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Understanding the Fear of the Lord

god almighty      jesus on earth      jesus returns

How many times have you read in the Bible - "fear the Lord"!

What does that mean? Why should I 'fear' a God who loves me? Am I to be afraid of God, or stand back from Him because He is an angry 'full-of-fear' God?

The English translation of the original Hebrew words for fear in the old testament do not do the words justice and have contributed to much confusion and uncertainty in light of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. The main essence of this 'fear' is reverence and awe and amazement not intimidation and fright, although there were times when God ceratinly pronounced these sorts of judgements on Israel.

There has been much written about the 'fear of the Lord' and my job here is not to defend nor nullify any of the many works already in print but to present a rather complete listing of the various Scriptures mentioning the 'fear of the Lord' and pose several relevant questions and include a short study guide on the topic.

Here goes ... I hope you can glean some new understanding and be able to apply the understanding of the 'fear of the Lord' to your livers daily.

Here are some words from Scripture that we may all be familiar with.

"The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge" [Proverbs 1:7]

"Love is from God" [James 4:7b]

"God so loved the world ..."[John 3:16a]

"He is the beginning and the end" [Revelation21:6]

"Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool" [Isaiah 66:1]

"On His robe and on His thigh has a name written “King of kings and Lord of lords" [Revelation 19:16]

Therefore …
How do we properly fear the Lord, God, Jehovah?
What are the effects on our lives if we choose not to?
What are the effects on our lives if we choose to do so?

It is written …

וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל מָה יהוה אֱלהֶיךָ שׁאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי אִם־לְיִרְאָה
אֶת־יהוה אֱלהֶיךָ לָלֶכֶת בְּכָל־דְּרָכָיו וּלְאַהֲבָה אתוֹ וְלַעֲבד
אֶת־יהוה אֱלהֶיךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל־נַפְשֶׁךָ\׃

(Pronunciation)
Ve•at•tah Yis•ra•el: mah Adonai E•lo•he•kha sho•el me•im•makh, ki im le•yir•ah
et Adonai E•lo•he•kha, la•le•khet be•khol de•ra•khav u•le•a•ha•vah o•to. ve•la•a•vod
et Adonai E•lo•he•kha, be•khol le•vav•kha uv•khol naf•she•kha

(English Translation)
"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear
the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your
heart and with all your soul"

(Deuteronomy. 10:12)

Introduction

The expressions 'fear of the Lord' or 'fear the Lord' or 'fear God' are used hundreds of times in the Bible and so by this repetitive frequency they are deemed to be extremely important concepts and commandments of God.

The modern word ‘fear’ (in almost all languages) evokes, outside of Scripture, something or someone to be afraid of, to be terrified by or in some other negative way be affected through the emotion of fright.

In the Bible, God made it clear to His enemies that they should indeed be terrified or afraid of his wrath. Since those who do not confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour are enemies of God (John 3:36, Matt 12:30, Luke 11:23, Eph 5:6, James 4:3 etc), then the scared fear of the wrath of God is real.

For those who do confess Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, the word fear should only evoke emotions of reverence, awe, majesty with a heart’s desire to please him, not through fright, but through love.

Thus, a study of the many instances in Scripture for ‘fearing the Lord’ or the ‘fear of the Lord’ should reveal the awesome nature of our loving God who has traits of both agape love for His children and fearful wrath and judgement for others. Before a word study can commence, it will be necessary to see what words were historically used in Scripture and relate them to our understanding of the modern words and their definitions in our society today.

God never changes, His mercies are new (but constant in nature) every morning. He is the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End. He is pure love. There is no turning of His shadow … but, the world changes, society changes and we individually change all the time, Therefore, in order to fully understand the true nature of the ‘Fear of the Lord’, we will need to apply our modern translations of historical words and their historical context in order to fully understand this awesome truth that God is to be feared.



