THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE
THEIR EYES: (Ge
20:11; Ps 36:1; Pr 8:13; 16:6; 23:17; Lk 23:40; Rev 19:5)
Paul now at once sums up and explains
the universal corruption of every man ever born. The problem? No fear of
God!
SCRIPTURAL
STUDY
OF THE FEAR OF THE LORD
Have you ever taken time to do a
study the topic "the fear of the LORD"?
If not, you will find it to
be a most edifying and equipping study because as Solomon writes
"the fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge"
(Pr 1:7, cp Pr 9:10, Job 28:28, Eccl 12:13).
Remember we can get information "on line" but wisdom is from "on high"!
Take some time (e.g., consider doing this exercise in your quiet time -
but don't rush) to observe (observe
the text)
the Scriptures that deal with the fear of the Lord, asking the 5W's and
H (interrogate
with the 5W'S & H
- note that some verses stand alone but often you will need to check the
context),
meditating
and "chewing the cud" found in these passages and you will be greatly
rewarded by your Teacher, the Holy Spirit (Jn
14:16, 15:26, 27, 16:13, 14, 15,
1John 2:27).
I have done such a study and found it very convicting and at the same
time encouraging (as one sees the spiritual advantages bestowed on those
who fear the LORD). I would strongly encourage you to click on the
following Hebrew and Greek words for FEAR (nouns, verbs, adjectives)
where you will find links under the "Verse Count" to all the respective
uses in the NASB. Make your own observations BEFORE you
look at the topical lists at the bottom of the page, lest you spoil the
joy of self-discovery
A.W. Tozer said it well, “No
religion has been greater than its idea of God.” That gem has a
corollary: No church (and no individual) is greater than its (his or
her) reverent awe of our holy God. The Lord is holy and demands
recognition as such. Although most believers know that intellectually,
far fewer realize what this means practically. The fear of the LORD is
not a minor truth, for we read in the Old Testament “Live in the fear of
the Lord always” (Pr 23:17) and in the New Testament “fear Him who is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt 10:28). In other words,
please do not make the mistake of relegating this foundational truth to
the Old Testament thinking it is not valid for your New Testament faith
(cp Ro 10:17, Mk 9:24, Lk 17:5).
Here are a few questions to consider
which should help catalyze your study of the fear of the LORD -
In Eccl 12:13 what is associated with
the fear of God? What similar association do you see
in Job 28:28? Job 1:1? Ex 20:20? Pr 3:7, 8:13, 16:6? In Pr 28:14 what is the spiritual
advantage associated with fear of God? (and what is the converse of
fear?) What is the benefit of fear in Ps
25:14? Who does the Lord listen to - Mal 3:16? What was the "atmosphere"
in which the church was advancing in Acts 9:31? What is the fear of the
Lord associated with in 2Co 5:11 (cp 2Co 5:10!) and what should it
motivate us to do? What should motivate believers to live holy lives -
2Co 7:1? What is the fear of God associated with in Rev 14:6, 7? Who
(where) are those who fear God in Rev 19:5, the last use of fear of God
in the Bible. Is fear of God just an OT doctrine and we are no longer to
have a fear of God in the NT as I have heard some teach?
You will discover that the truth
about the fear of the LORD is absolutely foundational in regard to the
vitality of our faith. Enjoy!
OT OCCURRENCES
OF
FEAR
Not all of the uses below will yield
fruitful observations, but persevere in your "prospecting" and you will
discover some incredible nuggets of truth concerning the fear of
Jehovah.
