How happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways! (Psalm 128:1)(HCSB)Happy is he who fears? How can you fear and be happy about it? As funny and illogical as that question sounds, we can fear and be happy if we fear the Lord and walk in His ways. So what does it mean to fear the Lord? Does it mean that we should be deathly afraid of God and scared to displease Him? Does it mean that we should carefully walk a straight line because God's waiting to punish us when we step out of line? Well, we should want to please our Lord and to follow the narrow road to life that He's placed us on, but not out of fear. While God does discipline His children, (Prov. 3:12, Heb. 12:6) He's not just looking down His nose at us hoping that we mess up so that He can zap us with a lightning bolt or something. He loves us, and like a loving father, wants to protect us, and He wants us to steer clear of things that are harmful, the obstacles that try to detour us away from the narrow path.
So what is the fear of the Lord? I believe it's more about having and showing the proper respect for the One who is the Creator and ultimately the Judge of all creation. The full meaning of the "fear of the Lord" includes reverential awe, obedient respect and worshipful submission. Solomon, one of the wisest men of all time, wrote in Proverbs 1:7--The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (HCSB)
He also wrote in Proverbs 8:13--To fear the Lord is to hate evil. I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech. (HCSB)
Oh man, could we ever use some more of the fear of the Lord in our government these days! Other passages in Psalms reiterate what Psalm 128:1 says. Look at these two verses:
He will bless those who fear the Lord--small and great alike. (Ps. 115:13)(HCSB)
Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, taking great delight in His commandments. (Ps. 112:1)(HCSB)
So those of us who fear the Lord, delight in His Word and walk in His ways will be happy and blessed by God. Let's go back to Psalm 128 and see a few of the ways that God will bless those who fear Him.
Psalm 128
- v.2--you will eat what you work for, you will be happy and it will go well with you
- v.3--your wife will be a fruitful vine, your sons will be like young olive trees
- v.5--you will see prosperity around you all your life
- v.6--you will see your grandchildren
Singing His Praises,
Joey Culpepper