5. The Fear of The Lord! Psalm 64:9-10

Text: “All men/women shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of His doing.”

Psalm 64: 9.

          “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth (endures, and continues to endure) forever.”

Psalm 111:10.

Good morning, God-fearing Christian!  God the Holy Spirit has graciously quickened (made alive) you and I to know our sinful state of ruin; Christ’s impeccable righteousness as the Standard for Heaven; and the fearful judgement of Almighty God which is soon coming upon a world of Christ-rejection, and gross disobedience to the Commandments of God.  Praise God it is so, my friend!  We who were once totally lost, are now found by Christ, and redeemed by His precious and sinless Blood. Hallelujah!  What a Saviour!  Glory to the Lamb!  Amen.

Fearing the Lord God, we have no cause to fear anything, or anyone else!  Hallelujah! 

“Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”  (Psalm 34:11)

The Fear of the Lord:

“And unto man (you and I!) He said, Behold (look, and fully understand), the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”  (Job 28:28)

When genuine Bible-believing Christians refer to fear of God, we do not mean that we are to be walking around in dread of the judgement of God; cowering in our sinful natures before a thrice Holy and righteous God of wrath against all sin.  No.  We have been redeemed from sin by the precious shedding of Christ’s sinless Blood at the Cross; therefore, the sin question for genuine Christian believers is forever dealt with, nailed as it were to Christ’s Cross, and never to be remembered against us ever again.  This is God’s own Word on the matter of our sin:

“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.  Like as a father piteth his children, so the Lord piteth them that fear Him.”    (Psalm 103:12-13)

Fearing the Lord God, for believers, is holding Him and all His Word in the highest of solemn reverence; total respect; worshipful awe; profound thanksgiving for His grace towards us; and constant praise for the Salvation He has permitted us to have in His dear Son, Jesus Christ.  This is the ‘fear of the Lord’ we both have, and teach others to seek, if it be His Sovereign will to grant it to them as He has granted it to ourselves.  Glory to His gracious Name!  Amen.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth (endures, and continues to endure) forever.”  (Psalm 111:10)

Verse 9.  “And all men/women shall fear, and declare the work of God.  All people shall fear the Lord, but not in the acts of genuine reverence I have just defined above – the Christ-rejecters shall be put to abject fear, dread, horror, and terror as they stand before the Great White Throne of God’s fiery judgement, for rejecting Christ and wanting nothing of His gracious Salvation.  That Christ-rejecting fear shall endure with them unending in torment forever.

Verse 9. “And all men/women shall fear, and declare the work of God.  So strange, so pointed, so terrible shall be the Lord’s overthrow of the malicious, that it shall be spoken of in all companies.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 279)

The Fear of the Lord:  “Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.”  (Psalm 34:11)

God-Fearing Job:  Job was a man who feared, reverenced, the Lord God.  He had many trials, testings, and temptations; many heartaches; griefs, and times of distress.  However, God knew Job feared and reverenced Him, and the Lord God granted Job more in his end times, than he had ever had during his life.

“There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect (mature) and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”  (Job 1:1)

“And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before…So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:…”  (Job 42:10;12)

Fear of God is Clean:  The old adage, ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ is a wise saying if applied to one’s entire lifestyle and walk in Christ.  Having a Godly reverence and profession of Christ, compels the Christian to clean up his life, his home, his family, his very surroundings – that all might speak of a genuine conversion to Christ, and bring glory to His Holy Name.

“The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”  (Psalm 19:9)

Fear of God is a New, Wise, Beginning: When we hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Salvation in His full Atonement Sacrifice at the Cross, and the Lord God grants us faith to believe, and grace to receive Christ’s forgiveness and cleansing from our sins – we suddenly begin to see all things in a new light, and begin to live our lives under the wise instruction of God’s Will, revealed for us in His written Word.  God’s wisdom leads the way in everything we subsequently say and do – that’s true wisdom!

“The fear of the Lord tendeth (tends, and continues to do so) to life (real life with dignity!): and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.”  (Proverbs 19:23)

Fear of God Hates Evil: Having been granted a totally new nature when we are Spiritually regenerated (born again) by the Lord God’s grace, our new nature immediately detests all evil, selfishness, worldliness, and sin.  Our old nature is still right there with us in our very being, and only desires to sin due to the Fall of Adam and his disobedience in Eden’s Garden.  Yet, we feed the new nature on God’s inspired Word daily, and this assists us to grow in His grace and knowledge of Christ’s Holiness - thus compelling us to clearly discern, and to detest all sin and evil. (2 Peter 3:17-18)  And confess and forsake sin when we fall short. (1 John 1:8-9)

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way and the froward mouth, do I hate.”  (Proverbs 8:13)

Fear of God Brings Confidence: Trusting in the Lord God, and not in ourselves, we gain a tremendous confidence and freedom from fear/dread of everyone, and everything else! We are blessed with His Omnipotence and help in our every need.  (Psalm 46:1-3)

“Happy is the man that feareth (fears God, and continues to reverence Him) always: but he that hardeneth his/her heart shall fall into mischief.”  (Proverbs 28:14) Christian, take heed!

Thought: “Happiness does not depend on outward circumstances, but on the state of the heart.” “Do nothing that you would not like God to see.”  “Praying and sinning will never live together in the same heart. “Beware of manufacturing a God of your own making:” “Hell is truth known too late.” (J.C. Ryle 1816-1900)