apply to fearing Yahweh. More often though, the word translated fear gives us the idea of reverence and awe towards a great God who is merciful. It is an awe arising from the fact that God mysteriously loves us. Reverence and love carry with them a certain type of fear. It is the fear of disappointing or grieving our God who has created us and all life on this earth. To see Godly fear in action let us look at two men, whose lives and characters were a witness to Godly Fear.
Noah
If we look at Hebrews 11:7 we read that “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house …”
What was this fear that moved Noah?
The word fear here means to act cautiously, to be looking on all sides, to be watchful and wary. What type of character did this Fear of Yahweh produce in Noah’s life? Look at Genesis 6:9
“Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations and Noah walked with God.”
Justness, perfection and intercourse with God. Fear must have produced these attributes. The word perfect used in this verse means to be complete, whole and entire, sound, upright in conduct and blameless. Interestingly the same word ‘perfect’ is translated ‘without spot’ in Numbers 19:2
“Bring a red heifer without spot wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke.”
So Noah’s character was not spotted or blemished — it was complete and undefiled.
As we know, the red heifer typified Christ. In Hebrews 9:13 we see the fulfilment of the type of the red heifer in Christ:
“For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
So Noah was aspiring to a character like Christ’s. In other words, right back in 2400 B.C. Noah was trying to manifest the characteristics of the Son of God. James 1:27 speaks of the type of perfectness or spotlessness we can have:
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world “.
If we personally do this, Christ will then collectively
“present to himself a glorious ecclesia, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish”. (Ephesians 5:27.)
Are we fearing God as Noah did?
Are we unspotted or unstained like him?
Do we constantly pursue God?
Seriously consider this remedy if `no’ is our answer to any of these questions. Rid ourselves of the spots of this world … they are the red spots of television; men’s and ladies’ magazines; wasteful entertainment; time consuming ‘hobbies’; novels; sport obsessions; and rather clothe ourselves with the True Fear of Yahweh.
Noah did not just quake and shake with fear at God’s commands, he was faithful and acted upon his fear:
“moved with fear, he prepared an ark . . . for the saving of his house”.
Let our fear of Yahweh drive us into action. Let us cleanse our own lives, assist our families and also help others on the way to the Kingdom
Cornelius
In Acts 10:2 we read that
“Cornelius was a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always”.
Cornelius was devout or dutiful, pious, and he was in awe of God and held him in great reverence. The word fear here also means that he was alarmed and frightened of the God of Israel. One wonders what Cornelius heard, saw or read to engender this fear. Here we have a Gentile, and a Centurion at that! Cornelius’ fear did not cause him to hide, or to say the way that God commanded was too difficult. He wanted to please his God — it drove him to action.
He firstly encouraged his family to fear Yahweh and succeeded in all his house believing. He gave abundant alms — to his own people? No! The word people has the idea of giving to a people other than your own. As we see in verse 22 it was to the Jews that he gave his alms. Cornelius realised that “Salvation was of the Jews”.
What are alms? Alms are mercy, pity, and compassion — more difficult acts of kindness than just throwing money into a poor box! Finally a stunning feature of Cornelius was that he prayed. Do we? If we do, is it constantly, earnestly and fearfully?
Cornelius’ prayers and alms went up to God as a memorial. This is the same word as used in the Septuagint in Leviticus 2:9, 16 where the offering was burned on the altar with frankincense so that its fragrance might ascend to heaven and commend the offerer to God’s remembrance. Are our prayers always coherent enough to ascend to God as a memorial?
So What Are The Lessons?
To fear Yahweh is to first believe, have faith and teach the Fear of Yahweh to your house. To pray always, consistently and fervently. To strive always to help others along the way to the Kingdom. let us assess our lives now and make the necessary changes.
In conclusion, The Fear of Yahweh’ incorporates a few other essential characteristics. In Psalm 34:11 it is written:
“Come ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of Yahweh. What man is he that desireth life and loveth many days that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good,. seek peace, and pursue it.”
All of us desire life and would love to live for many days. To make those days satisfying spiritually and naturally we should firstly keep our tongue from evil. Mark 7:21 gives us the definition of evil. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.” All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.
Consider these things in the light of our lives. Some apply don’t they?
Secondly, we must keep our lips from speaking guile. What is guile? Guile is fraud and craft, to be feigned and treacherous with our lips. We must be like a guard at the door of our lips prohibiting these things. “There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.” (Proverbs 20:15.)
‘Seeing ye have purified you souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart, fervently … II Peter 1:22.)
“And in the saints mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.” (Revelation 14:5.)
Thirdly, we must seek peace and pursue it. I was amazed to find that this word peace is very closely related to the word perfect. Peace is wholeness, safety, soundness and health in a beneficial sense toward our families, our ecclesias and ourselves. What a multitude of ideas this presents in the spiritual and equally in the natural arena.
Spiritually we must ensure our ecclesias are sound doctrinally, whole, as one body with Christ as our head, a healthy working ecclesia, and safe from the world.
Naturally we must care for the health of others, consider their safety, make sure all are provided for.
let’s look carefully at our ecclesias and do the things that need doing — now!
May we all consider whether ‘the fear of Yahweh’ is alive and working in our lives today, for indeed
“The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10.)
“Yahweh, who shall abide in they tabernacle?
Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
In whose eyes a vile person is condemned; but he honoureth them that fear Yahweh. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
He that putteth not out his money to unity, nor taketh reward against the innocent.
He that doeth these things shall never be moved.”
Being Compassionate