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When I was younger, the thought that would have come to mind is one cowering under the pews as God moved about the room; someone who was in terror and complete disarray. Today I know better.
When King Solomon said that “to fear God is the beginning of wisdom”, he was speaking from experience. Obviously we know that King Solomon was wise, as 1 Kings chapter 3 tells us the story of how Solomon, when asked of God as to what he wanted, replied simply that he wanted “an understanding heart so that I can govern your people well and know the difference between right and wrong”. While I am not going to go into all that King Solomon did or gain from this wisdom, just the very notion that a wise man would say that “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” should give us reason to listen and believe.
Sometimes it is hard to understand what it means to truly fear God. Some even go so far as to refuse the text and state that if God wanted us to fear Him, then there is no love in God…for doesn’t love conquer fear? Are not love and fear polar opposites? Love being the “freedom” we so long for, and fear being the “condemnation” that binds us and forces us to stay where are. How could God want us to fear Him and then turn around and say that He loves us? No, as some Gnostics say, “To not fear God, is the beginning of wisdom”.
To those critics, let me ask a question: What would have Israel’s quest out of Egypt been like if God had not been able to strike fear into the hearts of the Egyptians as well as the neighboring kingdoms? Would God have had as famous a name had Pharaoh simply listened to Moses, and with great compassion for the suffering of the Israelites, simply let them go?
Sometimes it’s hard to understand why God would allow so many people to suffer. The plagues he brought upon Egypt, He did so as punishment for Pharaohs stubbornness, that He himself had caused. The Egyptians not only went through plague after plague, but they also lost their first born sons. Didn’t God love the Egyptians? Of course God loved them, but they became what is phrased today as collateral damage. They were what Jonathon Edwards called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, and though it wasn’t “Fair” what happened to them on account of Pharaohs hardened heart, it was necessary.
Due to the plagues, the destruction of Pharaoh and his men in hot pursuit, and the red sea parting, nations trembled at the very mention of the God of Israel. His fame had spread so quickly, that at first, no one wanted to touch them, and only the arrogant tried. I wish all of these things would have had a greater impact on the Israelites as well, as it appears only Moses, Joshua, and Caleb actually developed a sense of who God is and had faith that there was nothing too great for Him. The rest became grumblers, complainers, and accusers as they circled the mountain wishing they had stayed in Egypt and only fearing the Lord in short lived moments usually following something great that God had done.
To fear God is to understand that even though God loves to give the “good and perfect gifts” Paul talks about, He could also, just as easily, take it away. With the exception of two (Joshua and Caleb), and those under 20, the entire nation of Israel that was on the march to Canaan, never got there. It took them two years to approach the Promised Land, and instead of going in and possessing it with the confidence of knowing that God has already gone before them and prepared the way, they allowed their fear of giants to overthrow their confidence in God.
While I could preach a dozen sermons on that last sentence alone, I think it is important to realize that God was wanting to give that generation the land promised to their forefathers. God had chose that generation to receive His blessings, and instead of fearing God, they feared man, and thus never walked in the blessings God had for them.
The fear of God is not hiding under a pew or trembling at the name of God, the fear of God is fully understanding and appreciating what God can do, and thus moving forward with confidence knowing that your allegiance is with the king.
In a successful kingdom, people feared their king because of the power he had over them. That does not mean that whenever he was near they would run and hide for fear of him having a bad day and lobbing off a few heads on his way to the palace (remember, I said successful kingdom). Good kings were not only respected, but also loved. A good picture of this is in the movie “Gladiator” where the people loved and admired Emperor Marcus Aurelius but had no allegiance or love for his son, and murderer, Commodus, as was illustrated in the final scene where the people carried away the body of Maximus, but left the dead Emperor behind.
To fear a king, or in this case emperor, is to know that he has the power and authority to take everything you have, including your life, but will only exercise such powers when you break the law, or are proven less than loyal in allegiance. So many times, we try to serve God, but part of our allegiance or passion is elsewhere. We look the part, but we continue to run over to the enemies camp when we think no one is watching and partake in pagan worship of things that God sees as detestable…then we run back to God, mouth a few words of forgiveness, throw our hands up in worship, and expect God to bless us.
True repentance is always accompanied by true remorse and always followed by decisive action. Sometimes it’s not easy to leave behind the influence and the culture that we took part of while in the enemy’s camp, and more times than not, it takes more than we have to give, yet the bible says that God rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6) and I think part of that reward is His help in overcoming that which tries to distract your heart from true allegiance. The key is to “diligently”, or as some versions say, “earnestly” seek Him. Jeremiah 29:12 says that “If you seek me you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart”.
God is moving into new territory in this present age we live in. We have been brought to the streams of the Jordan, and on the other side is Canaan, a land, though not without its own obstacles, promised to us by the same God who brought Israel out of Egypt, flowing with milk and honey. There are some who will fear the waves and strong current, others who will fear its depth…The age of lukewarmness is over, either we’re with God or we’re not…Either we believe that God can do what He says He can do, or we don’t. Either we move into the blessings of God, or we stay in the desert…
What is wiser? To stay where we are, where at least we have a roof over our heads…or to fear God enough to follow Him into greater things than we could ask or hope for? You can play it safe in your complacency all you want, but my bags are packed and I’m ready to cross that stupid river…
It’s time.