Noun =
yir'ah
- 45 uses, the most fruitful being - Ge 20:11, 2Sa 23:3, 2Chr 19:9, Neh
5:9, 15, Job 4:6, 6:14, 28:28, Ps 2:11, 5:7, 19:9, 34:11, 90:11, 111:10,
119:38, Pr 1:7, 28-29, 2:2-3,4-5, 8:13, 9:10, 10:27, 14:26-27, 15:16,
33, 16:6, 19:23, 22:4, 23:17, Isa 11:2, 3, 29:13, 33:6, 63:17, Je 32:40
(cp with Jer 31:31, Heb 13:20)
Verb =
yare'
- This is the main Hebrew verb used over 300 times in the NASB with a
number of great truths! For an "appetizer" hold your pointer over
the following passages that speak of fearing Jehovah and be blessed by
simply listing the "advantages" to those who fear His Awesome Name - Ps
22:23, 25:12, 14, 31:19, 33:18, 34:7, 9, 85:9, 86:11, 103:13, 13, 17,
111:5, 112:1, 115:11, 13, 118:4, 119:63, 74, 79, 128:1, 4, 130:4,
135:20, 145:19, 147:11. Here are other uses that yield interesting
insights on the fear of the LORD - Ge 3:10, 15:1, 21:17, 22:12, 26:24,
28:17, 42:18, Ex 1:17, 21, Ex 3:6, 9:20, 30, 14:13, 31, 15:11 (awesome),
Ex 18:21, Lv 19:14, 30, 32, 25:17, 25:36, 43, 26:2, Dt 4:10, 5:5, 29,
6:2, 13, 24, 8:6, 10:12 (note the order), Dt 10:17 (awesome), Dt 10:20,
13:4, 14:23, 17:12, 13, 18, 19 (refers to the king), Dt 25:17-18, 28:10,
28:58, 31:12, 13, Josh 4:24, 24:14, Jdg 6:10, 13:6, 1Sa 12:14, 18,
24-25, 15:25, 2Sa 6:9, 1Ki 8:39-40, 43, 18:3, 12, 2Ki 4:1, 6:16, 17:7,
25, 28, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 1Chr 16:25, 2Chr 6:31,
32, 33, Neh 1:11 (revere), Neh 7:2, Job 1:1, 8, 9, 2:1, 37:24, Ps 15:4,
22:23, 25, Ps 23:4, 25:12, 14, 31:19, 33:8, 18, 34:7, 9, 40:3, 47:2,
52:6, 60:4, 61:5, 64:9, 66:3 (awesome), Ps 66:5 (awesome), Ps 66:16,
67:7, 68:35 (awesome), Ps 72:5, 76:7, 8-9, 12, 85:9, 86:11, 96:4, 99:3
(awesome), Ps 102:15, 103:11, 13, 17, 111:5, 9 (awesome), Ps 112:1,
115:11, 13, 118:4, 119:63, 74, 79, 120, 128:1, 4, 130:4, 135:20, 145:19,
147:11, Pr 3:7, 13:13, 14:2, 24:21, 31:30, Eccl 3:14, 5:7, 7:18, 8:12,
13, 12:13, Isa 25:3 (revere), Isa 50:10, 59:19, Jer 5:22, 24, 10:7,
26:19, 32:39, 44:10, Ho 10:3, Amos 3:8, Jonah 1:9, 10, 16, Hab 3:2, Zeph
3:7, Hag 1:12, Mal 1:14, 2:5, 3:5, 16, 4:2, 12:5, 18:2, 4, 23:40
(one thief on the cross!),
Noun =
mora'
- See Ps 76:11, Isa 8:12, 13
Noun =
pachad (06343)
- In Ge 31:42 note that the Fear of the Lord was so central to
Isaac’s concept of God that one of his names for God was “Fear”!
Verb = pachad (06342)
- Pr 28:14, Ho 3:5 (of Israel at the end of the
Great Tribulation)
NT OCCURRENCES
OF FEAR
Mk 5:33-34, Lk 1:50, Acts 9:31, 10:2,
22, 35, 13:16, 26, Ro 3:18, 11:20, 13:7, 2Co 5:11, Ep 5:21, 6:5, Php
2:12, Col 3:22, 1Ti 5:20, 1Pe 1:17, 2:17, 1Jn 4:18-19, Re 11:18,
14:6, 7, 15:4, 19:5.
How sad that men might fear the
police or a judge but have no fear for the Judge of all the earth!
Reverential fear of God should characterize the true child of God (Phil
2:12-note;
1Pe 1:17-note;
2Co 7:1-
note)
Paul is quoting David from
Psalm 36:1
For the
choir director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart;
There is no fear of God before his eyes.
Kent Hughes writes that
the order is...
