What does "fear the Lord" mean?

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BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
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#21
Reverence, respect, honour..

Not like being terrified

God is all powerful and knowing and created all things. So we are to revere Him

Fear not as in afraid.. altho I'm sure if I saw an Angel or God.. I would b shaking in my boots
I'd have to change my underwear
 

BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
8,877
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#22
I used to think "fear of the Lord" meant being terrified of Him. Always looking over my shoulder to see if I slipped up and was going to be punished. In other words, I had a picture in my mind of a harsh-looking person just waiting for me to slip up so He could chastise me.

Anyone else felt like this?
I felt the same, and to be honest still struggle with it.
I think it arises as a result of two things.

Earthly parentel relationships.
And being taught wrong theology that just confirms in your own mind that a beating is coming and even worse you lose your salvation.

The chastisement of God is often mentioned but never clarified.
If not then the person who is terrified as a result of parental relationship when growing up will feel that God chasten his kids with beatings.

Then what happens that one then ferns that they must be perfect, in order to not be beaten and also in order to be loved by God.

That focus just compounds fear, takes the focus off Jesus and what he has done for us and how the restored relationship with God should function.

Hebrews 12:6-8
6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.


If it gets to the stage that we need discipline then he does so because he loves us.
And when he does it is for our benefit.
To refine us and restore the relationship to a healthy one.

To me there is a remedy.

Firstly one who walks being terrified needs healing.
They need to be discipled that they do not need to be terrified.
God allows things to happen in order to refine us, in order to conform us to the image of Jesus.
When we get it wrong we keep a short account with God.
We confess it, acknowledge it and ask for help.
If we do not then he will chasten us.
But when he does he will give us the strength to accept it and endure it.

What we all need to realise it's that we are children of the Father.
He is perfect and his love is perfect.

We all need to realise and remember what Jesus said.

John 17:23
23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.


Hope I make some sense.

I would be interested to know what people think about how God genuinely chastens his kids.
 

Prov910

Senior Member
Jan 10, 2017
880
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0
#23
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One(B) is understanding. (Prov. 9-10)​

I love it when a thread gives me an excuse to post my favorite bible verse. —Prov910 :)
 
Dec 4, 2017
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#24
Are we to be afraid of God? Or are we to be in awe and reverence of Him?

Hebrews 12:28–29

[SUP]28 [/SUP]Therefore let us be grateful for receiving [SUP]r[/SUP]a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus [SUP]s[/SUP]let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, [SUP]29 [/SUP]for our [SUP]t[/SUP]God is a consuming fire.


Hebrews 12:5–11

[SUP]5 [/SUP]And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
[SUP]f[/SUP]“My son, [SUP]g[/SUP]do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
[SUP]6 [/SUP] For [SUP]h[/SUP]the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Are we to be in constant fear of chastisement?

In The Begining.

My favorite as to being a part of everyones testimony in the Holy One of Yisrayl.
And so the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.

Later, Yeshua appeared to the Eleven as they were eating, and he reproached them for their lack of trust and their spiritual insensitivity in not having believed those who had seen him after he had risen.
15 Then he said to them,
“As you go throughout the world, proclaim the Good News to all creation. 16 Whoever trusts and is immersed will be saved; whoever does not trust will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who do trust: in my name they will drive out demons, speak with new tongues, 18 not be injured if they handle snakes or drink poison, and heal the sick by laying hands on them.”

baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Ruach Ha'qadosh
קְדשִׁ֣ים(qadosh)
[TABLE="class: Co_TanachTable, width: 100%"]
[TR="class: Co_Verse"]
[TD]The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and the knowledge of the holy ones is understanding.[/TD]
[TD="class: Co_Spacer"][/TD]
[TD="class: hebrew, align: right"]יתְּחִלַּ֣ת חָ֖כְמָה יִרְאַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וְדַ֖עַת קְדשִׁ֣ים בִּינָֽה:[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
19 So then, after he had spoken to them, the Lord Yeshua was taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God.[b] 20 And they went out and proclaimed everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the message by the accompanying signs.


