August 19, 2019

Fear That Leads to Life 

Deuteronomy 5:22–33

Ryan Garrahan
Monday's Devo

August 19, 2019

Monday's Devo

August 19, 2019

Central Truth

God yearns for us to fear Him, not so that He can manipulate and control us, but because He knows that, when we see Him for who He is, we will keep His commandments and experience the fullness of life He desires for us. 

Key Verse | Deuteronomy 5:28b–29

"And the LORD said to me, 'I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!'"

Deuteronomy 5:22–33

22 These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly at the mountain out of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and he added no more. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. 23 And as soon as you heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes, and your elders. 24 And you said, ‘Behold, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire. This day we have seen God speak with man, and man still live. 25 Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, we shall die. 26 For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of fire as we have, and has still lived? 27 Go near and hear all that the LORD our God will say, and speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’

28 And the LORD heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. 29 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants 1 5:29 Or sons forever! 30 Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.” 31 But you, stand here by me, and I will tell you the whole commandment and the statutes and the rules that you shall teach them, that they may do them in the land that I am giving them to possess.’ 32 You shall be careful therefore to do as the LORD your God has commanded you. You shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 33 You shall walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.

Footnotes

[1] 5:29 Or sons

Dive Deeper | Deuteronomy 5:22–33

“Would I rather be feared or loved? Um, easy. Both.” —Michael Scott, The Office

There aren't many Michael Scott quotes you could also attribute to God. This is one of the few. While God doesn't want us to fear how much we love Him (re: Michael), we see in Deuteronomy that God does long for us to fear Him. In Deuteronomy 5:28-29, Moses recalls God's response to the Israelites' fear at Mount Sinai: "And the LORD said to me . . . . 'Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments.'" Why? "[T]hat it might go well with them and with their descendants forever."

God desires for us to fear Him, not so that He can control us, but so we will experience His blessing! But how does fear lead to blessing? To answer this question, we must examine what fear is and where it comes from. The Oxford Dictionary defines fear as "an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm." The severity of that threat and, consequently, the amount of fear we experience are products of our perception of the power, capacity, and character of the object of our fear. To say it another way, we fear things we believe could harm us (power), can harm us (capacity), and will harm us (character). 

Fear of the Lord indicates that we see God for who He really is. For non-believers, fear of the Lord is fear of His wrath. Because of His justice, God cannot leave sins unpunished; His character won’t allow it. For the believer, fear of the Lord is awe, reverence, and gratitude born from the recognition that when God owed us nothing but death, He offered us life through Jesus instead. The cross is proof that God has our best interest in mind, which gives us confidence that His commandments are for our good. When we see God for who He is, One to be feared and revered, we will walk in His commands on a road that leads to riches and honor and life (Proverbs 22:4).     

Discussion Questions

1. Proverbs 22:4 tells us that "the reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life." Do you believe this to be true? See also Proverbs 1:7, 10:27, 14:27, 19:23.

2. What are some examples of how relating rightly to God and walking in His ways have led to life and blessing for you? Make a list and thank the Lord for His kindness toward you. 

3. If there were an equation for fear, I think it would look something like this: Fear = perceived power X perceived capacity X perceived character of the object of your fear. If we truly believe that fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7) and a fountain of life (Proverbs 14:27), then we will go out of our way to sharpen our understanding of God's power, capacity, and character so as not to lose our sense of fear and the blessings that come with it. Which of the three variables in the fear equation are you most prone to forget or perceive wrongly? What can you do today to remind yourself of the truth about that aspect of God's being? 

4. When you fail to keep God's commandments do you believe God is disappointed in you or disappointed for you? How does this passage from Deuteronomy inform your answer?    

5. Which animated character best encompasses your personality? My best friends tell me mine is Baloo, but I fancy myself more of a Thomas O'Malley type of guy.