The Fear of the Father

And the Lord said to me, “I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear Me and to keep all My commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!” Deut. 5:28-29

Here is a word that you may not associate with God very often. For those of you new to the Bible, especially the old testament, you may never have read much about this before. And most of us, if we have not asked questions about it and searched for those answers, really aren’t quite sure what to make of it. What is this mysterious “fear” of God? Did God intend the Israelites to live in stark terror? Does He intend for us to live in terror? Or rather, a more common idea; did God change from the old testament to the new? Was He holy and terrifying then and is He kind and loving now?

When we come to the Bible, we must come with our minds. We are not to be intellectuals, but we are here to think. Jesus said that the most important commandment is “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your MIND and with all your strength” (Mark 12:29,30—paraphrasing Deut. 6 by the way). I know that many of you are pressed for time, making this difficult. And I know that many of us haven’t read our Bibles as much in the past as might be most beneficial for us and our understanding, but I ask you to take just a few minutes on this concept. It is one of the most critical understandings of the Christian. If we miss this, we will miss much.

We also, by some estimates, are moving fairly quickly through the Scriptures. We probably all think at one point or another, “I just don’t have the time to sit down and really get all of this.” Here is the benefit in reading through the Bible like this: we get general concepts about God and the timeline of God’s working with men is seen in a larger picture. As we are reading right now, I hope we pick up that God is holy and hates sin. If you pick up more than that, wonderful. But if you don’t pick that paradigm-shattering concept, then you are missing too much. I don’t expect, for example, that you notice that Aaron the high priest married Elisheba the sister of Nashon the son of Amminadab of the tribe of Judah, a direct member of Jesus’ descendants, and thus the priesthood and line to the kings of Israel have common blood. That is for those people that have read this book through several times and have begun to notice who all the people of the Bible are (I only just noticed this one and I thought it was cool; pretty nerdy, huh?). Don’t worry about getting details. Get God. Don’t for-get God. Everything else is just details.

Now back to fear. Paraphrasing something C.J. Mahaney said: in our modern Christian culture we are taught that God is good before being told that He is great. That is why I am writing on fear (it is also why this email promises to be long). What does it mean to fear God? In the Deuteronomy 5 it seems to be a good thing; God desires that the Israelites would always fear Him, and then life would go well for them. That does not fit with our idea of fear. We think of fear as terror in our common language. We certainly don’t want to be motivated to follow God out from the terrible things that He might do to us; that is not the Christian’s motivation. How could it be? If we have been born again and have laid hold of Christ and His finished work by faith, what do we have to fear? If God is for us, who can be against us?! We could understand fear as being how someone who does not know God could view Him; of course they are scared—hell is real and horrifyingly soon. But that is not how a Christian relates to God.

Immediately after God gives Moses the ten commandments, the Scriptures record something that is very helpful to understanding this fear. In verse 20 Moses said to the people, "Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin." Interesting isn’t it? The Israelites are told not to fear and then told that they are being tested for the purpose of leaving the fear of God before them. They are told to not to fear and then to fear. Here is the separation: they see the holy Creator of the universe in a glimpse of His fiery glory and are scared for their lives. But Moses reassures them not to be scared, because God is terrifying for their good. I say terrifying because the Bible does not use the word reverence or veneration for this response. It seems it is always (as far as I can remember) “fear.” But rather than this being a skittish terror, it is awe and reverence of so high an order that fear is the word that must be used.

Here is a quick way of determining which fear type is being used: the fear of the ungodly (terror to the extreme) is a fear that frightens men and women away from God; the fear of the godly (veneration to the highest degree) is a fear that draws men and women to the living God.

The first is not for Christians, for they have no reason to run from God their Savior. The second is like the abc’s of Christianity. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” So at the beginning of true wisdom (not knowledge, but a true humble spirit and ability to acknowledge their own sin and the righteousness of God) is this fear of God. But Christians do not meet God in initial quaking respect, then grow accustomed to His immensity (or rather, they should not). If that were so, it would mean that God had changed, for surely our response of fear is just that, a response. Rooted in the greatness and grandeur of our God. Thus it is more than just the beginning, it is the bedrock of our responsive relationship to our God. I will give one illustration then I will be done.

