Love Through Fear

“And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,” Isaiah 11: 2-3

I have been off the blog for a minute now but as I was away, there was something that the holy spirit was and still teaching me, The fear of God. I am understanding daily the verse that am sure you all know, Proverbs 1:7, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; fools despise wisdom and instruction. The fear of God.

Many theologians refer to Isaiah 11:2-3 while discussing the seven spirits of God. The verse discusses Jesus and the manifestation of the Spirit of God as it fell on Him. Jesus receives the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might and lastly the Spirit of knowledge and that of the fear of the Lord. The verse does not stop there, but it continues to tell us which of these manifestations was dear to the heart of Jesus, the fear of the Lord. His delight was in the fear of the Lord. 

Why would one delight in the fear of God while having all these other great manifestations of the Holy Spirit? You mean to tell me he did not pride himself in being able to demystify mysteries and leave the mouths of those that heard him agape in disbelief? Or take satisfaction at his ability to perform miracles that made thousands to flock to him? His delight was in the fear of the Lord.

He could heal eyes of the blind in so many ways, yet His delight was in fearing God. He could talk to storm and the fig tree, and all obeyed Him, yet still, His delight was in the fear of God.

What is this fear of God and what is its importance anyway?

The chayil woman in proverbs 31 has been described to be one who knows how to multitask for the benefit of her household. She wakes up while still night, works with willing hands and provides food from afar for her household.  She knows farm work, crochet and even sewing. These impossible standards go on and on and even as a result, her children rise up and call her blessed as the Bible tells us. The bible is also clear in telling us that while others strived for excellence, she was far beyond excellent. Yet, it’s not her busyness that will usher her into the mouths of many for praises. Verse 30 tells us that, one who is to be praised is the one who fears the Lord. That you may be laboring for nothing, if all that is done, is not rooted in the fear of God.

I began to understand that the fear of God is actually a big deal. For the people in the Old Testament to fear God is a no brainer. He is a no-nonsense God. If he can take down the whole world, who is an individual? One blunder  and you are gone. What was Uzzah’s mistake? The oxen carrying the ark of the covenant stumbled and Uzzah, in an attempt to help God in steadying the ark, The Lord struck him, and he died. One missed step. The Lord said that the Levites were not to touch Holy things lest they die in Numbers 4:15. Instructions from God were law and to fear that kind of God, like I said, it is a no brainer.  In the New Testament however, there is grace. Isn’t grace supposed to water down the fear of God? And the love of God, eradicate the fear completely? How can Jesus, in the New Testament, fear God? How are we able to love and fear God at the same time?

The fear of God is a reverence for God. It is respect for God, His Transcendent majesty. When the eyes of our understanding are opened to see God truly, our reaction ought to be fear. Reverence for Him. Respect for Him. In Luke 5, the fishermen are toiling hard yet captured nothing. Fatigued and devasted, they begin to wash their nets. Jesus comes and tells them to push a little further from land. After catching the fish, Peter’s reaction was not excitement. In verse 8 we are told he reacts by falling on his knees and tells Jesus, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” The eyes of Peter were opened and what he saw was sin in the presence of moral purity, Jesus. Another man that had the same encounter was Isaiah. In Isaiah 6 we hear Him say, “Woe unto me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips…” While already a prophet, using his lips as a mouthpiece for God, in the presence of God, the Holy of holies, he couldn’t react any different. The fear of God. Holy respect for God. Woe unto me…

The fear of God births a hatred towards the things that God hates and to love what God loves. It is a distaste to sin and any form of unrighteousness. Dr. Paul Enenche describes this as an allergy to evil. This is an effect of the fear of God, that you are allergic to anything that may offend God.

The work on the cross was made possible by the fact that Jesus remained a pure sacrifice. We are told that He was made sin…No wonder Jesus, above all had to delight in the fear of God. To walk on this earth and accomplish the father’s will, living a sinless life was non-negotiable. The only way to do that was through the fear of God. In Peter, God asks us to be holy just as He is holy. That is an impossible demand until we understand and live in the fear of God. It is the fear of God that will help us to flee from sin once tempted.

So many of us today, live loving God but lack the fear of God. How many people do you see and hear say that they love God yet, their lives don’t resemble God. How many of us have had options to flee from sin, but made the other choice? Why is it so hard to do the things that the Lord may be asking us to do? Why would following the commandments be so hard? Why are there so many disorders in the church of God from the leaders to the ‘least’?  Why would a Christian be so comfortable in sin? How many of us have misused grace and watered down our fear of God? 

While learning on this, I remember the Holy Spirit insisting on the idea of loving God without the fear of God. The Spirit of God whispered and said, “You can love me all you think, but if you lack the fear of God, it is all in vain. In fact, without the fear of God, it is better not to love me.” The Holy Spirit continued to tell me that a heart that loves God attracts devil. And without the fear of God, a heart that loves God is nothing but a breeding ground for sin. Satan is looking for such a heart. I began to understand that loving God without the fear of God is like asking for a battle and downing your weapons. 

Wrapping up, while I may not be aware of what may be crippling your walk with God, I would suggest you try out the fear of God as a dosage. Our love for God is tested through the fear of God. And the fear of God matures our love for Him. May we grow to be a people that not only Love but also fear God. May God bless us with Spirit of the fear of God.