We all have fears. Personally when younger, I never had any fear about driving on icy or snowy roads. My confidence though put me into some situations like sticking the car in a snow bank to avoid stopped traffic. As the years go by, my fear of driving on poor road conditions has increased. I avoid it if at all possible. It’s not that I don’t have the skill. It’s the fear of all the bad possibilities. To some degree my fear has caused me to be more prudent in my decision making process when it comes to driving.
Fear is one of the first emotions recorded in the Bible. After Adam and Eve had sinned, God came to the garden looking for them. They had hid because they were afraid. (Gen 3:8,10) He had disobeyed God and now fear of what God would do had overtaken him.
However, God in His grace provided atonement for them with animal skins as coverings. Furthermore, He promised a future deliver from their fallen condition, the Seed of the woman. (Gen 3:15) Though their disobedience brought significant consequences, God gave them a ray of hope.
Truly God is that what we should fear most in life. "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matt 10:28) Unfortunately many Christians do not have much fear of God and most of us lack the proper fear of God. Much of the church has developed tunnel vision, focusing only on the love of God, as if God has only a single attribute – love. Some even exclaim that due to His love, He will not send anyone to hell (Except maybe for a few really bad people or those in their life that cause them much grief). But that is contrary to the words of Jesus who said “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many that go in by it”. (Matt 7:13)
When the Philistines returned the Ark of the Covenant, the men of Beth Shemesh flippantly looked into the ark and many of them were killed . They had handled the Holy objects in a careless manner in violation of God’s law. The dilemma they expressed this way, “Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God?” (I Sam 6:20) Their lack of obedience to the law was a direct result of their lack of fear of the Lord and it had disastrous results.
God is love. God is merciful. God is forgiving. God is good. God is just. God is righteous. God is Holy. Who can stand before this Holy God? I believe it is those who fear Him. More on this next time.