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| June 2008 | Volume 57, Issue 3 |
From the Pastor's Desk
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding." Psalm 111:10 (NRSV)
A few weeks ago while I was talking to a member of the church, he mentioned that he was troubled by the phrase "the fear of the Lord." It is interesting to note that the phrase is repeated at least 108 times (mostly in the Hebrew Scriptures, but at least twice in the New Testament). I tried, rather poorly, to explain that we tend to focus too much on the word fear. It is not about being afraid of God, but about honoring and respecting God.
In my recent reading I came across a good explanation of "the fear of the Lord." Eugene H. Peterson writes in his book, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, that the "fear of the Lord" is the phrase that serves as a common and comprehensive way to refer to the way we live a spiritual life. The way to understand "the fear of the Lord" is not as a series of words with separate definitions, but as one word that describes one way of living. Since no single English word (i.e., awe, reverence, worshipful respect, etc.) adequately describes its meaning, we need to hold on to "the fear-of-the-Lord" as a term that confronts us with a challenge to live a certain way. 1
In scriptures "the fear-of-the-Lord" always point toward right living. Thus in our life we need to cultivate that sort of living and Peterson points out that this is best done through personal prayer and corporate worship. Both actions lead us to "deliberately interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to God, place ourselves intentionally in sacred space, in sacred time, in the holy presence and wait."2 "The fear-of-the-Lord" is not a code of moral conduct like a set of rules we need to follow. Instead it becomes for us a way of life in which human feeling and behavior are fused with God's being and revelation. God is active in the term and we are active in the term. "Fear-of-the-Lord" is not studying about God but living in reverence before God. Thus what is missing in our lives is not so much a particular knowledge of the Lord, but rather true reverence for the Lord.
As you ponder the state of your spiritual life, consider how you might embrace the "fear-of-the-Lord" as a means of living. Nurture that gift through prayer and worship moving toward the day when everything you do becomes a reflection of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
1 Eugene H. Peterson, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places (Grand Rapids Mi.: William B. Eerdmands Publishing Company, 2005) p. 39ff
2 Ibid,, p. 41.
