Anthem Seven
A Reverent Covenant
“The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever...” Psalms 19: 9a
The Wisdom in Fear
Part 1 of 3
When I looked up into that star-studded sky, and beheld those magnificent, snow-capped, Colorado monuments, I was possessed with a sense of awe and respect. Before that beautiful creation, I stood in quiet reverence for the mighty deeds He had done. In realizing the shallowness of my knowledge, I found my heart desiring more of Him. Because of His mighty works, and His precious covenant with us, I felt drawn to fear my Lord. And, it was the writer of Proverbs in 1: 7 that said, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction”.
David begins v. 9 with, “The fear of the Lord…” When we stand in the awe filled presence of our Lord, we should stand in reverence rather than be afraid. Our Elohim is ever merciful to us. For that reason, we approach Him in a Biblical aspect of fear—reverence. Moses tells his people in 20: 20 of Exodus “Do not fear, for YHVH has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin”. Even so, the people chose to remain afraid. For v. 21 says of our very human tendency, “So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where YHVH was”.
Moses was doing what we might say, “practicing what he preached”. That is the quality of any good leader. In his death-bed testimony, David said in 23: 3 of the second book of Samuel, “YHVH of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: he who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of YHVH”. What an awesome responsibility it is to be in authority over any other person or group of persons, as the meaning of the word, “ruling”, suggests. Whether as an apostle, pastor, teacher, or even a husband, only the wisdom of YHVH, the beginning of which is His reverence, can effectively and gently care for the tender lambs within the scope of their authority.
The record further shows this concept in 2 Chronicles 19: 8. It says King Jehoshaphat “appointed some of the Levites and priests, and some of the chief fathers of Israel, when they returned to Jerusalem”. The charge to these leaders of YHVH's children in v. 9 was simply, “Thus you shall act in the fear of the Lord, faithfully and with a loyal heart”.
Anything short of this type of fear is a mockery before those whom we lead—a scandal, if you will. Nehemiah rebuked his own people for a lack of this quality. He said in 5: 9, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our Elohim because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?”
Yes, the fear of our Lord certainly is the beginning of wisdom. It is also a protection against the sinister qualities of human nature. The writer of the Psalms said in 2: 11, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling”. The writer appears to be saying, “Serve God with His kind of fear, but keep your wits about you. The nature of human tendency can and usually does sneak in unawares”. Only when we learn true fear and reverence are we useful in His service.
Click Here To Continue In The 19th Psalm
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