When I was a lad, my family used to visit Yosemite National Park on a regular basis. If you don’t know, Yosemite has a huge natural monolith (giant single piece of rock -El Capitan), the very cool Half-Dome, the second highest waterfall on earth (2nd only to Angel Falls in Brazil), and three groves of Sequoia redwoods, the largest trees on earth (though the largest tree is in Sequoia National Park, also in CA). It is a beautiful place to visit. And that is probably where I picked up the wonderful attribute of loving to burn stuff. As a child, burning stuff and streams were my favorite things because I was unable to appreciate the majesty of those sheer giants that we stood in awe of. Now I can, and I would love to go back there some day. Especially with my dad. But why was my dad drawn there? Why do at least some of you think that this place would be really magnificent to visit? It is because it is full of awe. The majesty, and dare I say, glory of the place is incredible. That is why we love to go to places like that. We are built to be drawn to majestic greatness. To lose ourselves in beholding and enjoying something magnificent. And the greatest Greatness, the Maker of greatness, is the One and very much the only Lord of Glory. By His hand the worlds were made. He saw the first star, and started the first wave. He hung the earth on nothing and commands the sun to shine! Fear is His due. He is the greatest and highest value. And when in right relationship with Him, the greatest depth of veneration is our greatest delight!

The Fear of the Lord

My fear of Thee, O Lord, exults
Like life within my veins,
A fear which tightly claims to be
One of love's sacred pains.

There is no joy the soul can meet
Upon life's various road
Like the sweet fear that sits and shrinks
Under the eye of God.

Oh, Thou art greatly to be feared,
Thou art so prompt to bless!
The dread to miss such love as Thine
Makes fear but love's excess.

But fear is love, and love is fear,
And in and out they move;
But fear is an intenser joy
Than mere unfrightened love.

They love Thee little, if at all,
Who do not fear Thee much;
If love is Thine attraction, Lord!
Fear is Thy very touch.
—F. W. Faber

Like the Horns of the Wild Ox

Numbers 23:22-23
God brings them out of Egypt
and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
For there is no enchantment against Jacob,
no divination against Israel;
now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,
'What has God wrought!'

Consider Balak and Balaam. Many Israelites are in the land nearby. Balak grows scared and sends an urgent message to Balaam: “come and curse these people.” But Balaam cannot curse what God has blessed. Three times Balaam is given a blessing for Israel and not a curse. And so it always shall be. What God has blessed, no man can curse.

Balak asks Balaam three times to curse the Israelites. Each time he changes location Balak thinks perhaps God will not be so impressed with this part of the tribe and will allow them to be cursed. (Perhaps Balak did not study the unchangeableness of God?) We have seen how terrifying it might be to be an Israelite; but here is glimpse from the outside. From a non-Israelite perspective there is no question about it. God is most definitely on the side of Israel. They may not understand that in their wickedness, but it most definitely is true. Their Redeemer is unchanging and strong!

Even so He is for us. In John 13:1 it says “when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” He has loved us to the end. We might think that God is against us as the Israelites might have thought, for He was purging sin from their midst. But no one on the outside who can see God’s hand thinks that way. He is most definitely FOR His people! To the end. To the end of His life on a Cross and to the end of ours, when we close our eyes in death. He says also in John 10:29 “My Father, who has given them to me [Jesus], is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” He was, is, and always will be faithful to his people. I leave you with an excerpt from Pilgrim’s Progress (an allegory of the Christian life), when Christian and Hopeful are crossing the River of Death at the end of their journey:

Now I further saw that betwixt them and the gate was a river; but there was no bridge to go over: the river was very deep. At the sight, therefore, of this river, the pilgrims were much astounded; but the men that went with them said, "You must go through, or you cannot come at the gate."

The pilgrims then began to inquire if there was no other way to the gate; to which they answered, "Yes, but there hath not any, save two, to wit, Enoch and Elijah, been permitted to tread that path since the foundation of the world, nor shall until the last trumpet shall sound".
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52

The pilgrims then--especially CHRISTIAN--began to despond in their minds; and looked this way and that, but no way could be found by them by which they might escape the river. Then they asked the men if the waters were all of a depth? They said, "No"; yet they could not help them in that case, for said they, "you shall find it deeper or shallower as you believe in the King of the place."
They then addressed themselves to the water; and entering, CHRISTIAN began to sink. And crying out to his good friend, HOPEFUL, he said, "I sink in deep waters, the billows go over my head; all his waves go over me."

