A short while ago, I came across this definition of the phrase “fear of the Lord” as “a loving reverence for God that includes submission to His lordship and the commands of His word.”
Genesis 22 may challenge us to ask why God would ask Abram to sacrifice his son when he had waited so long for him. One Bible commentator focuses on verse 12 – “Now I know that you fear God” He states, “He didn’t mean ‘fear’ in the sense of fear of punishment but in the sense of awe and reverence.”
Fear, for me as a child, was my father finding out about something I had done that I knew to be wrong. In some households, a mother would say, “Just wait until your father gets home.” The definition also includes the word “reverence,” which can sometimes be a source of conflict. I recall an occasion when a friend of mine came home after attending a prayer meeting, when he was amazed that some were “lounging in chairs with their feet on a coffee table”. Another Christian friend once said, “I may be wrong, but I find it hard to listen to a man preaching the gospel wearing a t-shirt and jeans.” I suppose some would say it depends on the type of meeting, while others still attend every church meeting wearing their “Sunday best”.
By way of a contrast, I recall a young Christian, previously unchurched, who prayed for the first time in the church’s weekly prayer meeting and said, “Lord, I thank you that we can tell the devil to push off.” This was met with resounding “Amen’s”
I recall a time when Easter Sunday was an opportunity to wear new outfits, and especially for the ladies, new hats. In hindsight, one wonders what the motive was behind these “traditions”.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, may we enjoy a relationship with you that is based on respect, not irreverence, AMEN