What Do You Fear?

 What do you fear?

Spiders, snakes, heights, open spaces, loud noises, silence, the dark, dogs and other animals, flying, people, fear of fear itself, cold, heat. There are almost as many "fears" or phobias as there are people. 

A phobia is an irrational fear of something that’s unlikely to cause harm. The word itself comes from the Greek word phobos, which means fear or horror. Fear robs a person of peace, their sense of identity, well-being and often relationships, friendships. 

However, I could not find in any list of phobias or fears the ONE FEAR that is good for us all. 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments;
His praise endures forever. Psalm 111:10 NKJV 

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death. Proverbs 14:27 NKJV

Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Psalm 34:11 NKJV

The Hebrew word for fear is yir'âh pronounced yir-aw' and it means dreadful, awesome moral reverence. This word is used 45 times in the (KJV) Old Testament. 

As Albert Barnes* says in his commentary on Psalm 111:10 "The fear of the Lord - Reverence for God; respect for his law, his will, his government, himself; the fear of offending him, which will lead us to do right. This fear is not that of a slave; it is not mere dread; it is not terror. It is consistent with love, and springs from it. It is consistent with calmness of mind, and promotes it. It does not produce terror, but rather delivers from it, and preserves the mind from alarms. The word here rendered “fear” is a noun of the same origin as the word rendered “reverend” in the previous verse. The suggestion to the mind of the psalmist that the “name of the Lord” was “reverend,” or was to be venerated, introduced this thought that such reverence is the very foundation of wisdom."

Several years ago, a televised circus act with Bengal tigers was broadcast live. The tiger trainer went into the cage with several tigers to do a routine performance. The door was locked behind him. The spotlights highlighted the cage, the television cameras moved in close, and the audience watched in suspense as the trainer put the tigers through their act. However, in the middle of the performance, the lights went out! For 20 or 30 seconds the trainer was locked in a dark cage with Bengal tigers, a whip and a chair. The tigers could see the trainer, but he could not see them!

After the event was over, in an interview, the trainer was asked how he felt about his situation in the cage. He first admitted to the chilling fear of the situation, but he pointed out that the tigers did not know that he could not see them. He said, "I just kept cracking my whip and talking to them until the lights came on. They never knew I could not see them as well as they could see me."**

The fear of the Lord does not cripple us, rather it frees us to understand how we should relate to our God. He is to be revered. He is to be honoured, true fear is born out of the knowledge of how infinitely powerful, majestic and full of goodness He is. Before we can grow in the Lord, we must first learn to fear Him. That fear must motivate us toward holiness.  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:7 KJV

 

 

* Albert Barnes Commentary  e-Sword downloadable Bible commentaries add-on

** Tiger story taken from 2000+ Bible Illustrations e-Sword Reference Library. E-Sword Free Bible Software.