The Fear of the Lord is About Intimacy
What if the fear of the Lord is about drawing us closer to Him?
Often we think of this fear as a distance, to stand further away from this awesome God we worship. This unapproachable, undefinable, terrifying God.
But God desires us to draw close.
…the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Exodus 19:10-11
In this epic first appearance of YHWH before the entire people of Israel, God commanded Moses to consecrate the people. There were boundaries: don’t touch the mountain.
Yet, the Lord’s desire was to appear before His people. He made a way for them to stand before Him through the process of consecration so that they can bear the weight of His glory and holiness.
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” 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.” The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
Exodus 20:18-21
Israel did fear God, but in this moment, it felt like a wrong fear. One that caused them to stand ‘far off’, where Moses had to encourage them with “do not fear”. A fear that when tested, produced idolatry - when Moses took a long time, they created a golden calf instead in place of the awesome & terrifying God who shook the mountain.
The fear of the Lord is not simply being scared. It isn’t just a reverence and being in awe of this God.
These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word.
Isaiah 66:2
Perhaps the ones who God is looking for, with the fear of the Lord, are the ones humble and broken in spirit, who take the living Word of God with great seriousness.
On this side of the cross, we are blessed with the humanity of Jesus. The God who came as man, to teach and be an example. But lest we take this for granted, we remember Jesus will return in His full glory, to judge the world.
I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire…
Revelation 1:12-18
Jesus is returning in the fullness of His glory. Will we be prepared to stand before Him in that day? No one will be able to stand far off and watch from a distance. Every single one of us will be laid bare before the King of Glory.
But here’s the beauty of all of this.
Jesus, himself, has paid the price so we can bear the tension of standing before the presence of the Living God. He has given us free access to the Father, being able to approach the throne of grace with boldness.
Our only right response is with the fear of the Lord, so we can enter into the intimacy He so desires.
Oh that we may be a people with clean hands and pure hearts (Ps 24:3-4), with a broken and contrite spirit who will tremble at His word (Isaiah 66:2). Lord, help us see you rightly, that our lives will be led in the fear of You, fully yielded and humble to Your will.
Listen to Awaken Generation Music’s 2023 live album, Fire On The Altar now.
Written by a collective of songwriters based in Singapore, the album reflects the cry of our hearts: He is worthy! Finally, after two years of Covid restrictions we return with an energetic live album complete with a full choir and a wind and string section. From rousing anthems that declare the worthiness of God, to the intimate songs of devotion, we pray that ‘Fire on the Altar’ will draw you into true worship of our great God.