PART 1: Some Questions to Ponder

1) Does the first part of the question in Deuteronomy 10:12, 'What does the LORD your God require of you, but to FEAR the LORD your God' conflict in any way with the Great Commandment (based on Deuteronomy 6:5) spoken by Jesus, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ as found in Matthew 22:37?
______________________________

2) Is Old Testament FEAR THE LORD always replaced by New Testament LOVE THE LORD?
______________________________

3) Could they both mean the same thing?
______________________________

4) What, if any, is the difference between the expressions ‘Fear the Lord’ and ‘The Fear of the Lord’?
______________________________

5) What, if any, is the difference between the expressions ‘Love the Lord’ and ‘The Love of the Lord’?
______________________________

6) Did Jesus eliminate, delete, cancel or negate the ‘scared fear’ aspect of the fear of God in believers? (If so, what was it replaced by? If not, how do we handle this fear?)
______________________________

7) Is the lack of reverential 'fear' of the Lord nowadays a major reason we sin?
______________________________


PART 2: Some Notes on the Words 'Fear' and 'Love' Used in the Bible

There are many words used in the Bible to describe both 'fear' and 'love'. The context quite often tells us the general meaning. It should be remembered too that the context not only considers the situation but also must be interpreted based on the definition and understanding of the words at the times. Words evolve and so do definitions.



'FEAR' in the Old Testament

YARE': The word fear is used hundreds of times and in many contexts but when speaking of fearing the Lord, the most used word is the transliteration of the Hebrew word YARE' (pronounced yaw-ray).

This word means to fear, to revere, to be afraid, to stand in awe of, to be awed, to be honouring, to be respectful, to be dreadful, to cause astonishment and awe, to be held in awe, to inspire reverence or awe, to make afraid and to terrify.

YIR’AH: A very similar word for fear used almost as many times is the transliteration of the Hebrew word YIR’AH (pronounced yir-aw) which means fear, terror, fearing an awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear), respect, reverence or piety. This is used mainly in the phrase ‘fear of the Lord’.

PACHAD: A third frequently used word when describing the fear associated with the Lord (or God) is the transliterated Hebrew word PACHAD (pronounced paw-kkad) and means to fear, to tremble, to revere, to dread, to be in awe or to be in dread, to be in great dread or to cause to dread, to be startled thus alarmed. This word for fear is used several times when describing the ‘fear of the Lord’ in situations of war or adversity.

PACHDAH: Lastly, a variation of Pachad is the transliterated Hebrew word PACHDAH (pronounced pakh-daw) which means dread, fear, awe or religious awe and is also used in the expression ‘fear of the Lord’. Thus there may be some confusion as to whether the word used for fear should evoke a scared ‘fear’ or a ‘reverent ‘fear’.

All words in the Bible have been catalogued by scholars including Strong. He assigned each word a number and the above words for fear are shown below. Note that the “H” shows that the word is a Hebrew word in origin.

1) Yare’ (Strong’s #H3372)

2) Yir’ah (Strong’s #H3374)

3) Pachad (Strong’s #H6342 and #H6343)

4) Pachdah (Strong’s #H6345)



'FEAR' in the New Testament

In the New Testament, there is only one root word used for fear in expressions such as ‘fear of the Lord’. It is the Greek word PHOBOS or PHOBON from the root word PHEBOMAI meaning to be put in fear, or dread or terror.

There are several instances of the word phoboumenoi derived from the same root, meaning to be frightened or alarmed as in ‘ones fearing’ or ‘you who fear’ as in the phrases ‘ones who fear God’ or ‘those fearing God’ or ‘you who fear God’. Note that the “G” in Strong’s listings shows that the word is a Greek word.

1) Phebomai (Strong’s #G5401)

2) Phoboumenoi (Strong’s #G5399)



'LOVE' in the Old Testament

AHAB: In the Old Testament, the general word for love as in ‘Love the Lord your God’ is AHAB (pronounced aw-hab) as in Deuteronomy 11:1. It means to love, human love for another, includes family, human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, wisdom, human love for or to God, act of being a friend, lover, friend, God's love toward man, to individual men, to people Israel, to righteousness.

The transliterated word AHAB was given the Strong’s #H158



'LOVE' in the New Testament

In the New Testament, there are generally considered two main words to describe love. They are the transliteration of the Greek word AGAPE (pronounced ag-ah'-pay) meaning affection, good will, love, benevolence or brotherly love as in John 13:35 where Christ said “By this all men shall know you are mine because of your love for one another.”

Agape love is entirely about the lover, and has nothing whatsoever to do with the one loved.

Another word for love is PHILEO (pronounced fil-eh-o) can also mean brotherly love, regard with affection when Jesus said “as many as I love, I chasten” (Rev 3:19).

Two other transliterated Greek words are used to describe love but are not in the Bible. These are EROS (pronounced aye-ros). Eros is the root word for “erotic,” but it does not describe sexual love only, it actually describes all emotional love; the feeling of love.

The fourth word for love is the transliterated Greek word STORGE (pronounced stor-jay). It is from the root word philostoros and is the love one has for a dependent. It is commonly called “motherly love” or tenderly loving. Even though this word is not in the Bible, his kind of family love is in several places such as to describe the protective love of Noah to his wife and family.

