“The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”
Psalms 147:11 NIV
In Exodus 20:18-21 we have the people’s response to God’s proximity. Moses says: “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” (v. 20) This “test” he is talking about, is God’s way of seeing who is afraid of Him and who is in love with Him. The verse above can be easily misunderstood as Moses saying that if you are afraid of God, you will stop sinning. But God wants us to have the kind of relationship with Him that Moses had, boldly approaching him, without fear of getting close. Let’s look at other texts that talk about “fearing” God to better understand what it means to “fear God.”
To fear the LORD is to believe in Him, trusting what He says
“The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt told them to do.” Exodus 1:16
“Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside.” Exodus 9:20
“Moses replied, ‘When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.’” Exodus 9: 29-30
”The fear of the Lord fell on all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, so that they did not go to war against Jehoshaphat.“ 2 Chronicles 17:10 NIV
To fear the LORD is to stand in awe of Him
“And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” Exodus 14:31
“For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” Joshua 4:23-24
“For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.” 1 Chronicles 16:25
To fear the LORD is to obey Him
“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” Deuteronomy 28:10
“Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 31:12
“Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.” Proverbs 23:17 NIV
“He gave them these orders: ‘You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord.’” 2 Chronicles 19:9 NIV
“The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.” Psalms 19:9 NIV
“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” Deuteronomy 5:29 NIV
The fear of the Lord leads to wisdom
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7
“And he said to the human race ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding’.” Job 28:28
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10 NIV
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.” Psalms 111:10 NIV
“He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.” Isaiah 33:6 NIV
“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—” Isaiah 11:2 NIV
“…and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;” Isaiah 11:3 NIV
“He told them, “Consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for mere mortals but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be on you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.’” 2 Chronicles 19:6-7
The fear of the LORD is the path to prosperity
“He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.” 2 Chronicles 26:5
“The fear of the Lord prolongs days, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.” Proverbs 10:27 NKJV
“Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” Acts 9:31 NIV
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30 NIV
“Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honor and life.” Proverbs 22:4 NIV
“Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.” Psalms 34:9 NIV
“Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Psalms 34:11-14 NIV
The fear of the Lord protects us from evil
”Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.“ Proverbs 16:6 NIV
”The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.“ Proverbs 14:27 NIV
”Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.“
Proverbs 14:26 NIV
”Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.“ Proverbs 15:16 NIV
”To fear the Lord is to hate evil;“ Proverbs 8:13 NIV
”The fear of the Lord leads to life, And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.“ Proverbs 19:23 NKJV
”The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.“ Psalms 34:7 NIV
Finally, here is an example of a word used in the Bible to represent “being afraid.”
“No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.” Deuteronomy 11:25
Notice the word “terror” here is used to describe being afraid.
God does not want us to be afraid of Him. He would like us to be reverent, to stand in awe of Him. Fearing Him is the beginning of wisdom, as He leads us to make the right choices. Then, we will prosper in all we do.
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” Ecclesiastes 12:13
Restored! 
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