Forgetting the fear of the Lord: Is 57:11-13

“Of whom were you worried and fearful when you lied, and did not remember Me nor give Me a thought? Was I not silent even for a long time so you do not fear Me? I will declare your righteousness and your deeds, but they will not profit you.” (Isaiah 57:11-12)

The “fear of the Lord” is essential to our walk with God. Here are some of the benefits of the “fear of the Lord.”

Knowledge: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7)

Wisdom: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10)

Long life: “The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened.” (Proverbs 10:27)

Confidence: “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and his children will have refuge.” (Proverbs 14:26)

Quality of life: “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death.” (Proverbs 14:27)

Keeps from sin: “And by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6)

Protection from evil: “The fear of the Lord leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.” (Proverbs 19:23)

Riches and honor: “The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4)

When we loose our fear of the Lord, when we loose sight of His awesomeness and majesty, when we forget that He alone is holy, righteous, and pure, we loose our solid footing and begin to drift through life. The end result of the loss of the fear of the Lord is that we loose sight of Him and forget Him and His righteous commandments. Our since of right and wrong become blurred, and we begin to convince ourselves that we are really not all that bad. Yea, we may not be as spiritual as the Apostle Paul, but at least we haven’t killed anyone. We judge ourselves by our own standard but fail to remember that God’s standard is far different from our own. The fear of the Lord reminds us that God is perfect and we are not. The fear of the Lord challenges us to judge our actions by God’s standard and not our own. Without the fear of the Lord, we will never come to know what it means to walk as children of God.

David Robison