The Proverbs - Whom shall I fear?

A Primary Theme of Proverbs

1:7 -- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction

9:10 -- The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight

Without the fear of the Lord there is no hope of ever living a godly life or even desiring one

What kind of fear is meant in the passage, “DO NOT FEAR!”

Fear of guilt, or danger, or the unknown (Terror)

” What kind of fear is meant in the passage, “That His fear may be before you, that you may not sin”

It is an attitude of reverence that recognizes God’s immense glory and realizes before whom one is standing

God is both Immanent and transcendent

God’s transcendence and immanence are both true simultaneously and without contradiction

We must encounter God’s transcendence in addition to His immanence if we want to truly know Him

IMPACTS OF MINIMIZING HIS TRANSCENDENCE

•It is an obstacle to truly knowing the One, True, revealed God

Can cause us to view God as beholding to us

Will minimize, in our attitudes, the vast difference between Creator and creature

Humanity stands before God, not God before humanity

Proverbs 23:17 – continual submission to God in humility and faith

Proverbs 8:13 and 16:6 – hatred of evil and a desire to turn away from sin

Proverbs 1:29; 2:5; 9:10;15:33 - leads to greater love for and knowledge of God

Proverbs 14:26 – gives confidence

Proverbs 19:23 – gives satisfaction and protection

Proverbs 15:16: Fearing God is better than all earthly treasures

Psalm 33:8 - to stand in awe of the living God

Psalm 22:3 – to glorify Him

Psalm 40:3 – to trust Him wholeheartedly

Psalm 103:17 – to receive His steadfast love

Psalm 25:14 – to experience friendship with God

It is safe to say that fearing the Lord is virtually synonymous with giving God your undivided attention for His glory

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness;

give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name (Ps. 86:11)

A good healthy fear of the Lord means to have a 24/7, 360-degree awareness that everything we do, say, and think is in front of a holy and just God who sees and judges everything we do

It is the awareness that each of us lives life Coram Deo, before the face of our Holy, Glorious God!

A. W. Tozer - “The fear of God is... astonished reverence. I believe that the reverential fear of God mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and admiration and devotion is the most enjoyable state and the most satisfying emotion the human soul can know”