First the character,
then the conduct, and now the cause: the fear of God is
left out of their thinking. (Hughes,
R. K. Romans: Righteousness from heaven. Preaching the Word. Wheaton,
Ill.: Crossway Books
Spurgeon comments on
Psalm 36:1 writing that
Men’s sins have a voice to godly ears. They are the outer index of an
inner evil. It is clear that men who dare to sin constantly and
presumptuously cannot respect the great Judge of all. Despite the
professions of unrighteous men, when we see their unhallowed actions our
heart is driven to the conclusion that they have no religion whatever.
Unholiness is clear evidence of ungodliness. Wickedness is the fruit of
an atheistic root. This may be made clear to the candid heart by cogent
reasoning, but it is clear already and intuitively to the pious heart.
If God is everywhere, and I fear Him, how can I dare to break His laws
in His very presence? Those eyes which have no fear of God before them
now will have terrors of hell before them forever. (Treasury of David)
Scripture repeatedly says that we are to
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
(Pr 3:7b)
The fear of the LORD is to
hate evil. (Pr 8:13a),
by the fear of the LORD one
keeps away from evil
(Pr 16:6b).
Solomon summed up his wise sayings declaring
The conclusion, when
all has been heard, is: fear God and
keep His commandments,
because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to
judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
(Ecc 12:13, 14)
Job set the standard for godly fear, Scripture
recording that
"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was
Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God, and
turning away from evil."
(Job 1:1)
Godet
explains that Fear
of God is
the normal expression for piety in the Old
Testament; it is that disposition in man which has always God present in
the heart, His will and judgment. The words: before their eyes , show
that it belongs to man freely to evoke or suppress this inward view of
God, on which his moral conduct depends. This final characteristic is
borrowed from Psalm 36:1, which marks the
contrast between the faithful and the wicked even in Israel.."
Ray Stedman adds that...
To put it in the words of the street
today, "man couldn't care less about what God thinks about him" -- and
this is the root of all of the problems in human life. There is no
concern for God's opinion in man's life." (Read full text of
Peale or Paul?)
When men no longer fear God, there is no restraint upon their
lusts. The NLT conveys the idea nicely --
"They have no fear of God to
restrain them”
Calvin
sums it up writing...
"In
short, as (the fear of God) is a bridle to restrain our
wickedness, so when it is wanting, we feel at liberty to indulge every
kind of licentiousness." (
Robert Haldane comments on no
fear that mankind has
not that reverential fear of Him
which is the beginning of wisdom, which is connected with departing from
evil, and honoring and obeying Him, and is often spoken of in Scripture
as the sum of all practical religion; on the contrary, they are
regardless of His majesty and authority, His precepts and His
threatenings. It is astonishing that men, while they acknowledge that
there is a God, should act without any fear of His displeasure. Yet this
is their character. They fear a worm of the dust like themselves, but
disregard the Most–High, Isaiah 51:12, 18. They are more afraid of
man than of God—of his anger, his contempt, or ridicule. The fear of man
(Pr 29:25) prevents them from doing many things from which they are not
restrained by the fear of God. That God will put His fear in the hearts
of His people, is one of the distinguishing promises of the new
covenant, which shows that proof to this it is not found there.
(Haldane, R. An Exposition of Romans)
Briscoe tells the story of the
time he was...
