WEEK 3 ● Day 3
READ PSALM 34:11
I can be a fearful person. I don’t have anxiety per se, but something in the back of my head is always warning me that the other shoe is going to drop. I worry that our middle schooler will go out on a bike ride and be hit by a car, that we’ll go to a fair or carnival and our youngest will get kidnapped from the crowd, that when we ride up the chairlift while skiing, one of the little ones will slip beneath the bar and fall, that one of us will get cancer or be in a massive car accident. It’s all ridiculous, of course, but fear rises quickly because I care so much about my family. I want them to be healthy, happy, and safe, and anything short of that makes my stomach turn.
The Bible talks a lot about fearing God, but that word means something completely different from the unease I’m talking about.
Today as we continue in Psalm 34, we’re going to concentrate on verse 11:
Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Fear the Lord? We want to teach our children to fear Him?
All across the Old and New Testaments, we see passages that refer to fearing God. But what exactly does it mean? Let’s flip back toward the beginning of the Bible as we begin studying why this word doesn’t mean what we may think it does:
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.”
This verse is another great example of why it’s important to look into the biblical languages. If we were to read this verse in Exodus as it is written, we’d never know that although fear is used twice in this verse, these two words look different in Hebrew (yare’ and yir’ah). Although they’re from the same root word, one is a verb and the other is a noun, which gives different nuances and helps us explore different directions. Let’s dig into the BLB and learn the different meanings of these words.
1. The first time fear is used, it is the verb yare’ (יָרֵא, pronounced yah-ray). As you look through the lexicon in the Interlinear, what describing words or phrases jump out at you?
2. The second time fear is used, it is the Hebrew noun yir’ah (יִרְאָה, pronounced yir-ah). Pen down the first definition or translation in the lexicon for this word under (1).
3. If you were to rewrite Exodus 20:20 in your own words, changing both words for fear (yare’ and yir’ah) to reflect some of the different meanings you’ve discovered, how would you rewrite it?
If we hadn’t dug into this Scripture the way we did, we might make a serious mistake and think it’s saying we should be fearful of a scary God. But no part of Him should fill us with dread or terror. Instead, we should have a healthy respect for Him —a reverence for the One who created the universe and all that is within it.
As we spend time in this study, we’ll see over and over how David understood that God deserves extreme admiration and awe. Even after poor decisions and indiscretions, David didn’t have to be afraid of God —he knew he could still come to God with a heavy heart and a posture of reverence.
As we seek to understand the whole of the Bible, it’s worth fleshing out our understanding of this concept of fearing God a little bit more. What else does the Bible say about fear? The word fear is listed over four hundred times in the entire Bible, so we have tons of examples to pull from, but let’s flip over to the New Testament this time:
Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
4. The Greek word used here in Luke 12:7 is phobeō (φοβέω). Head to the BLB and look at this word’s lexicon. What words or phrases could you use in place of fear? Rewrite this verse using the words or phrases that make the most sense to you.
Let’s do the same thing with Romans 8:15 (ESV):
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
5. Using words or phrases from the BLB lexicon, how could you rewrite this verse to make more sense to you?
Now that you’ve gained insight into the different meanings of these words for fear, let’s head back to Psalm 34:11. In this verse, where David encourages us to teach our children to fear the Lord, which Hebrew word do you think he used? If you said yir’ah (יִרְאָה , pronounced yir-ah), then you are 100 percent correct (gold star for you!). David encourages us to have deep respect and reverence for our God and Creator of the universe.
If our God is One we should be afraid of, then how could He be Someone who is full of mercy, grace, and love? He cannot go against His very character. As 1 Corinthians 14:33 reminds us, “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (ESV). Peace translates to security, safety, and harmony. We cannot have a God of fear if He is a God of peace. I’m glad we took the time to figure out what “fear of God” really means, aren’t you?
As we wrap up today, ask God how He might want you to come before Him in fear, worship, and deep reverence. How can this posture deepen your relationship with Him?
Amen.