The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Psalm 114:7-8,
"Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turned the rock into a pool,
the hard rock into springs of water."
The psalmist calls for the whole earth to tremble at the presence of
the Lord. In mind are the astounding supernatural acts of the Lord at
the time of Israel's exodus from Egypt.
The on-line Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "tremble" as: "to be
affected with great fear or anxiety; to shake involuntarily (as with
fear or cold)" While the stimulus here to tremble is not cold but fear
- fear of God, I note that there are several passages where the
presence of God, his acts or his nature produces, or should produce
trembling.
Consider Psalm 18:7-15:
The earth trembled and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.
He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
the dark rain clouds of the sky.
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies,
great bolts of lightning and routed them.
The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
See also Psalm 77:13-18:
Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
The clouds poured down water,
the skies resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
Consider the Israelites at the foot of Mt. Sinai as Moses received the
law from God, "When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard
the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear.
They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, 'Speak to us yourself and
we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.'"
Exodus 20:18-19.
I know that I have a confidence I can approach God on his throne
through Jesus Christ, as the writer of Hebrews tells us, "Let us then
approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:16. I
also know that God loves me and has demonstrated his kindness toward
me, "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved
us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his
mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the
Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ
our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might
become heirs having the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:4-7.
Does this mean I should no longer "tremble" in God's presence? Not at
all. As Mary acknowledged in her song, "His mercy extends to those who
fear him, from generation to generation." Luke 1:50. And, as Jesus
taught us, "I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after
the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell
you, fear him." Luke 12:5.
While we are told, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a
slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by
him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" Romans 8:15, we know that we no longer
have to fear God's judgment of us for our sins. And, John reminds us
we will have no fear on the day of judgment, "There is no fear in
love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with
punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
This, however, does not mean we will not fear God. As Paul says in 2
Corinthians 5:11, "Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord,
we try to persuade men." I am also reminded of his words in
Philippians 2:12-13, "Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always
obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my
absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his
good purpose." Peter tells us to fear our heavenly Father, "Since you
call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your
lives as strangers here in reverent fear." 1 Peter 1:17. And, in 1
Peter 2:17 he tells us to fear God, "Show proper respect to everyone:
Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king."
As the angel in Revelation 14:7 says, "Fear God and give him glory,
because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the
heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." Worship
divorced of fear is an imperfect, crippled and anemic exercise. It is
lacking a full reverence and a full understanding and a full view of
our magnificent, awesome and holy God. Pure, pristine and uncluttered
worship views our God in the full splendor of his glory and
acknowledges his acts that are both wonderful and terrifying.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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