There is a doctrine that's been very confusing to me which I think I've finally begun to understand. It's the doctrine of "the fear of God". I've asked a lot of people about this, and (forgive me if I seem arrogant) I've never been satisfied with the default, go-to answers that never really seem all that thought out. "The fear of the Lord is to be in awe of him, like we feel at awe when we look at a storm." But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Do you ever wonder why this is so confusing? Empty your mind of every doctrinal belief that you've had before this moment and place just one phrase in your mind: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" There are few sentences with simpler structure: a subject, a verb, and a prepositional phrase, all filled with words we already know. What do we conclude? If you are afraid of God, you have begun to be wise. So why do we need someone to explain it to us? We don't, we need someone to UNEXPLAIN it to us! We, especially we insane people in the padded room of American security, prefer not to inconvenience ourselves by receiving our doctrine from the Bible.
We in American culture don't see the God of the Bible in our lives. This is because the God of the Bible has set men on fire, drowned the planet, hardened the heart of a king and unleashed plagues on him and his people, unleashed pestilence on a blameless man and had his children killed, opened the earth to swallow his redeemed people, handed people over to bloodthirsty tyrants, and even crushed the Son of Glory under the cross of the condemned. You think you have nothing to be afraid of? What are you most afraid of? Really think about it. Now consider that you are in eternal debt to that God, and he has all power to unleash that very reality on you, and much more. Now consider that you've spent your life serving a god of your own making, one who is more to your liking, who is not dreadful, who is perhaps inspired by the God of the Bible, but isn't him. Now consider that God's wrath has always burned hot against his stiff-necked people who would prefer to serve a god of gold rather than be corrected by his word as to who he really is. They weren't any more adulterous than me! Who in the Bible is described as those who seek teachers to tickle their ears?
No, dear sinner, we should be afraid of God. It's a mercy toward us that God would flex his holiness before our eyes. What a great act of mercy was worked through Uzzah who dropped dead when he touched the Ark of the Covenant. We are baffled by such stories because of the false gods that we craft in our heart. "The God of love," we suppose, "doesn't really act this way does he? At least he wouldn't act this way on the Christian TV shows and movies that I watch. I thought my God was a god of love!" What a grace it is toward us to be baffled.
There is an enormous tension within God between his holiness and his love. Sometimes it's good to emphasize one at the risk of heresy toward the other. Here I've emphasized his holiness so that we can truly begin to fear the God of the universe who is holy, holy, holy; who is completely and utterly set apart within himself to bring about his glory, displayed in his works. When we are gripped, GRIPPED with dread, despairing for life in front of God, we are driven in abandon to fall on our would-be-proud faces begging for mercy; kissing as it were, the feet of the God we've slighted and treated with contempt because his weightiness has been an inconvenience in our lives. And in his mercy, perhaps he'll leave us there for a minute because our impermeable skulls accept truth so unwillingly. That is our true position, begging for mercy before a God with whom we have nothing to barter.
And in fear we are wise because those who are truly gripped by how awful God is, don't live a life of rebellion toward him. I don't waste money on myself when I know that an awful God is at work in the lives of the poor. Do I? I keep short accounts with those against whom I've sinned and who have sinned against me. God has especially dreadful things to say about the fate of the unforgiving. Let these words change your view of God. It is the prerogative of God to tell us the nature of himself and of men. And, gripped with fear toward God, fears in this world become petty. What torture can we be put through that is worse than falling into the hands of an angry God. Deeply consider that in light of your fears from above.
But it's true, God's love is also greater than we can imagine. How encouraging, relieving, heart wrenching, how tear-jerking it is to know that the God who is sovereign, is a God who has placed a Spirit of sonship within us, and we call this God "abba", "Daddy". If we do see torture, we have a double encouragement of knowing that we are receiving far less than we deserve and knowing that God is giving to us from out of his love and passion for making us into his glorious image.
