The Fear of the Lord - How to obtain it

John Hoole February 1, 2004

I enjoy browsing through libraries. It is especially awe-inspiring to go into a giant library. There they are - stacks and stacks of books - thousands of them - and more arriving every day. And there are find libraries all over the world, containing books old and new. As you stand before this gigantic mountain of human knowledge, the logical question is, "where do you start?" You don't have the time to master it all. So you must get your priorities arranged and put first things first. You don't have time to major in minors. The sensible thing is to figure out what is the most important thing in the world to know and then make sure that you learn that one thing. The Book of Proverbs, in the Bible, tells what that one thing is. Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, tells us that the fear of the Lord is where to start. It is the principal part of all true knowledge. Of all the things to be known in this world and in this life, this stands at the top of the list. GOD IS TO BE FEARED!
In the last couple of lessons, we have discussed the definition of "the fear of the Lord." But we haven't yet finished our study of this very important subject so we will continue it today. We are spending this amount of time on "the fear of the Lord," because Solomon shows it to be the underlying fundamental principle of the entire book of Proverbs. He tells us that the Fear of the Lord is the foundation upon which the superstructure of wisdom and knowledge is built.
We have defined "the fear of the Lord" as being more than "Awe, Respect and Reverence." It involves the desire to do His will and to please Him with our lives. The Bible makes a solid connection between fearing God and keeping his commandments.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 KJV
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Fearing God and obeying Him go together.

In an earlier lesson, we have also learned that while fearing God is not the same as being "fearful" or "afraid" however, it does not totally exclude this concept either.
Another thing learned last week is how a person can assess whether they truly have the fear of the Lord. Proverbs 8:13 tells us "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil…." How much do we hate sin? This is a very important measure of our level of Godly fear. What do we tolerate in society - or in our homes?
As we continue our investigation of what the Bible says about the Fear of the Lord, let me begin with a question.
WHAT TEMPTATION DID SATAN USE TO LURE EVE INTO DISOBEYING GOD?
Genesis 3:4-6 NKJV
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

One of the driving forces which caused Adam and Eve to eat that which had been forbidden, was the thought about becoming as "wise" as God. But in trying to become wise, they rejected the very first principle of wisdom --- the fear of the Lord. They had lost proper reverence (respect) for God. Any person who forgets or refuses to stand in awe and revere God is inviting problems. It was because Adam and Eve did not retain a proper fear of God, that the human race fell.
If the fear of the Lord is this important, then we had better make sure we have it.
SO, HOW DO WE GAIN SUCH AN AWE OF GOD AND THUS A HATRED FOR SIN?
HOW DO WE LEARN THE PROPER FEAR OF THE LORD?

1. First, we must choose with our will to possess the fear of God.
We must engage our wills and decide to treat God like He deserves to be treated.
Proverbs 1:28-29 (NIV)
28 Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.
29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD,
We must choose to have the fear of the Lord.

2 Chronicles 26:3-5 (NIV)
3 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother's name was Jecoliah; she was from Jerusalem.
4 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done.
5 He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.

Young King Uzziah followed in his father footsteps. His reign was finally eulogized this way: "He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord." HOW? He sought God. During the ministry of the priest Zechariah, Uzziah sought God's counsel. Zechariah, being a God-fearing man, taught a young man with great responsibilities how to heed the Word of God and seek His face in prayer. But it came down to Uzziah's attitude. Hunger and humility of heart led him to submit to Zechariah's wisdom so that he could learn more perfectly how to both fear and please the Lord. The benefit, the rewards, to Uzziah? "As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success."
God will not give this fear to us unless we want it. Nobody else can do it for us. We must see this as something we choose above all else. We must recognize we desperately need to have a proper fear of the Lord.
2. Second, we should confess our desperate lack of this fear, and ask God for it.
Psalm 86:11 tells us:
Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name."