Then said the other, "Be of good cheer, my brother; I feel the bottom, and it is good." Then said CHRISTIAN, "Ah! my friend, the sorrows of death have compassed me about; I shall not see the land that flows with milk and honey. And with that a great darkness and horror fell upon CHRISTIAN, so that he could not see before him; also here he, in great measure, lost his senses, so that he could neither remember nor orderly talk of any of those sweet refreshments that he had met with in the way of his pilgrimage. But all the words that he spake still tended to discover that he had horror of mind, and hearty fears that he should die in that river, and never obtain entrance in at the gate; here also, as they that stood by perceived, he was much in the troublesome thoughts of the sins that he had committed, both since and before he began to be a pilgrim. 'Twas also observed that he was troubled with apparitions of hobgoblins and evil spirits; for ever and anon he would intimate so much by words. HOPEFUL, therefore, here had much ado to keep his brother's head above water; yea, sometimes he would be quite gone down, and then ere awhile he would rise up again half dead. HOPEFUL also would endeavour to comfort him, saying, "Brother, I see the gate, and men standing by it to receive us." But CHRISTIAN would answer, "'Tis you, 'tis you they wait for; you have been hopeful ever since I knew you." "And so have you," said he to CHRISTIAN. "Ah, brother," said he, "surely, if I was right, he would now arise to help me; but, for my sins, he hath brought me into the snare, and hath left me." Then said HOPEFUL, "My brother, you have quite forgot the text where it is said of the wicked, 'There are no bands in their death, but their strength is firm; they are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued like other men'.
"For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men." Psalms 73:4, 5

These troubles and distresses that you go through in these waters are no sign that God hath forsaken you; but are sent to try you, whether you will call to mind that which heretofore you have received of his goodness, and live upon him in your distresses."

Then I saw in my dream that CHRISTIAN was as in a muse awhile, to whom also HOPEFUL added this word, "Be of good cheer, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole "; and with that CHRISTIAN brake out with a loud voice, "Oh, I see him again! and he tells me, 'When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee'".
"When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." Isaiah 43:2

Then they both took courage, and the enemy was after that as still as a stone, until they were gone over. CHRISTIAN therefore presently found ground to stand upon; and so it followed that the rest of the river was but shallow. Thus they got over.
-The Pilgrim’s Progress part I by John Bunyan

Even in Leviticus He is Before Us

It is His book still.

I have to testify that this time reading through Leviticus and the end of Exodus has been the most impacting part for me so far. Wow, I'll bet for those of you who are new to the Bible that that sounds like someone from a different planet, huh? This is I think the fifth or sixth time I have read through my Bible, and it seems to get better each time. Especially when I pray. I do not doubt that that will be true for you who are newer to this book, in time. But that's why we're walking together, isn't it? To be encouraged and challenged to know God and love Him more.

I find a lot of similarities between how I read the Bible and Job's experience that is recounted in Job 9:11, “Behold, He passes by me, and I see Him not; He moves on, but I do not perceive Him.” As we came to this book, I looked at it and thought I was in for a long ride. And I'm not saying it hasn't been a hard read. I don't always know what is going on, and I certainly don't understand God's reasonings behind all of His commands. So I began to beg God to open my eyes. He says this is all His book; that He is in every book, every chapter, and every verse. But I didn't see Him. Perhaps you can relate. So I prayed more. And in the past few weeks God has increasingly shown me the gap between who He is and who I am. As a matter of fact, I think that if I was not saved that the last two weeks would have been terrifying. He brings me to trembling now as I read and pray; and I am in awe and deep reverence, not terror. What must have been like to be and Israelite?! As we have read in Numbers, if the Kohathites had looked at the holy things before Aaron and his sons had covered them, they would have died! So many rules and guidelines, and God is naming every single one. He is calling all the shots. He is so different from us; have you seen that? If we think through it, would any one of us have had Moses and Aaron do the things they have been told to do? I know I wouldn't have. God's holiness is beyond measure and far beyond finding out. He is otherly and different. Holy.

This book is in the Bible for a reason. Let it show us the gap between what a holy God must do with sinful men, and what He has done with them through the Hero of the story Jesus. Truly, though He is before us in His own words and pages, we do not see Him; and though He passes right by us, He is as a phantom in the night and we do not perceive Him. But He can and will open our eyes if we ask Him. Wonderfully, we can ask Him with confident access through the mediation of the holy and sinless Son of God. May He open our eyes to be touched with power and understanding from on High.

We have peace with this otherly God.

Details and Ceremony Point Us to Jesus

Tardy, huh? A day late you say. Yup. That's right. I am. Sorry about that. I will try not to do it again. But I think maybe you'll forgive me. I think you Christians will, at least. Ever had a week where you just didn't feel like being spiritual? A week where it seemed (seems and are = two different things) that the Bible was a little off when it says that His commandments are not burdensome? (I John 5:3) Such has been my week.

