Freedom is found in the fear of the Lord. Though man’s philosophy vilifies fear as an enemy of the mind with immobilizing power, the fear of God is the only way to experience true liberty. You will serve what you fear. It is no wonder that Solomon said that we must “fear God, and keep his commandments” because fear is the prerequisite of obedience (Ecc. 12:13). And the fear that fosters submission to God ultimately frees us of bondage to the flesh.
Having a true reverence for God, which is the fear of the Lord, is the key to enjoying intimacy with Him. The fear of the Lord undergirds our faith in and love for Him, and it prepares us for a closeness to Him that is unknowable any other way. If we do not fear Him, we will not know Him.
Without the fear of the Lord, we will be unable to have perfect faith in Him. Hebrews 11:6 tells us that we cannot please God without faith, but the very next verse says, “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house” (Heb. 11:6-7). What Noah did was “by faith”, but he was “moved with fear.” Fear was the fuel of his faith; it was his faith’s driving force. Psalms 147:11 says that God is pleased with those who fear Him. Reverence will not be born from faith because the “fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”; rather, holy fear will move a person to God-pleasing faith (Psa. 111:10; Pro. 9:10; 15:33).
Without the fear of the Lord, we cannot wholly love Him. Some would suggest that fear is antithetical to love citing 2 Timothy 1:7, but that verse means that God has not given us the spirit of timidity. The same person may quote 1 John 4:18 saying that “perfect love casteth out fear”, but the kind of fear that verse references means “alarm or fright” (Strong G5401). The fear of the Lord is not timidity, alarm, or fright; but it is a deep reverence for the God of the universe. Deuteronomy 10:12 instructs Israel “to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” Fear comes before love; and any love one has toward God apart from fear will be a partial, immature love at best. Only the person who recognizes, as much as is possible, how truly great God is and understands the psalmist’s call to “stand in awe of him” can begin to know Him enough to possess and express a perfect love toward God (Psa. 33:8).
If we fear the Lord, He will draw us closer to Him than we can ever imagine. One with a genuine reverence toward God will be drawn closer to Him when God reveals His glory. But those who do not fear God will feel only alarm and fright at His glory because irreverence cannot remain in the manifest presence of God. Psalms 25:14 says, “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” This verse means that closeness or intimacy with God is with those who fear Him and that God will show them truth. Those who truly fear God will be brought by God to a place where He will share with them things that He will share only with a confidant.
Thank God we have the freedom to fear Him whereby we may enjoy the liberty to serve Him and not the world, sin, or flesh! As our reverence of Him powers our faith and deepens our love for God, we will come to know an intimacy with Him that will be rivaled only in the life to come.
Bibliography
Bevere, John. The Fear of the Lord: Discover the Key to Intimately Knowing God. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2006.
Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Abingdon Press, 1890. Print.