See the previous posts in this series here, here, and here

The fear of the Lord is indispensable. But how do we come by it?

Answering brings us to the second movement in the fear of the Lord: The fear of the Lord arises from the revelation of God.

We cannot know anything about God unless He reveals Himself to us. We are dependent upon God’s initiative in revelation.

Psalm 19 holds before us two forums in which God has disclosed Himself to us. The first is what is often called general revelation. Thus the psalm begins: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (v.1). It continues to hold before us God as revealed in the majesty of His created world (vv.1-6). Through God’s physical creation His “voice goes out through all the earth” (v.4). There is nowhere that is exempt. No one can arise to say they have not heard. God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20).

But then the psalm takes a turn. The theme is still God’s revelation of Himself to humanity. But the forum in which He makes His self-disclosure is different: “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:7-9). This is no longer the physical world around us, but the written word before us. The “law,” “testimony,” “precepts,” “commandment,” and “rules” are what makes up the Bible.

Did you notice that tucked in amid all these synonyms for the Bible is listed “the fear of the LORD”? The fear of the Lord is so intimately related to the written revelation of God that it is paralleled and held next to the law, testimony, precepts, commandment, and rules of the Bible. What truly instills the fear of the Lord is not simply a trip to the mountains or an evening spent gazing upon the ocean. It is when the same God who created these speaks to me out of His written word and by the Holy Spirit opens my eyes to the wonder of who He is, supremely held before us in the person of Jesus Christ.

A pattern is beginning to appear: Want success? That will require wisdom. So you desire this wisdom? Well, then you must have the fear of the Lord. Need to find the fear of the Lord? You must encounter God in the person of His Son, held before us in the written the revelation that is the Bible.