1) Agape (Strong’s #G26)

2) Phileo (Strong’s #G5368)



PART 3: Scripture References

The following Scriptures are not an exhaustive list of where the terms we are studying are all found but represent the vast majority and so represent the essence of the expression fear the Lord as found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament.

The type of fear - either 'Scared Fear' or 'Reverent, Awesome Fear' is shown in the brackets. There may be some instances where the type of fear is clearly one or the other or even a combination of both. Scholars vary on their interpretations but generally the vast majority of the meanings of fear the Lord have to do with a reverential, awesome respect rather than a terrifying, scared fear of our God.

The ‘scared fear’ connotation most often used when the Lord is speaking about ‘not fearing’ or commanding people ‘do not fear’ or ‘fear not’.

All Scriptures are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) Classic Reference Version © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publications.


Old Testament

1. Genesis 15:1 (SCARED FEAR)

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not [al yare], Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."

2. Genesis 26:24 (SCARED FEAR)

And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not [al yare], for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake."

3. Leviticus 19:32 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

"You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God [yare eth Elohiym]: I am the Lord.

4. Leviticus 25:17 (BOTH FEARS?)

You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God [yare m Elohiym k], for I am the LORD your God.

5. Deuteronomy 6:2 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

That you may fear the Lord [yare eth Yhovah Elohiym] your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.

6. Deuteronomy 8:6 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him [yare eth].

7. Deuteronomy 10:12 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear (of) the Lord your God [yirah eth Yhovah Elohiym], to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

8. Deuteronomy 14:23 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God [yare eth Yhovah Elohiym] always.

9. Deuteronomy 17:19 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord [yare eth Yhovah] his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them,

10. Deuteronomy 28:58 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

"If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God [yare eth Yhovah Elohiym].

11. Deuteronomy 31:12 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God [yare eth Yhovah Elohiym] and be careful to do all the words of this law,

12. Joshua 4:24 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God [yare eth Yhovah Elohiym] forever.”

13. 1 Samuel 12:14 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

If you will fear the Lord [yare eth Yhovah] and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well.

14. 1 Kings 18:12 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

And as soon as I have gone from you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where. And so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have feared the Lord [yare eth Yhovah] from my youth.

15. 2 Samuel 23:3 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God [yare Elohiym],

16. 2 Kings 4:1 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

[Elisha and the Widow's Oil] Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, [yare eth Yhovah] but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.”

17. 2 Kings 17:25 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

And at the beginning of their dwelling there, they did not fear the Lord [lo yare eth Yhovah]. Therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.

18. 2 Kings 17:28 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and lived in Bethel and taught them how they should fear the Lord [yare eth Yhovah].

19. 2 Kings 17:32 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

They also feared (became fearing of) the Lord [hayah yare eth Yhovah] and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places.

20. 2 Kings 17:33 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

So they (became) feared (of) the Lord [Yhovah hayah yare] but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.

21. 2 Kings 17:34 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

To this day they do according to the former manner. They do not fear the Lord [yare eth Yhovah] and they do not follow the statutes or the rules or the law or the commandment that the Lord commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel.

22. 2 Kings 17:36 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

But you shall fear him [eth yare] who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and with an outstretched arm. You shall bow yourselves to him, and to him you shall sacrifice.

23. 2 Kings 17:39 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

But you shall fear the Lord your God [eth Yhovah Elohiym yare] and he will deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies."

24. 2 Chronicles 14:14 (REVERANT, AWESOME FEAR)

And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear (awe) of the Lord [pachad Yhovah] was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them.

25. 2 Chronicles 17:10 (BOTH SCARED and REVERENT FEAR)

And the fear (awe) of the Lord [pachad Yhovah] fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat.

26. 2 Chronicles 19:7 BOTH SCARED and REVERENT FEAR)

Now then, let the fear (awe) of the Lord [pachad Yhovah] be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality or taking bribes."

27. 2 Chronicles 19:9 (REVERENT, AWESONME FEAR)

And he charged them: "Thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] in faithfulness, and with your whole heart:

28. 2 Chronicles 20:29 (SCARED FEAR)

And the fear (awe) of God [pachad Elohiym] came on all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel.

29. 2 Chronicles 26:5 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear (discernment) of God [raah Elohiym], and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.

