Fear of the Lord

“Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:13).

There are over 300 references to the fear of the Lord in the Bible. The fear of the Lord motivates us to live the way we will wish we had lived when we stand before God at the judgment.

What we fear controls us to a certain extent. When we fear something or someone, that one has power over us—A wasp, spider, snake, heights, are all objects of fear. These things weld power over those that fear them. Show me what a man loves and what he fears and I’ll be able to tell you a lot about the character of that man.

Jesus said, “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both the soul and body in hell” (Mt. 10:28). It would be better to be “hell-scared” than “hell-scorched.”

On one American troopship, the soldiers crowded around their chaplain and asked, “Do you believe in hell?” The chaplain answered, “I do not.” Then the troops said, “Then please resign, for if there is no hell, we don’t need you, and if there is a hell, we don’t want to be lied to.”

Do you fear God? God asks, “If then I be a father, where is mine honour? And if I be a master, WHERE IS MY FEAR?” (Mal. 1:6)

Preacher