Fearing God

This study was prompted by reading the account in 2 Sam 6 and thinking �Why was David so unafraid to jump and dance and have exuberant worship in God�s presence. Didn�t he know that he should fear God?

This is even more of a problem when you see what had just happened in the previous chapter. �David seemed to have every reason to be cautious but he has thrown caution to the wind and given God all his energy.

Love has cast out fear

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Luke 1:74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,

Are we still to �fear God� or is that an �outmoded� Old Covenant idea?

Ephes. 5:21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

2 Cor. 7:1 Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Rev. 19:5 And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”

1 Peter 2:17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

1. Fear in the O.T.

• I did a very detailed word study on all twenty of the Hebrew words used for �fear�.
• I was hoping that there would be a nice neat division...
• But even a seeming within the same verse:
  Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”

Solution is idea of covenant allegiance

• Covenant in OT times (blessings and curses)
  Deut 28:1f —blessings
  Deut 28:15f �curses

Deut. 10:12

• And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
  Deut. 4:10 how on the day that you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, the LORD said to me, ‘Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.’
  Judges 6:10 And I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.”
  Psalm 31:19 (fear = covenant trust) Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!
  Psalm 33:18 (fear = hope in mercy) Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
  Psalm 147:11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
  Ps 130:4 But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared. [we can remain in the covenant]
  Job 4:6 Is not your reverence [fear] your confidence? And the integrity of your ways your hope? [bad translation]

Does Jesus fear God?

Isa 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

Isa 11:3 His delight is in the fear of the LORD, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears;

Isa 63:17 O LORD, why have You made us stray from Your ways, and hardened our heart from Your fear? Return for Your servants’ sake, the tribes of Your inheritance.

2. David in 2 San 5:17 � 6:22

• 5:20 break out on those outside the covenant
• 6:8 break out on David, since he has stepped outside
• 6:9 David fears
• 6:14 No fear

3. What about �Fear� in the N.T.?

The word follows basically the same usage as the O.T. There are places where it cannot possibly mean �terror�

Eph 5:33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects [lit fears] her husband.

I think that the best approach is to ask the question �Was anyone ever to be afraid of Jesus?� No! Not even...

Matthew 17:6-7 —transfigured: When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.”

Matthew 28:10 —resurrected: Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Rev. 1:17 —or in heaven: When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,

Sometimes his miracles could make people afraid:

Matthew 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

Mark 6:50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

Luke 5:10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

4. Summary

• Main idea behind fear is allegiance, Covenant allegiance —we are committed to him, he is our Lord
• Fear in the form of terror is only appropriate if we are outside the covenant (i.e. he is not our Lord anymore).
• Forgiveness allows us to live without fear (because we keep sinning)
• But a secondary idea behind fear is awe, amazement, WOW!
• God is still GOD
• Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
  • Story of great leader whose little girl could walk right into his office without fear
  • Would you be like that?
  • Is our heavenly father better? (If you know how to give good gifts... how much more...)
  • What kind of father would want their children to be in terror of them?
  • We should be like that in our relationship with God