30. Nehemiah 5:15 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God [yirah Elohiym].

31. Job 1:1 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God [yare Elohiym] and turned away from evil.

32. Job 1:8 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God [yare Elohiym] and turns away from evil?"

33. Job 22:4 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Is it for your fear of him [yirah] that he reproves you and enters into judgment with you?

34. Job 28:28 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

And he said to man, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord (master) [yirah Adonai], that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.'"

35. Psalm 19:9 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.

36. Psalm 22:25 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him [yare u].

37. Psalm 22:23 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

You who fear the Lord [yare eth Yhovah] praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

38. Psalm 25:12 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Who is the man who fears the LORD [yare Yhovah]? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

39. Psalm 25:14 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him [yare Yhovah], and he makes known to them his covenant.

40. Psalm 31:19 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you [l yare k] and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

41. Psalm 33:8 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Let all the earth fear the Lord [yare Yhovah] let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

42. Psalm 33:18 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him [Yhovah el yare], on those who hope in his steadfast love.

43. Psalm 34:7 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him [Yhovah el yare] and delivers them.

44. Psalm 34:9 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Oh, fear the LORD [yare eth Yhovah], you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!

45. Psalm 34:11 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah]

46. Psalm 36:1 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear (awe) of God [pachad Elohiym] before his eyes.

47. Psalm 52:6 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The righteous shall see and fear [yare] and shall laugh at him, saying …

48. Psalm 60:4 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

You have set up a banner for those who fear you [l yare k] that they may flee to it from the bow.

49. Psalm 66:16 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Come and hear, all you who fear God [yare Elohiym] and I will tell what he has done for my soul.

50. Psalm 76:7 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

But you, you are to be feared [yare]! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused?

51. Psalm 76:11 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared [mowra (from yare)],

52. Psalm 85:9 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him [l yare u], that glory may dwell in our land.

53. Psalm 102:15 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Nations will fear the name of the Lord [yare eth shem Yhovah] and all the kings of the earth will fear [yare] your glory.

54. Psalm 103:11 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him [Yhovah el yare];

55. Psalm 103:13 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him [Yhovah el yare].

56. Psalm 103:17 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him [yare Yhovah], and his righteousness to children's children,

57. Psalm 111:10 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The fear of the Lord [Yirah Yhovah] is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

58. Psalm 112:1 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD [yare ath Yhovah], who greatly delights in his commandments!

59. Psalm 115:11 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

You who fear the LORD [yare Yhovah], trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield.

60. Psalm 115:13 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

He will bless those who fear the LORD [yare Yhovah], both the small and the great.

61. Psalm 118:4 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Let those who fear the LORD [yare Yhovah] say, “His steadfast love endures forever."

62. Psalm 119:63 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

I am a companion of all who fear you [yare k], of those who keep your precepts.

63. Psalm 119:74 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Those fear you [yare k], you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word.

64. Psalm 119:79 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Let those who fear you [yare k], turn to me, that they may know your testimonies.

65. Psalm 128:1 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord [yare Yhovah] who walks in his ways!

66. Psalm 128:4 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD [yare Yhovah].

67. Psalm 135:20 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

O house of Levi, bless the Lord! You who fear the Lord [yare Yhovah], bless the Lord!

68. Psalm 147:11 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

But the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him [ath yare u] , in those who hope in his steadfast love.

69. Proverbs 1:7 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

70. Proverbs 1:29 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah],

71. Proverbs 2:5 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Then you will understand the fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah], and find the knowledge of God.

72. Proverbs 8:13 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

73. Proverbs 9:10 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

74. Proverbs 10:27 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.

75. Proverbs 14:2 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Whoever walks in uprightness fears the LORD [yare Yhovah], but he who is devious in his ways despises him.

76. Proverbs 14:26 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

In the fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

77. Proverbs 14:27 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] is a fountain of life that one may turn away from the snares of death.

78. Proverbs 15:16 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] than great treasure and trouble with it.

79. Proverbs 15:33 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

80. Proverbs 16:6 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] one turns away from evil.

81. Proverbs 19:23 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] leads to life and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.

82. Proverbs 22:4 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] is riches and honor and life.

83. Proverbs 23:17 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] all the day.

84. Proverbs 24:21 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

My son, fear the LORD [yare Yhovah] and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise,

85. Proverbs 28:14 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Blessed is the one who fears the LORD [yare Yhovah] always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

86. Proverbs 31:30 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD [yare Yhovah] is to be praised.

87. Isaiah 11:2 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah].

88. Isaiah 11:3 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah]. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

89. Isaiah 29:13 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

And the Lord [Yhovah] said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of (toward) me [yare eth] is a commandment taught by men,

90. Isaiah 33:6 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

And he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord [yirah Yhovah] is Zion's treasure.

