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We’re taking a break from 1 Corinthians to spend six weeks in the book of Proverbs. Thinking about, “Living in the Fear of the Lord.”
Please stand... reading of Proverbs 1:1–7.
WWI war hero Alvin C. York is better known by the title used in the movie about him, Sergeant York.
His heroism on October 8, 1918:
From his diary: “[T]hose machine guns were spitting fire and cutting down the undergrowth all around me something awful…. I didn’t have time to dodge behind a tree or dive into the brush, I didn’t even have time to kneel or lie down…. As soon as the machine guns opened fire on me, I began to exchange shots with them. In order to sight me or to swing their machine guns on me, the Germans had to show their heads above the trench, and every time I saw a head I just touched it off. All the time I kept yelling at them to come down. I didn’t want to kill any more than I had to. But it was they or I. And I was giving them the best I had.”[1]
His 9 men captured 80. On way back to base they captured 40 more.
We love that bravery. Manly courage. But…”fearless”? Not exactly. His fear of dying was greater than his fear of fighting. Greater fears drive out lesser fears.
In Why I Am Not a Christian, Bertrand Russell says,
Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear….Fear is the basis of the whole thing—fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death….Science can help us get over this craven fear in which mankind has lived for so many generations.
Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Christian[2]
He's half-right. Religion is based on fear. John Murray said, “The fear of God is the soul of godliness.”[3]
But Russell is wrong in thinking that we get rid of fear by turning to science instead of religion. A lot of our world has turned to science, and the result is an ever-increasing list of fears and phobias.
But what about?
Michael Reeves is right: “Anxiety grows best in the soil of unbelief.”[4]
But the fear of the Lord is our topic this morning. And that’s a fear unlike any other fear you might have.
What we’ll find is that the fear of the Lord has an orienting power. When you fear God properly, all other fears can find their proper size and shape.
To think about this fear, we’ll look at the book of Proverbs. Most is written Israel’s King Solomon about 500 years after Moses and a 900 before Christ.
It’s easy to think of these as like the pithy statements of Benjamin Franklin,
He that lies down with Dogs, shall rise up with fleas.
Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack (1733)
But the wisdom of Proverbs is much deeper. Daniel Estes defines wisdom as “skill in living within the moral order of Yahweh's world.”[5]
Fundamental to this “skill in living” is a proper fear of God.
Our topic is the fear of the Lord. We’ll ask three questions about it: (1) What is “the Fear of the LORD”? (2) Why Should You Want It? (3) What Place Does It Have in the Book of Proverbs?
Prayer
Two verses that really set the stage for our sermon this morning are 1:7 and 9:10. We’ll return to these often:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Prov 1:7)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Prov 9:10)
The second verse, Proverbs 9:10, brings out a key aspect of “the fear of the LORD.” It means to have “the knowledge of the Holy One.”
“Holy” means morally perfect. And “separate from” and “above” all things. He is completely “Other.”
You can’t have a “fear of the LORD” unless you have “the knowledge of the Holy One.”
This means knowing him as CREATOR.
The God of Amos 4:
For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth— the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name! (Amos 4:13)
Laird Hamilton[6] – On Aug 17, 2000 rode a wave in Tahiti that changed “big wave surfing” forever. Redefined what’s possible.
Cover of 2001 Surfer Magazine (Vol 42 No 2) had a picture of Laird on that ride with the caption: “Oh my God.”
But what about the God who made that wave? “Oh, my God!” is right!
Knowing him as the DOER OF AWESOME THINGS.
The God of Deuteronomy 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, 13 and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?...17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe....21 He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen. (Deut 10:12–13, 17, 22)
A true “fear of the LORD” sees his awesome greatness but sees his beauty and grace as well. A true “fear of the LORD” is also filled with JOY IN GOD.
That’s why Isaiah says of Christ, “His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD” (Isa 11:3). That’s why the women at the empty of tomb of Jesus were said by Matthew to depart “quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy” (Matt 28:8).
Proverbs 28:14:
Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. (Prov 28:14)
“Blessed” means “happy.” The person is “happy” who “fears the LORD always.” It is more than simple happiness, but means a life marked by the favor and grace of God. But in that favor and grace there is joy—happiness. A contentment and satisfaction in the Lord.
Knows God as REDEEMER.
Psalm 130:
If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. (Ps 130:3–4)
Knows God as PROVIDER.
Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount says, “Do not be anxious.” Your heavenly Father will clothe you and feed you and watch over you. Don’t be anxious about tomorrow. Trust him today (Matt 6:25–34).
A true “fear of the LORD” sees all this. A true fear sees his AWESOME GREATNESS but also his FORGIVENESS, MERCY, and SUSTAINING GRACE. It sees the God of terrible judgments in the Old Testament, but also the glory of the face of Christ in the New Testament and knows that in the face of Christ is life and forgiveness and all that could ever be desired (2 Cor 4:6).
A true fear of God runs TO GOD and not AWAY FROM GOD. A true fear of God is a mixture of awe and delight. We’re awed by him but we also delight in him.[7] A true fear of God OBEYS HIM, because he is our Lord and King and Master, and we are his royal sons and daughters. To fear him is to love him, worship him, be in awe of him, rejoice in him.
Charles Spurgeon in his sermon, “A Fear to be Desired”:
We are filled with a holy awe as we think of God’s greatness, and the result of that is that we are moved to fall before him in reverent adoration. We turn to the Word of God, and there we see further proofs of his greatness in all his merciful arrangements for the salvation of sinners, — and especially in the matchless redemption wrought out by his well-beloved Son, every part of which is full of the divine glory; and as we gaze upon that glory with exceeding joy, we shrink to nothing before the Eternal, and the result again is lowly adoration. We bow down and adore and. worship the living God, with a joyful, tender fear, which both lays us low, and lifts us very high, for never do we seem to be nearer to heaven’s golden throne than when our spirit gives itself up to worship him whom it does not see, but in whose realized presence it trembles with sacred delight.
Charles Spurgeon, “A Fear to be Desired”[8]
Confession: The truth is, when I think about God as “the Holy One” in this way, it’s humbling. It’s humbling because I realize how little I know God. After 33 years my thoughts of God are too small and too seldom. It takes effort to think of him in the right ways.
But in these words King Solomon is inviting us to do what he himself couldn’t do—which is to truly “fear the LORD.” The author of most of Proverbs lost his way in life, because he lost “the fear of the LORD.”
But the Holy Spirit inspired his words nonetheless. And in these Spirit-inspired words, God invites us know him and love him and be amazed at him. To lift our eyes and see him as Creator, Holy One, Redeemer, Forgiver, Provider, Father.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Prov 1:7)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Prov 9:10)
Now we want to think about why you should want a right “fear of the LORD.”
Well, the first reason to want it is that it means youtruly know the living God.
If you don’t have a right “fear of the LORD” you don’t have a right relationship with God.
Apart from Christ:
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Psalm 36:1; Romans 3:18)
But if you have a right fear of the LORD you do know him. You know the Holy One. You know the God who made all things, performs awesome acts of power, who forgives your sins, whose very presence is better than life itself, the God who came to us to save us.
“The fear of the LORD” is its own reward. Because there’s know greater reward God could give for knowing him than knowing him.
But he does give us more.
In the book of Proverbs we’re concerned with “wisdom,” that “skillful living” in the moral world God has made.
And in 1:7 it’s said to be “the beginning of wisdom.” This has a temporal meaning. The “first thing” you do in pursuing what is true “wisdom” is “fear the LORD” (Bruce Waltke).
Bruce Waltke:
The temporally first step in this case is not on a horizontal axis that can be left behind but on a vertical axis on which all else rests. It denotes both the beginning and the first principle. What the alphabet is to reading, notes to reading music, and numerals to mathematics, the fear of the LORD is to attaining the revealed knowledge of this book.
Bruce Waltke, The Book of Proverbs[9]
Why? The first reason is because it leads to “wisdom.” That “skill in living” in God’s world as he has made it.
But also we can think of the promises made about those who fear the Lord are meant to win us, to persuade this, that this is something you should want. It’s a prize to run after. It’s a treasure that makes you rich no matter what your bank account or worldly reputation might say.
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. (Prov 14:27)
Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it. (Prov 15:16)
Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. (Prov 28:14)
Proverbs 14:27 – “A fountain of life” — Not “fountain” in the sense of something man-made and which needs an external water supply. But more like a “spring of life”—A perpetual source of life. A refreshing supply of life. Even in the darkest and hardest of times, it brings life.