I so want to sound like I am always full of faith, that I might encourage others. But it seems there are times when God brings me down to get my attention. A week where reality was a little bit much. Where solace in music and TV sounded like a pretty good idea. So I'm going to be real. I don't know how else to serve you. To put on a plastic smile is to deceive. Jesus brings real joy, not rigid grins. So, weary but still pursuing, I address myself to you my friends and hope you will join me in "setting our minds above, where Christ is" (Col. 3:1).

We are reading a hard part of the Bible. If I wrote this book, I would say to skip this section. It is hard going and technical. But I didn't write this book and I can't promise what God promises. He says that all of His Bible is breathed out from Himself and is all profitable that we might be fully equiped to be godly (II Tim. 3:16 paraphrase). So we have to trust Him.

What have we found? Lists and building plans and regulations and directions for sacrifices. Wow, how do these apply? I am not going to build a tabernacle--not a real one for sure. I don't plan on slaughtering any goats, rams, or lambs either (not that I have any rams). And I don't have leprosy. I doubt you do either. But it still applies to our lives. How then?
Question 1: What does it tell us about God?
Answer: He is peculiarly different. He requires blood and death to pay for sins. He is horrible from a certain point of view. If I was an Israelite at that time, I think I would be very afraid. I don't know if I would like God very much. I would probably do Him honor and respect Him, but I don't think that I could love a God who is only revealed in wrath and purity. Mostly just because I am so different from that. I am not the type of person who could hang out with God. He is holy. My heart is corrupt and has a constant bent to serve itself. It may be gross to say it, but I have a real battle with loving Charlie most of all (to not do it). How ungodly. And He says be holy. Can you walk with me here? Does your heart cry out when you see all of this? Do you understand what Peter was talking about when he mentioned that these things were more than the fathers or the disciples could bear? (Acts 15:10) Too much! My heart screams "depart from me, I am a sinful man, O Lord!" Do you feel the same? We could never handle all of these rules, never pull off perfection. Did you notice the part about the sacrifices you have to make for unintentional sins? I would be the brokest fella on the block. No sheep at my ranch.
But isn't that what the old law was meant to do? (cf. Gal. 3:24) To show us that we are not able, to humble us into the dust. Do you know the verse that says "God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble"? (James 4:6) Grace. Here we are again. After reading Exodus do we have a better appreciation of it? How needy are we?! We have need of a righteousness not our own, a righteousness to make up for all of our un-righteousness. And death and blood.

I will not finish this thought. That is for you to think through. I leave you an open ended thought. I hope you finish it. I only ask that as you read through the Old Testament, that you obey the apostle Paul's instruction to Timothy, "Remember Jesus Christ" (II Tim. 2:8).

Blueprints and a Little Sin

As always, the first question we ought to bring to the Bible is this: what does this tell me about God?

In this section, the instructions and laws are numerous and detailed (though I doubt that anyone who made the things directed thought they were too extensive; compare these details to a set of blueprints, this appears to be almost an abridged version for the goldsmith and other workers). Does this not tell us that God is concerned about little obediences? From the great to the small, God sees all and it matters to Him. When we choose a "little" lie over a "little" truth, it is of importance to God. When you choose a little laziness over a little work for God, it is of importance to God. He judges the thoughts and intentions of the hearts (cf. Heb. 4:12,13); He will be precise in His judgements.

Furthermore, can you keep all of these laws? Take just the ten commandments, or sum it up into two as Jesus did; can you love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength for all your life? And your neighbor as yourself? What Jesus sums up in two commandments is a far-reaching law and in Exodus and Leviticus God goes into detail. How hopeless are we if we are to follow every law in every situation for all our lives. One mistake and the book is thrown (how many times did it say about Aaron and his sons that he had to do something in a certain way "that they may not die"?). And in all reality, the way Jesus says it is harder than all the details of sacrifices and ceremony.

It seems that in light of how exact God is and what we must do to be acceptable to God, it is as a man once put it, "nothing is less obvious than forgiveness."

Because conviction for sin is a tool that is useful not as an end in itself, but as a means to convince of the great grace of God!, I will end a point of encouragement. After all this,

how perfect is the Son of God?!

He kept every law and statue in every way for all His life and gave His life up as a ransom for many who don't and can't. But may it never be that we should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world was crucified to us and we to the world! (Galatians 6:14)