The Fear of the Lord
(Hebrews 12:28-29)
Today people say that fear is a negative thing and there is really nothing to fear. But as we will see in this lesson the fear of the Lord is not only good for you it is a necessity.
In theses verses from the book of Hebrews we see an interesting fact concerning the fear of the Lord. We see that the fear of the Lord is not reverential trust as most people today say it is. Note in verse 28 we are to serve God with reverence and Godly fear. Reverence and fear are two different things just as this verse says that they are. Therefore, to fear the Lord means exactly what is says, FEAR the Lord.
In this lesson we are going to look at some definitions from the word of God for what the fear of the Lord is. We will also see some things we must do regarding fearing the Lord, and we will also see some benefits of fearing the Lord.
Biblical definitions for the fear of the Lord:
Job 28:28 (The fear of the Lord is wisdom)
Psalm 19:9 (The fear of the Lord is clean)
Proverbs 1:7 (The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge)
Proverbs 8:13 (The fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride, and arrogancy)
Proverbs 14:27 (The fear of the Lord is strong confidence)
Proverbs 15:33 (The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom)
Some things we must do with the fear of the Lord:
1) We must be taught the fear of the Lord (Psalm 34:11)
- Just as with little children who have to be taught to fear things that are dangerous for them, we have to be taught the fear of the Lord.
- One of the best ways to be taught the fear of the Lord is by reading the word of God. The word of God teaches us in the Old Testament about the power of God and how he judges sin in the lives of his people. The more time we spend in the word of God the more fear of the Lord we should have.
2) We must understand the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 2:5)
- It is one thing to be taught something, but it is another thing to understand what you have been taught. Everyone that has taken algebra or geometry understands this principle.
- In the passage from Proverbs, we see that a requirement for understanding the fear of the Lord is to seek and cry after knowledge and understanding.
- This is probably the reason that most people today misunderstand what the fear of the Lord is; they are not seeking after knowledge and understanding.
- Just as with being taught the fear of the Lord we see that the word of God is the key.
3) You must choose the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:29)
- Once you have been taught to fear the Lord and have a real understanding of what it really is then the choice is yours. You will either choose to fear the Lord or you will choose not to.
- The choice is completely up to you but the consequences of not fearing the Lord can be disastrous.
Benefits of having the fear of the Lord:
1) The fear of the Lord can help you live longer (Proverbs 10:27)
- It makes sense that by fearing the Lord we would naturally follow his word and by following his word we can possibly live longer than if we don’t follow his word.
2) The fear of the Lord causes us to depart from evil (Proverbs 16:6)
- One of the direct results of fearing the Lord is to realize that he will judge sin in our lives. The more we understand this the less evil we will be associated with.
3) The fear of the Lord brings satisfaction (Proverbs 19:23)
- One of the biggest problems for lost and saved people alike today is lack of contentment. No one is satisfied with their job, spouse, home, car, etc. We always want something bigger and better.
- The fear of the Lord is said to bring satisfaction. If we had more fear of the Lord we could live a more content and satisfied life.
The fear of the Lord is one of the most necessary things in life and the benefits are tremendous for the saved person. Do not let anyone fool you fear means fear and there is too much at stake to not have the fear of the Lord.
The Fear of the Lord (Hebrews 12:28-29)
Handout
1) What is the fear of the Lord? What is the fear of the Lord not?
2) Give some biblical definitions for the fear of the Lord.
3) List three things that we must do with the fear of the Lord.
4) What are some of the benefits of the fear of the Lord?