the fear of God

“You must fear the Lord your God and serve him.”

- Deuteronomy 6:13, NLT

 

Fear God: How are we to make sense of this statement? How can we reconcile it with the numerous fear nots found within Scripture? How might this sentiment be understood as congruent with other biblical statements which seem to indicate just the opposite? Consider, for example, the words of John’s first epistle: “As we live in God, our love grows more perfect… Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear” (4:17-18, NLT). Aren’t these two attitudes inconsistent?

 

Some would suggest that the variance is due to the differences in Old and New Testament theology. But while there is certainly a significant divergence between the covenants of law and grace, this is not a sufficient explanation. Even at the inception of Mosaic Law, a tension was apparent. Gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai, the people of Israel heard God’s voice and were terrified. Moses, God’s mediator, told them: “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin” (Exodus 20:20, ESV). Don’t fear; God is just trying to make you fear. This verse embodies the seeming paradox which spans both testaments.

 

The simplest (and best) explanation is linguistic. The Hebrew word yare, which appears some 305 times in the Old Testament and is often translated as “fear,” carries nuances of meaning including awe, reverence, and respect. Its derivative, yirah, holds similar connotations and has at times been rendered “worship.” So in the above example, we might rightly understand the gist as, “Do not fear [yare], for God has come to test you, that the reverence [yirah] of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”

 

The language of the New Testament, Koine Greek, also sheds light on the issue. John’s assertion that love and fear are immiscible employs the word phobos, which is the etymological root of our word phobia. While God asks us to revere and hold him in awe, he certainly does not desire for us to be phobic of him, as a phobia is, “an irrational or very powerful fear and dislike” (Encarta Dictionary). Interestingly, Phobos was also the name of the personification of fear and the Greek god of horror. God, who is perfect love (1 John 4:16) exorcises the possession of the false god, fear. Consequently, our relationship with him is to be motivated by love, not terror.

 

To borrow a lyric from one of my favorite bands, “You can tell what you trust by the things that you fear.” Friends, let us stop kneeling at the shrines of fear – whatever they may be and wherever they may appear – because we trust in the God who conquered all there was to fear. Through Jesus, our inheritance is to “boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper. I will not fear’” (Hebrews 13:6, NKJ, emphasis mine).