Proverbs 15:16 – A reminder that Proverbs is not a “health and wealth” gospel” where everyone gets rich, and no one gets sick. How do we know? Because in this verse the one who “fears the LORD” only has “a little.” He doesn’t have “great treasure.” But “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.” Be encouraged if that describes your household, you only have “a little,” but you do have “the fear of the LORD.” It’s “BETTER”!
Proverbs 28:14 – Makes us “blessed.” As I said, “blessed” means “happy.” It’s more than a superficial happiness. But there is a joy and contentment. There is a happiness in it.
APPLICATION: A “fountain of life,” something “better” than treasure, “blessed”: Maybe you hear that and think, “That’s not my life. My life just isn’t working right now.” Maybe one of the reasons your life isn’t working right now is that you’re not living in the fear of the LORD. He isn’t the center, the foundation, the structure of your life. He’s just an appendage, along with your exercise plan and financial strategy. Put God at the center, and see what happens.
But as we think about this series in Proverbs, we also want to consider “the fear of the LORD” in relation to the book of Proverbs. What place does it have in Proverbs?
The OT scholar Bruce Waltke refers to the combination lock of Proverbs. You need the right numbers to open it. One of these key numbers is “the fear of I AM,” “the fear of the LORD.”[10] Without “the fear of I AM”/ “the fear of the LORD,” you won’t be able to figure out the combination lock for the book. The truths and insights it contains won’t accomplish what they’re supposed to.
Three verses from Proverbs help us see that:
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Prov 1:7)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Prov 9:10)
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. (Prov 31:30)
If Proverbs is a house, these verses are the foundation and load-bearing walls. They give the shape and strength to the whole house.
In a house you can’t just put up a window and curtain and a kitchen and stick a couch in the middle of a field. That’s not a house, it’s a yard sale.
And if you put up walls and a roof but there’s no real structure and support and foundation, the first big storm will knock the whole thing over.
The “fear of the LORD” is that strength and structure. It’s what gives shape to all the Proverbs.
Proverbs presents a vast array of topics—speech, purity, work, justice, romance, laziness, leadership, marriage, parenting, poverty, riches, youth, old age, how to treat animals, how to greet your neighbor in the morning.
These can give practical help to about anyone. But their real power is when they’re attached to a person who fears the LORD. Then they can really bring the blessings and life they are meant to.
Anytime you read the book of Proverbs, remember that. Remember 1:7 and 9:10 and 31:30. Let the rest of it be connected to those pillars, to that foundation.
What is “the Fear of the LORD”? It’s our whole being responding to what God says about himself in his Word. It’s a combination of being in awe of him and delighting in him.
Why Should You Want it? Because it’s a “fountain of life” and brings “blessing”—happiness!
What Place Does it Have in the Book of Proverbs? It’s the foundation and structure for everything said. It’s the letters of the alphabet of Proverbs.
When you hear this you might be thinking, “I don’t have it.”
Maybe it’s because you are not a Christian—in our fallen state,
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Rom 3:18)
The rescue is in the One who had a perfect “fear of the LORD”—Christ! He is “something greater than Solomon” (Matt 12:42). In Colossians 2:3, Jesus is the One “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Anxiety grows best in the soil of unbelief. It withers in contact with faith. And faith is fertilized by the fear of God.
Michael Reeves, Rejoice & Tremble[11]
Sergeant York.
May our fear of the LORD do the same for us—whatever battles our God brings.
Let’s pray
[1] History.com Editors, “U.S. soldier Alvin York displays heroics at Argonne.”
[2] Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not a Christian (George Allen & Unwin, 1957), 22.
[3] John Murray, Principles of Conduct (Eerdmans, 1957), 229.
[4] Michael Reeves, Rejoice and Tremble, 25.
[5] Daniel Estes, Hear, My Son, NSBT, 43.
[6] See documentary Take Every Wave.
[7] See Michael Reeves, Rejoice & Tremble, 48, 50.
[8] Charles Spurgeon, “A Fear to be Desire,” https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/a-fear-to-be-desired/#flipbook/.
[9] Bruce Waltke, The Book of Proverbs: Proverbs 1–15, NICOT, 181.
[10] See his four-part series of articles in Bibliotheca Sacra (2008).
[11] Michael Reeves, Rejoice & Tremble, 25.
[12] “A Medal of Honor Love Story” by Dr. Edward G. Lengel at https://mohmuseum.org/york-love-story/. And History.com’s “U.S. soldier Alvin York displays heroics at Argonne.”
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