Recently, in the Caribbean, I
observed expert scuba divers at work. I was impressed by their sober
assessment of the dangers related to their diving and the ways in which
they made responsible procedural precautions to obviate the danger. This
led to a very high degree of safety and a resulting high standard of
efficiency and enjoyment. Others less knowledgeable tend to take
terrible risks through lack of respect and finish up in dire danger and
not infrequently suffer serious consequences. The more you know God and
respect Him, the more conscious you are of the dangers inherent in
ignoring who He is. But little knowledge leads to no respect, and that
is the road to disaster. (Briscoe,
D. S., & Ogilvie, L. J. The Preacher's Commentary Series, New
Testament. 2003; Thomas Nelson)
William Newell writes that
"This
great passage then, (Romans 3:9 to 18) needs to be pondered,
prayed' over, thoroughly believed, and preached continually, in these
last days, when God-consciousness is dying out. It is no kindness, but a
terrible wrong, to hide from a criminal the sentence that must surely
overtake him unless pardoned; for a physician to conceal from a patient
a cancer that will destroy him unless quickly removed; for one
acquainted with the hidden pitfalls of a path he beholds someone taking,
not to warn him of his danger!" (Romans 3: Devotional
and Expositional)
Charles Hodge adds that by the phrase
"the fear of God” we may understand, according to its use in
Scripture, reverence for God, piety towards him; or fear in the more
restricted sense, dread of his wrath. Either way, the reckless
wickedness of men proves that they are destitute of all proper respect
for God. They act as if there were no God, no Being to Whom they are
responsible for their behavior and Who has the intention and power to
punish them for their iniquity." (Hodge, C. Romans)
Before (561) (apénanti
from apó = from + énanti = before, over
against, in the presence of) means in a position that faces against an
object or other position = opposite to, over against, in front of,
before, in the presence of.
Cranfield comments on before
their eyes
writing that
"by his eyes “a man directs his steps. So to say that
there is no fear of God before his eyes is a figurative way of saying
that the fear of God has no part in directing his life, that God is left
out of his reckoning, that he is a practical, whether or not he is a
theoretical, atheist."
Warren Wiersbe adds that
The effect is total, because
his entire being is vitiated. Observe at this point the various members
of the body referred to: the throat, the tongue, and the
lips (Ro 3:13); the mouth (Ro 3:14); the feet (Ro
3:15); and the eyes (Ro 3:18). This list serves to
affirm what theologians speak of as total depravity, (see
notes on total depravity) i.e., not
that man in his natural state is as bad as he can possibly be, but
rather that his entire being is adversely affected by sin. His whole
nature is permeated with it." (Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)
Ray Stedman adds that
When you
read this terrible description of the human race as God sees it, it is
almost impossible for us to believe that God is not going to say,
"Enough! Wipe them out!" If all he sees is wretchedness, misery, evil,
deceit, hypocrisy, vulgarity, profanity, slander, and all these evil
things that are in every heart -- every one without exception -- our
natural instinct is to say, "Then God doesn't want us." But the amazing
thing is that across this kind of verse He writes, "God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son," (John
3:16a KJV). God did not send the Law to destroy us (and
this is very important); he sent the Law to keep us from false hope.
(Stedman, R.
Sermon Notes)
William Barclay sums up this
section writing that...
Paul never underrated the sin of man
and he never underrated the redeeming power of Jesus Christ. Once, when
he was a young man, William Roby, the great Lancashire Independent, was
preaching at Malvern. His lack of success drove him to despair, and he
wished to leave the work. Then came a seasonable reproof from a certain
Mr. Moody, who asked him,
“Are they, then, too bad to be
saved?”
The challenge sent William Roby back
to his work. Paul believed men without Christ to be bad, but he never
believed them too bad to be saved. He was confident that what Christ had
done for him Christ could do for any man. (Barclay,
W: The Daily Study Bible Series, Rev. ed. Philadelphia: The Westminster
Press)
Tozer wrote that...
No one can know the true grace of God
who has not first known the fear of God.
Note that Paul's list of 14 moral
defects does not mean to convey that all the characteristics of sin
listed are in evidence in every life. Frederic Godet has written that
Some, even most of them, may remain
latent in many men: but they all exist in germ in the selfishness and
natural pride of the ego, and the least circumstance may cause them to
pass into the active state.
FEAR OF GOD
See suggestion above - Do your own
study first...
FEAR OF GOD
Described:
wisdom (Job 28:28; Pr 15:33),
pure (Ps 19:9),
beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10; Pr 9:10; 15:33),
beginning of knowledge (Pr 1:7),
hating evil (Pr 8:13),
adding length to life (Pr 10:27),
fountain of life (Pr 14:27),
leading to life (Pr 19:23).