“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and frustrate the intelligence of the intelligent.”[a]



Where does that leave the philosopher, the Torah-teacher, or any of today’s thinkers? Hasn’t God made this world’s wisdom look pretty foolish? 21 For God’s wisdom ordained that the world, using its own wisdom, would not come to know him. Therefore God decided to use the “nonsense” of what we proclaim as his means of saving those who come to trust in it. 22 Precisely because Jews ask for signs and Greeks try to find wisdom, 23 we go on proclaiming a Messiah executed on a stake as a criminal! To Jews this is an obstacle, and to Greeks it is nonsense; 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, this same Messiah is God’s power and God’s wisdom! 25 For God’s “nonsense” is wiser than humanity’s “wisdom.”

And God’s “weakness” is stronger than humanity’s “strength.” 26 Just look at yourselves, brothers — look at those whom God has called! Not many of you are wise by the world’s standards, not many wield power or boast noble birth. 27 But God chose what the world considers nonsense in order to shame the wise; God chose what the world considers weak in order to shame the strong; 28 and God chose what the world looks down on as common or regards as nothing in order to bring to nothing what the world considers important; 29 so that no one should boast before God. 30 It is his doing that you are united with the Messiah Yeshua. He has become wisdom for us from God, and righteousness and holiness and redemption as well! 31 Therefore — as the Tanakh says —

“Let anyone who wants to boast, boast about Adonai.”[b]


But as for me, Heaven forbid that I should boast about anything except the execution-stake of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah! Through him, as far as I am concerned, the world has been put to death on the stake; and through him, as far as the world is concerned, I have been put to death on the stake.








 
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star

Senior Member
Nov 8, 2017
1,582
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North Carolina
#25
I cannot imagine seeing an angel nor God. My meager mind may just not be able to handle it.
 

Musicus

Senior Member
Oct 26, 2017
314
39
28
#26
Often when my flesh wants to sin, I don't because I'm afraid I'd disappoint Him and He'll stop smiling on me.
 

BillG

Senior Member
Feb 15, 2017
8,877
4,331
113
#27
Often when my flesh wants to sin, I don't because I'm afraid I'd disappoint Him and He'll stop smiling on me.
I get that.
Then I when I do I fess up.
Then I'm refunded reminded that Jesus intercedes for us.

Not that's an excuse to sin.
 

Musicus

Senior Member
Oct 26, 2017
314
39
28
#28
I get that.
Then I when I do I fess up.
Then I'm refunded reminded that Jesus intercedes for us.

Not that's an excuse to sin.
Yup, and I ran out of excuses a loooonng time ago, not that they ever worked.
 

mailmandan

Senior Member
Apr 7, 2014
24,999
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#32
I see fearing the Lord as fear of offending God and a righteous awe and respect for Him (Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 34:9; Isaiah 66:2). Prior to my conversion, while still attending the Roman Catholic church, I basically saw God as a tyrant who couldn't wait to punish me every time I messed up. That is an unhealthy fear!
 
May 19, 2016
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#33
"FEARING GOD" is directly linked to obedience to God's law (TORAH). [Dt. 17:19; 28:58; 31:12].

So then...let us fear God in OBEDIENCE TO TORAH (just as Scripture commands and requires).

blessings...
 

Deade

Called of God
Dec 17, 2017
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Vinita, Oklahoma, USA
yeshuaofisrael.org
#34
I don't believe I'm worthy to meet Him but my salvation assures me that I will. Praise be to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Maybe this helps: Romans 8:15: "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

If that spirit of fear did not come from God, then why are we harboring it?
:mad:
 

star

Senior Member
Nov 8, 2017
1,582
2,046
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North Carolina
#35
I see fearing the Lord as fear of offending God and a righteous awe and respect for Him (Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 34:9; Isaiah 66:2). Prior to my conversion, while still attending the Roman Catholic church, I basically saw God as a tyrant who couldn't wait to punish me every time I messed up. That is an unhealthy fear!


This is the very same view I once had of God. Just waiting for me to "mess up." Yes, it is unhealthy and a stumbling block to God's True Identity. As well, I believe there are some churches which present God in that way.