The Fear of the LORD Drives Out The Mocker
“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.”
Prov 9:7-9
Do I have the Fear of the Lord? Do I love those who rebuke me? A brother rebuked me harder than I can ever recall being rebuked earlier this year at the Global Leadership Conference. Those 45 minutes saved my life and forcefully reminded me how serious being lukewarm truly is. Furthermore, It is clear that things have definitively turned a corner both in our life and ministry because of that rebuke.
I must always add to my learning. That humble mindset must never stop. If I ever think I’ve “arrived” because I have some role or been a disciple for 20+ years now – I am a fool!
This is still wisdom speaking and “she” clarifies – what will make me a mocker will be lacking the Fear of the LORD.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you; if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.”
Prov 9:10-12
Clearly the scriptures repeat this theme: “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” If I stop fearing God, I stop being wise and will NOT have understanding. If I don’t Fear the Lord I’ll become that abusive “mocker” and as a result I alone will suffer! I’ll even resent those that disciple me. because of these things – I want to understand the “Fear of the LORD.”
The Fear of the LORD has many facets
The Fear of the LORD creates peace & sacrifice (tribute)
“The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not make war with Jehoshaphat. Some Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and silver as tribute, and the Arabs brought him flocks: seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred goats.”
2 Chron 17:10-11
Someone who does not fear the LORD is hostile. Therefore someone who fears the LORD is a peacemaker. Am I that hostile mocker or a peacemaker? Which is more important to me, victory in the argument or the relationship? Would I walk away from God because of a strained relationship? If so, then I don’t fear the LORD.
Someone who does not fear the LORD will not sacrifice because they will not have the heart to give a tribute to God. Those that fear God sacrifice tribute(s) to Him.
The Fear of the LORD creates integrity and discernment.
“Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem, and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim and turned them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges in the land, in each of the fortified cities of Judah. He told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”
2 Chron 19:4-7
The king PERSONALLY went among the people to turn them back to the LORD. He called the local judges to FEAR GOD, so they would have integrity and “careful judgment.“
The Fear of the LORD is the backbone of faithful and wholehearted service.
“In Jerusalem also, Jehoshaphat appointed some of the Levites, priests and heads of Israelite families to administer the law of the Lord and to settle disputes. And they lived in Jerusalem. He gave them these orders: “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord. In every case that comes before you from your fellow countrymen who live in the cities — whether bloodshed or other concerns of the law, commands, decrees or ordinances — you are to warn them not to sin against the Lord; otherwise his wrath will come on you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not sin.”
2 Chron 19:8-10
Without the Fear of the LORD, there will not be a faithfulness nor wholeheartedness.
The Fear of the LORD is pure and helps one persevere.
“The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.”
Ps 19:9
Fearing God is “clean.” If I am struggling with purity it is because I do not have the fear of God. If I am lacking endurance and thinking about quitting my faith, my God, his body (the church), then I must see I do not fear the LORD any longer. Fear the LORD and persevere!
The Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”
Ps 111:10
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
Prov 1:7
David taught his son Solomon this truth about the Fear of the LORD. In Psalm 34:11 (of David) he sings/says, “Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” Am I teaching my children the Fear of the LORD? Would they say they see these things in my day-to-day example? If I ask my 4-year-old son or my 9-year-old daughter, “Do you think daddy fears the LORD? Why?” What would they say? What in my day-to-day example would show them the Fear of the Lord? This is because I too want to train my children. I cannot train my children in something they do not see an example of!
If there is not a FEAR of the LORD, then there is no beginning of knowledge or wisdom. Conversion becomes just an act and the church is just another stage to perform on. Discipleship then becomes a crutch instead of a real call for us to become more like Jesus.
The Fear of the LORD takes Serious Effort to Understand
The Fear of the LORD is understood by:
- Searching
- Accepting God’s word
- Memorizing it
- Applying it
- Praying for understanding
“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
Prov 2:1-5
It’s not like one day I just miraculously understood the Fear of the LORD. I had to study the bible out with disciples who would explain it to me and call me to apply it.
There were many times in my life I have study or heard the bible, searched it, memorized it, but did not apply or accept it. Every one of these 5 mentioned steps are important. It is critical that I “accept[ed] [God’s] words.” This is because I did not want to admit I’d never truly obeyed God’s words or held to Jesus’ teachings despite years of church-going and a myriad of religious experiences. (John 8:31-32).
I had to “turn [my] ear to wisdom” and “apply [my] HEART to understanding.” And I still must do all these things today – once you start, you can’t stop or slouch. Trust me – you’ll get lukewarm. The only thing that made accepting and applying God’s word possible was dealing with all my emotions (my heart) when there was persecution, confusion, selfishness, and anger coming at me and out of me. There is no way to apply my heart to understanding if I don’t even get in touch with what I am feeling about things in my life.
Understanding The Fear of the LORD takes Serious Prayer
This is why I need to cry aloud for understanding. This is why I need to search my heart in deep prayer. Then I need to search the scriptures like I’m on a treasure hunt. The soul-searching is worth it, as it’s the key to even understanding the Fear of the LORD. This is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10) The honesty, the searching, the crying out and transparency are all worth it. This is because the Fear of the LORD adds length to life (Proverbs 10:27), is a fountain of life (Proverbs 14:27), helps me avoid evil (Proverbs 16:6), causes contentment (Proverbs 19:23), is the key to humility, honor, and life (Proverbs 22:4).
The Fear of the LORD is something Jesus Christ delights in.
“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord — and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.”
Isa 11:1-3
In this prophecy about Jesus, we learn that he delights in the Fear of the LORD. If I am to follow Jesus, then I too – like my “LORD” Jesus – will delight in the Fear of the Lord.
The Fear of the LORD is the key to salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
“The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”
Isa 33:5-6
If I do not have the Fear of the LORD I
- will not be saved
- have no key to salvation
No wonder Jesus’ delights in the Fear of the LORD; He came to seek and save the lost! (Luke 19:10)
The Fear of the LORD is the key to the church impacting lives.
“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.”
Acts 9:31
Because the church lived in the Fear of Lord it grew in numbers. Therefore I must ask myself – “will I?”
If my life is not having impact, I have to ask myself, “am I really living in the Fear of the LORD?” Do I understand the Fear of the LORD biblically or am I letting my culture or religious/sentimental notions define it?
Sometimes there is an aversion to fearing the LORD because it implies things like wrath, punishment, and God’s discipline. But in studying the Fear of the LORD, we see not a single scriptural reference has these notions in it.
When I was a child, the fear of my mother was sometimes enough to make me think twice. She’d discipline me best she could as a mother and I respected her for that. She taught me to love truth and emphasized the need for transparency in my life. These were some of the elements that helped me do the soul-searching I needed to do to have a “real” relationship with God.
The love of truth and transparency are both powerful scriptural principles (cf. 1 John 1:5-10). If I focus on God and what God is teaching me and if I seek God, then the Fear of the LORD will be something I can understand properly. Clearly, this pursuit is more than worth it. This is because the impact is eternal, both on my soul and countless others.
Amen.