Meditating on Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom.”
Fear of the Lord is something missing in many versions
of modern American Christianity. Praise
is present as many Americans worship, their hands uplifted, singing hymns that
“just praise the Lord.” Self-fulfillment
is a strong emphasis as well. The
preacher takes a measure of the Bible, mixes it with a measure of psychology,
and puts before worshippers the hope of feeling better about their lives. Even when the message is very traditional,
“we’re sinners and Jesus died for our sins,” it can be delivered in a way that
does not evoke fear of the Lord. How
often do we carry out of church the feeling of the malefactor, “Don’t you fear
God since you are under the same sentence?
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” (Luke
23:40-41)
The fear of the Lord is akin to our other fears, fears
about health, finances, relationships, and what have you. “What’s to become of me?” haunts the
anxieties of daily life and it takes an effort in self-delusion to keep fear,
malefactor type fear, out of our thoughts about God. While there are similarities, the fear of the
Lord transforms our anxious moments. It
is focused on the Lord, not just our feelings directed at various causes of
fear. The fear of the Lord engages the
mind and meditation in addition to feelings.
“All who follow His precepts have good understanding.” (Psalm
111:10b) You can’t fear the Lord without
a Bible close by and when you do, you come to a trust that “God is for us, who
can be against us? He who did not spare
His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him,
graciously give us all things?” (Romans
8:31-32) The fear of the Lord is awe
that the eternal and mysterious gives us hope in place of dread. “I tell you the truth, today you will be with
Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom
shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold
of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1) There’s nothing wrong with praise and
fulfillment in worship and life but you can’t get there by a short cut. You have to die with Christ, “the power of
God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:24)
“Wisdom’s highest, noblest treasure, Jesus, is revealed
in You. Let me find in You my pleasure,
and my wayward will subdue, humility there and simplicity reigning, in paths of
true wisdom my steps ever training. If I
learn from Jesus this knowledge divine, the blessing of heavenly wisdom is
mind.” (Lutheran Service Book 536, 3)
The Bible beckons, “Come, my children, listen to Me; I
will teach you the fear of the Lord.” (Psalm 34:11)