In this verse, the Psalmist tells us that an undivided heart will enable us to have the fear of the Lord. We need an undivided heart so we can focus solely on God. It also implies that we cannot have an undivided heart without God's help.
In the New Testament, our Lord also teaches us how we should ask for the fear of God.
Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV)
7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Each of the verbs in this Passage are present, continuous, active, which means "ask and keep asking, seek and keep seeking, knock and keep knocking and the door will be opened unto you." You may not feel any different immediately after asking, but if you have desired it with your heart, and keep asking for it in faith, you will receive the fear of God. It will become apparent by your new reaction to sin, for which you will have an increasing hatred.
3. Third, recognize that God wants to teach you the fear of the Lord.
I find a statement by David in one of the Psalms interesting. In this Psalm, he collects his children around him for the purpose of teaching them something. David was an expert musician, a statesman and a soldier. But he does not say to his children:
• "Come, I will teach you to play upon the harp."
• or "Let's learn how to hand the sword or spear or how to draw the bow or use a sling."
• Nor did he say, "I will teach you the complexities of the policies of government and statesmanship."

RATHER, WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE HE WAS GOING TO TEACH THEM?
Psalm 34:11 (NIV)
11 Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days,...

He said he was going to teach them the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is far better than all arts and sciences. And it is better than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Look at this passage again. David may have been addressing his children, But God is also addressing us through this Passage. God, through the words of the Psalmist is speaking directly to us.
• What must we do? Listen; "listen to me."
• What will He teach? "I will teach you the fear of the Lord."
• Who is invited? "Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days."

God really does want to teach us the fear of the Lord. This, of course, implies that we are able to learn it.
Deuteronomy 31:10-13 (NIV)
10 Then Moses commanded them: "At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles,
11 when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing.
12 Assemble the people--men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns--so they can listen and learn to fear the LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.
13 Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the LORD your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."

The fear of the Lord can be learned, and God wants to teach it to us. Notice, again, that learning to fear God is linked to the Word of God. As you spend time in God's Word, you will gain a healthy degree of the "fear of the Lord."
4. Fourth, revere the universal, non-optional principles of God's Word
Earlier, I mentioned that doing a search of the Scriptures that speaks of the "fear of the Lord, would help us gain an understanding of the reverence and awe we should have towards God. This point addresses the entirety of the Scriptures. The fear of the Lord is learned by a daily commitment to the principles of God's Word. This was a requirement for the kings and priests of Israel just as it is today with Christians who are called "kings and priests unto God." (Rev. 1:6)
Deuteronomy 17:19 (NKJV) speaks concerning the Word of God.
19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes.

The Word of God is vitally important for anyone learning the fear of the Lord. Just as the kings and priests of Old Testament times, we Christians need the word of God every day.
5. Fifth, honor God with the first fruit of all your increase
WHAT IS THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF GIVING OUR TITHES?
Many would say the primary purpose of the tithe and offerings is to support the work of the local church. Although that is very important, and is a part of the reason we give, the primary reason is to teach the giver the fear of the Lord. The truth of this is brought out in Deut 14:22-23 NKJV
22 You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.
23 ……the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.

We show we have learned the proper fear of the Lord when we acknowledge that God is in control of our funds and that He will reward our faith when we give to Him. On the other hand, when we do not have a proper fear of the Lord, and try to withhold the tithe, the devourer is allowed to consume our resources.
Malachi 3:8-11 NKJV
8 Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings.
9 You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, Says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.
11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says the LORD of hosts;

And just a few verses later in this discussion about tithing, we find verses 16 & 17.
Malachi 3:16-17 NKJV
16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name.
17 "They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.

So, another way to learn the fear of the Lord is through bringing out tithes to Him. And those who learn the fear of the Lord in this manner become His jewels.
6. Sixth, obedience is the fruit of fearing God
What you think about God is the most important thing about you. There is a direct correlation between our view of God and how we behave. When we fear God, we will live holy lives.
Proverbs 14:2 (NIV)
2 He whose walk is upright fears the LORD, but he whose ways are devious despises him.

What should be our motivation in obeying God? Some people obey because they fear the divine wrath if they don't Though it may cause one to obey God's commandments for a while, fear of punishment is not the highest motivation for serving God. Jesus says, "If you love Me, you will keep my commandments." (John 14:15) Obedience should spring from our love for God. That is a much better motive than fear of punishment. We should do things out of a desire to bring delight to God.
7. Seventh, desire the fear of the Lord with all our heart and strength
Proverbs 2:1-5 (NIV)
1. My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding,
3 and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

In this passage we have several keys to understanding and gaining the fear of the Lord. As you read the passages on the fear of the Lord, notice the characteristics of those having the fear of the Lord.

Questions, comments & suggestions to John Hoole