Oh, Father. Wrap us in your arms. We know that we deserve no love from you, yet you grip us with it. Nothing in our hands we bring, but only to the cross we cling.
Soli Deo Gloria
Do you ever wonder why this is so confusing? Empty your mind of every doctrinal belief that you've had before this moment and place just one phrase in your mind: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" There are few sentences with simpler structure: a subject, a verb, and a prepositional phrase, all filled with words we already know. What do we conclude? If you are afraid of God, you have begun to be wise. So why do we need someone to explain it to us? We don't, we need someone to UNEXPLAIN it to us! We, especially we insane people in the padded room of American security, prefer not to inconvenience ourselves by receiving our doctrine from the Bible.
We in American culture don't see the God of the Bible in our lives. This is because the God of the Bible has set men on fire, drowned the planet, hardened the heart of a king and unleashed plagues on him and his people, unleashed pestilence on a blameless man and had his children killed, opened the earth to swallow his redeemed people, handed people over to bloodthirsty tyrants, and even crushed the Son of Glory under the cross of the condemned. You think you have nothing to be afraid of? What are you most afraid of? Really think about it. Now consider that you are in eternal debt to that God, and he has all power to unleash that very reality on you, and much more. Now consider that you've spent your life serving a god of your own making, one who is more to your liking, who is not dreadful, who is perhaps inspired by the God of the Bible, but isn't him. Now consider that God's wrath has always burned hot against his stiff-necked people who would prefer to serve a god of gold rather than be corrected by his word as to who he really is. They weren't any more adulterous than me! Who in the Bible is described as those who seek teachers to tickle their ears?
No, dear sinner, we should be afraid of God. It's a mercy toward us that God would flex his holiness before our eyes. What a great act of mercy was worked through Uzzah who dropped dead when he touched the Ark of the Covenant. We are baffled by such stories because of the false gods that we craft in our heart. "The God of love," we suppose, "doesn't really act this way does he? At least he wouldn't act this way on the Christian TV shows and movies that I watch. I thought my God was a god of love!" What a grace it is toward us to be baffled.
There is an enormous tension within God between his holiness and his love. Sometimes it's good to emphasize one at the risk of heresy toward the other. Here I've emphasized his holiness so that we can truly begin to fear the God of the universe who is holy, holy, holy; who is completely and utterly set apart within himself to bring about his glory, displayed in his works. When we are gripped, GRIPPED with dread, despairing for life in front of God, we are driven in abandon to fall on our would-be-proud faces begging for mercy; kissing as it were, the feet of the God we've slighted and treated with contempt because his weightiness has been an inconvenience in our lives. And in his mercy, perhaps he'll leave us there for a minute because our impermeable skulls accept truth so unwillingly. That is our true position, begging for mercy before a God with whom we have nothing to barter.
And in fear we are wise because those who are truly gripped by how awful God is, don't live a life of rebellion toward him. I don't waste money on myself when I know that an awful God is at work in the lives of the poor. Do I? I keep short accounts with those against whom I've sinned and who have sinned against me. God has especially dreadful things to say about the fate of the unforgiving. Let these words change your view of God. It is the prerogative of God to tell us the nature of himself and of men. And, gripped with fear toward God, fears in this world become petty. What torture can we be put through that is worse than falling into the hands of an angry God. Deeply consider that in light of your fears from above.
But it's true, God's love is also greater than we can imagine. How encouraging, relieving, heart wrenching, how tear-jerking it is to know that the God who is sovereign, is a God who has placed a Spirit of sonship within us, and we call this God "abba", "Daddy". If we do see torture, we have a double encouragement of knowing that we are receiving far less than we deserve and knowing that God is giving to us from out of his love and passion for making us into his glorious image.
Oh, Father. Wrap us in your arms. We know that we deserve no love from you, yet you grip us with it. Nothing in our hands we bring, but only to the cross we cling.
Soli Deo Gloria
