Disclaimer: read the following as an introduction. It is impossible to fully consider fear and love in a simple blog post, but I can suggest this as a teaser study for you and a promise that if you engage in it, it will profoundly affect you and everything you know and are. I do not believe it is possible to truly consider fear of the Lord and His love without being touched to the core of our being. These are not contradictory nor conflicting, but are intertwined so deeply that they cannot be separated.
I can’t take credit for this thought, it came from Dr. David Jeremiah (I strongly recommend his teachings). He was talking about Fear of the Lord and Loving the Lord – both commands we are ‘tasked’ with. But before progressing too far on the reality that fear and love walk hand in hand, we need to know what we mean about fear: how we define it and what we do with it. Believe it or not, there is a positive fear.
I’ve written about fear a couple of times, but I don’t believe I’ve ever discussed the fear of the Lord. This is a ‘fear’ we need to understand and act on. And I would argue that fear of the Lord is something we truly do not understand or appreciate. This fear is evident throughout scripture and is something we learn and practice… and is something I’m continuing to grow in and not just understand, but appreciate. There is no way to cover the entirety of what fear of the Lord means, do a study on this subject, type in fear of the Lord in your concordance and you will be amazed at all the verses that discuss this. A few:
“The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.”
(Proverbs 9:10, see also 1:7, 2:5, etc. AMP)
[That verse, for me, is kind of the summation of fearing the Lord because it talks about wisdom, worship, the beginning, understanding, etc.]
“The [reverent] fear of the Lord is the beginning (the prerequisite, the absolute essential, the alphabet) of wisdom; A good understanding and a teachable heart are possessed by all those who do the will of the Lord; His praise endures forever.” (Psalm 111:10, AMP)
“Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!) Blessed [fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God] is the man who fears the Lord [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with obedience],Who delights greatly in His commandments.” (112:1)
[It appears that now we are seeing some of the acts and understandings we need to display: reverence, worship, obedience, delighting… and we see the result in the Lord favoring us.]
“Oh that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear [and worship Me with awe-filled reverence and profound respect] and keep all My commandments always, so that it may go well with them and with their children forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29, AMP)
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28, AMP)
“Therefore, since we have these [great and wonderful] promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness [living a consecrated life—a life set apart for God’s purpose] in the fear of God.” (2 Corinthians 7:1, AMP)
I could go on in this vein, but I think a strong case is made that we should fear the Lord. But realize that fear is specific: of the Lord. It isn’t random or suddenly appears, it’s not ‘human’ fear it is the awe and reverence of the God who has created everything and then did everything to reestablish a damaged relationship and restore us to Him. And we should never use ‘love’ as our trump card to make God do what we want. The greatest commandment is to:
“And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38, AMP)
There are many, many verses that talk about love and a whole chapter in 1 Corinthians was devoted to the attributes and visible manifestation of love. In many ways, this discussion can be summed up in Proverbs 3:5-7, AMP
“Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way] Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil.