91. Isaiah 50:10 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Who among you fears the Lord [yare Yhovah] and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.

92. Isaiah 59:19

So they shall fear the name of the Lord [yare eth shem Yhovah] from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives.

93. Jeremiah 2:19 (BOTH SCARED and REVERENRT FEAR)

Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God; the fear (awe) of me [Yhovah Elohiym pachdah] is not in you, declares the Lord God of hosts.

94. Jeremiah 26:19 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the Lord [lo yare eth Yhovah] and entreat the favor of the Lord, and did not the Lord relent of the disaster that he had pronounced against them? But we are about to bring great disaster upon ourselves."

95. Jeremiah 32:40 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me [yirah i] in their hearts that they may not turn from me.

96. Jonah 1:9 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord the God [yare Yhovah Elohiym] of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."

97. Jonah 1:16 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Then the men feared the Lord [yare Yhovah] exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

98. Micah 7:17 (SCARED FEAR)

They shall lick the dust like a serpent, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds; they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God, and they shall be in fear of you [pachad yare min].

99. Habakkuk 3:2 (SCARED FEAR)

O Lord, I have heard the report of you, and your work, O Lord, do I fear [yare Yhovah]. In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.

100. Haggai 1:12 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared (before) the (faces of the) Lord [yare am paniym Yhovah].

101. Malachi 1:14 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared [Yhovah Sabaoth shem yare] among the nations.

102. Malachi 3:5 (SCARED FEAR)

"Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts [lo yare amar Yhovah Sabaoth].

103. Malachi 3:16 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Then those who feared the Lord [yare Yhovah] spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord [yare Yhovah] and esteemed his name.



New Teatament

1. Acts 9:31 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord [to phobo tou kuriou] and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

2. Acts 13:16 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear (the) God [phoboumenoi ton theon], listen.

3. Acts 13:26 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who (ones fearing) fear (the) God [phoboumenoi ton theon], to us has been sent the message of this salvation.

4. Romans 11:20 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear [phobou].

5. 2 Corinthians 5:11 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord [ton phobon tou kuriou], we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

6. Colossians 3:22 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing God [phoboumenoi ton theon].

7. Revelation 11:18 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name [phoboumenois to onoma], both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.'

8. Revelation 14:7 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

And he said with a loud voice, "Fear God [phobEthEte] and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water."

9. Revelation 19:5 (REVERENT, AWESOME FEAR)

And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who (ones fearing) fear him (God) [phoboumenoi auton], small and great."



PART 4: What Have We Learned?

Some follow up questions

1) Do you agree with the classifications of fear shown for each Scripture above? They are open to interpretation for sure.
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3) What is the message God is trying to say to us about fearing Him?
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3) Before you read the concluding statements, can you identify the connection between reverent 'fear' and 'love' in God's Kingdom economy?
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It should be obvious from the 100-plus references to the Fear of the Lord, that the reverent, awesome nature of the 'fear' is the most prevelant by a wide margin.

It should be undertsood that the awesome, reverence of and for God (fear) can only stem from a love for God eminating from His love to us in the first place.

God didn't love His children, Israel any less in Old Testament times than He does us now in the Church-Era times.

"In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" [1 John 4:10] and "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear ..." [1 John 4:18a]

Do we see the connection?

The true, New Covenant 'fear of the Lord' is rooted in His love for us through Christ. We are NOT to be afraid of our Hevenly Father unless we are not part of Him through our confession that Christ is our Lord and Saviour.

To fully understand and appreciate the immensity of His love for us and our resultant 'fear' of the Lord can only be truly understood and appreciated by the knowledge that His love for His 'children' then in the Old Testament and now in the 'Church-era' are both the same.

His heart yearned for their reverent fear and awe of Him their God. How many times did He let them continue in their sin and rejection before He came back to them once more? How many times does He come to us and call us back to repentance?

We repent becasue we hold the Lord in reverential fear, not scared fear, and we can only do this because of His love for us.

"And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you,
but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul"


Now we can see how the 'fear of the Lord' and the 'Love of the Lord' are indeed one as we are one, the offsrping of Abraham's Israel through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

He has bridged the gap and unified the two for the glory of God, the Father. AMEN