Commanded
Lev 19:14, 32; 25:36, 43; Dt 6:13; 10:20; 13:4; Jos 24:14; 1Sa 12:24;
2Ki 17:36; 1Ch 16:30; 2Ch 19:7, 9; Ne 5:9; Ps 2:11; 22:23; 34:9; 96:4;
Pr 3:7; 23:17; 24:21; Ecc 5:7; 12:13; Isa 8:13; 29:23; Ro 11:20-21; Col
3:22; 1Pe 2:17; Rev 14:7
Cultivated by God
Ex 3:5; 19:12-13; Heb 12:18-24
Deters from sin
Ex 20:18-20; Pr16:6; Je32:39,40
Averts temporal calamity
Dt 28:47-49; 28:58-68; 2Ki 17:36-39).
Secures divine blessing
Dt 5:29; Ps 25:12-14; 31:19-20; 33:18-19; 34:7, 9; 85:8-9; 103:11, 13,
17; 111:5; 112:1; 115:11, 13; 128:1-4; 145:18-19; Pr 22:4; Ecc 7:18;
8:12-13; Mal 4:2; Lk 1:50; Ac10:34,35
Universality of, foretold
Ps 76:11-12; 102:15
A bond of fellowship among righteous
Mal 3:16-18
Instances of Guilty Fear:
Adam and Eve
Ge 3:8-13
The wicked
Job 15:20-25; 18:11; Pr10:24
Those without moral direction
Pr 1:24-27
Those without God in general - Isa 2:19, 20, 21; 33:14
King Belshazzar -Da 5:6
The nations -Mic 7:17
Judas -Mt 27:3, 4, 5
The guards at Jesus' tomb -Mt 28:4
Christians no longer fear -Ro 8:15; 2Ti 1:7, 1Jn 4:18
Demons -Jas 2:19
The nations in the day of wrath
Rev 6:16
Instances of Godly Fear:
Noah, in preparing the ark
Heb 11:7
Abraham, tested in the offering of his son Isaac
Ge 22:12
Jacob, in the vision of the stairway, and the covenant of God
Ge 28:16-17; 42:18
The midwives of Egypt, in refusing to take the lives of the Hebrew
children
Ex 1:17, 21
The Egyptians, at the time of the plague of thunder and hail and fire
Ex 9:20
Phinehas, in turning away the anger of God at the time of the plague
Nu 25:11, w 25:6-15
The nine-and-one-half tribes of Israel west of the Jordan
Jos 22:15-20
Obadiah, in devotion to God, sheltered one hundred prophets against
Jezebel because he feared God more than he feared the wrath of Jezebel
1Ki 18:3-4 (cp Pr29:25)
Jehoshaphat, in proclaiming a fast when the land was about to be invaded
by the armies of the Ammonites and Moabites
2Ch 20:3
Nehemiah, in his reform of the public administration which had heavily
taxed the people and lorded their rule over the people
Ne 5:15
Hanani, which qualified him to be ruler over Jerusalem
Ne 7:2
Job, according to the testimony of God & even Satan
Job 1:8,v9
David (or whoever wrote Ps119)
Ps119:38
Hezekiah, in his treatment of the prophet Micah, who prophesied evil
against Jerusalem
Je26:19
The Israelites, in obeying the voice of the Lord
Hag 1:12
The women at the tomb
Mt 28:8
Cornelius, who feared God with all his house
Ac 10:2
Motivates God's:
Power
Jos 4:24; Ps 99:1; Jer 5:22; Mt 10:28; Lk 12:5
providence
1Sa 12:2-4
power and justice
Job 37:19-24
wrath
Ps 90:11
forgiveness
Ps 130:4
majesty
Je10:7
Motivates People:
To respect others
Lv 19:14, 30; 25:17, 36, 43
To obedience
Nu 32:15; Dt 6:13-15; 7:1-4; 8:5-6; 10:12-13, 20; 13:4, 6-11; 17:11-13;
21:18-21; 28:14-68; 31:11-13; 1Sa 12:24-25; Job 13:21; 31:1-4, 13-23;
Isa 1:20; Jer 4:4; 22:5; Mt 10:28; Lk 12:4-5; 2Co 5:10-11; 2Ti 4:1-2;
2Pe 3:10-12; Rev 14:9-10).
To truthfulness
Dt 15:9; 19:16-20
To filial obedience
Dt 21:21
