Been doing a Bible study on the Fear of the Lord, with thoughts from John Piper, one of my favorite modern theologians. The last couple of days were powerful. First, he speaks from Exodus…..
Exodus 20:20
“Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”
The Proper Fear of God by John Piper
O how we need to meditate on such perplexing texts! “Do not fear. You are being tested. You pass the test only if you don’t fear. Yet God desires that the fear of him be always before your eyes. You pass the test by fearing the Lord.”
The fear that Moses was telling them to get rid of was the fear of coming close to God and hearing his voice. The fear that Moses wanted them to keep before their eyes was that God is fearfully powerful and opposed to sin. The fear of kindling God’s powerful wrath against sin ought not to drive us away from God but to God for mercy.
If you are running from God because you are afraid of him, then you are not yet as afraid as you ought to be. In fact, your very flight is a mockery of God, presuming to think that you could outrun him. If you really fear him and love your own life, stop running, turn around, and hug his neck for dear life. The fear of the Lord is fear of fleeing out of his fellowship into the way of sin. Therefore the fear of the Lord is full of peace and security and hope. It keeps us near to the merciful heart of God, our fortress, our refuge, our sanctuary, our shield, our sun. Isaiah 8:13 says, “The Lord of Hosts, . . . let him be your fear, and let him be your dread, and he will become a sanctuary.” A proper fear of the Lord keeps us under the shadow of his wings where we need not be afraid.
I, Carl, thought this passage and thought powerful because as I consider the country, something the Lord has been showing me these past 2-4 months, is that we simply are the most self-absorbed and self-focused people I have ever seen. The evidence has been growing around me for a few years, but I have not noticed it yet. Of course, we humans have always been prideful and focused on self more than on others….that is NOT new….but what is new here in the USA is how much more we have become a “me, me, me” people. You need look no further than how much modern technology, especially the mini-computer (aka, “smart phones”) have cast us as a people perpetually with our noses stuck in our phones. From hashtags about me, through photos of my food, and the horrifically revealing term of “selfies”—this modern technology pushes more of me, me, me.
In that, we no longer have any healthy fear of the Lord. Few, including most Christians I know, actually believe there is a reason to fear God. The non-Christians don’t even believe there is a God—this is new, by the way….historically, there has always been a non-Christian crowd, but most of them still believed there probably was a God and that they would probably be “in trouble” later, but they would still not submit to Him for a variety of reasons. Today, in our arrogance, more and more people simply refuse to believe there is a God, let alone the One True God. Yet, even among Christians, we have cast God as the friendly old grandpa who smilingly looks the other way when the children misbehave…”oh, aren’t they cute when they act up, when they stamp their little feet, when they intentionally do the opposite of what they are told.” BE NOT DECEIVED….God will not be mocked and He will deal with this unbelieving generation in His own good time.
So, what should we do? Piper deals with that the next day through the passage in Isaiah. Read on for the solution.
Isaiah 41:14
Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob,
don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you.
I am the Lord, your Redeemer.
I am the Holy One of Israel.’
Jonathan Edwards, in one of my [John Piper] favorite portions, wrote,
All gracious affections that are a sweet odor to Christ, and that fill the soul of a Christian with a heavenly sweetness and fragrancy, are broken-hearted affections. A truly Christian love, either to God or men, is a humble broken-hearted love. The desires of the saints, however earnest, are humble desires: their hope is an humble hope; and their joy, even when it is unspeakable and full of glory, is an humble, brokenhearted joy, and leaves the Christian more poor in spirit, and more like a little child, and more disposed to an universal lowliness of behavior.
To know that there is corruption left in our hearts and that our feeble affections dishonor the God who loved us does not mean we lie still, wallowing in the mud of guilt. It means we flee to Christ and cling to the cross and take refuge like little chicks under the wings of divine mercy. And there we gain courage to love, not because we regard ourselves highly, but because we regard grace as our all-sufficient supply. The word to worms who will admit their corruption, humble themselves, and take refuge in Jesus is, ” Fear not, you worm Jacob.”
So, Christian, what should we do? Race quickly to the Throne of our Lord, fleeing to Christ. Bring that holy fear of the Lord back into your life.