That We May Learn to Fear God

That We May Learn to Fear God

"That day when you stood before GOD, your God, at Horeb, GOD said to me, ‘Assemble the people in my presence to listen to my words so that they will learn to fear me in holy reverence for as long as they live on the land, and that they may teach my words to their children.’" (Deut. 4:10)

The book of Proverbs reminds us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” If a person desires to be truly wise, they must first learn to fear God. Proverbs also declares that “to fear the Lord is to depart from evil.” Putting these truths together, we see that departing from evil is wisdom itself. But then we must ask: why is there so little fear of God in our generation?

Our text gives us a clue—it speaks of gathering the people in God’s presence to hear His word. Why? So that they may learn to fear Him for as long as they live. The fear of God is not automatic; it is cultivated as we listen to His word and allow it to shape our hearts.

When people truly fear God, they will avoid anything that offends Him. Likewise, they will not harm their neighbours, for the fear of the Lord leads to love—love for God and love for others. In fact, the fear of the Lord fulfills the whole law, which Scripture sums up in this command: love the Lord your God, and love your neighbour as yourself.

This is also why gathering in God’s presence is so vital. As the book of Hebrews admonishes us, “do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together.” For when we come together, we hear God’s word afresh, and in hearing, we learn again to fear Him, to walk in wisdom, and to live in love.

Have a fruitful day,
(Dr.) Emmanuel Okoro
(aka Dr. Lift)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Steady your heads

Steady your hands "But Moses' hands got tired. So they got a stone and set it under him. He sat on it and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands remained steady until the sun went down.(Exod.17.12 MSG) Consistency and stability are two traits that we need to succeed in life. The Bible says those second guessing themselves will not receive anything from God.  "Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves."(Jas.1.6)  Our text illustrated this very clearly. Moses had an assignment to keep his hand raised. But as human, he became tired and his hand would come down and as that happened his people would lose the battle. So he devised a means to create consistency and stability, he rested his hands on a stone, with support from Aaron and Hur on either side supporting him.  We need this kind of support, the kind of systems an structures that will help to create stability in ...
Read more

Joshua Spoke, the People Moved

Joshua Spoke, the People Moved “And it happened. Joshua spoke, the people moved. Seven priests carrying seven ram’s-horn trumpets went out before the LORD. As they walked, they blew the trumpets, leading the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD.”  (Joshua 6:8) When Joshua gave the instruction, the people did not argue, analyze endlessly, or delay. He spoke—and they moved. That simple act of obedience set divine power in motion. History was shaped not merely by what was said, but by what was done. Actions give weight to knowledge. What we do with the truth we receive determines the outcomes we experience. Many of us know what is right, what God has said, and what steps we should take—but knowing alone does not transform a life. If we consistently acted on every truth we already knew, our lives would look very different. The real question, then, is not “What more do I need to hear?” but “What is stopping me from acting?” This text teaches us how to relate to God’s Word: Joshua spoke, ...
Read more

Birthright for sale

Birth rights for sale  "One day Jacob was cooking a stew. Esau came in from the field, starved. Esau said to Jacob, "Give me some of that red stew--I'm starved!" That's how he came to be called Edom (Red). Jacob said, "Make me a trade: my stew for your rights as the firstborn." Esau said, "I'm starving! What good is a birthright if I'm dead?" Jacob said, "First, swear to me." And he did it. On oath Esau traded away his rights as the firstborn." (Gen.25.29-33).  Life has taught us to trade what we have for what we want or need. And this is basic economics but the story of how Esau lost his birthright is a lesson we should not forget in a hurry. It tells us that we do not value what we have, until we have lose it.  Esau had his birthright and that entitles him to a double portion of the inheritance from his father. But he was willing to trade a long term advantage for a short pleasure. He wanted a quick fix over a permanen...
Read more