The Fear of the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 heart and mind in Nehemiah 7:2,

"I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most people do."

The Persian king, Artaxerxes, appointed Nehemiah as governor of Judea and as such Nehemiah appointed Hanani and Hananiah positions in Jerusalem. I note the observation Nehemiah makes about Hananiah, he "feared God more than most people do."

What does it mean to fear God? In short it means to hold God in the reverence and the awe he is due. We learn some things about fearing the Lord in Proverbs:

It is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom, 1:7, 9:10

To fear the Lord is a choice we make, 1:29

To fear the Lord is to hate evil, 8:13

It leads to life and it adds length to life, 19:23, 10:27

Those who fear the Lord "walk uprightly", 14:2

Wise people shun evil and fear the Lord, 14:6

Those who fear the Lord have a secure fortress, 14:26

It is a fountain of life that turns one from the snares of death, 14:27

Wisdom's instruction is to fear the Lord, 15:33

Through it we avoid evil, 16:6

Humility is the fear of the Lord, bringing riches, honor and life, 22:4

We are to be zealous for the fear of the Lord, 23:17

It looks to me that fearing the Lord is is an important issue. After reading Proverbs, I see it is a very important issue! Little else in life holds its importance. Hananiah was recognized by Nehemiah as one who feared God more than most, so our level of "the fear of the Lord" resides on a measuring stick in our lives. From Proverbs 1:29, we learn it is a choice we make - it doesn't just happen, like, say, being born with blue eyes or brown eyes. It is something we have control over.

Perhaps we best learn what we can about the fear of the Lord (since it involves a choice each of us make) to insure we build it into our lives. I would suggest the book of Proverbs as a start.

What do you think? Does it sound important to you?

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!

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