This post is a continuation of last Friday’s post. If you haven’t read it and want to start from the beginning, click here.
What does it mean to fear God? I mean, how can we fear a God who is defined by love? To me, it would be easier to fear the God whose wrath we see displayed in the Old Testament. This brings me to a life situation that shed much insight on our need to fear God.
Several years ago, someone I knew died unexpectedly while in his 30′s. Without giving many details, I had known this man to live a double life. He was a respected deacon, Sunday School teacher and church leader. He was also extremely dishonest in his career during the week, despised by most, known by all. The news of his death really sent my reeling. The thought would creep into my head, “Did God do this to punish him?” As soon as I thought it, I would immediately be horrified by my own thought. “It isn’t my place to judge him.” and then “But he’s dead.” and then “Who am I to wonder why?” Back and forth I went, never resolving this issue until just a couple of weeks ago when a good friends Scott and Abby pointed me to 3 instances in the New Testament of God still being a God of wrath.
The first one Scott pointed out is Luke 13 when the tower of Siloam just fell and killed 18 people and the onlookers were struggling with the same question I had. They went to Jesus and asked him for an answer to why those particular 18 had died.
Jesus’s answer: 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
The truth is, regardless of the fate of my aquaintence, I myself deserve death.
Acts 12 -Herod’s last speaking engagement.
21On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Herod stole the praise of the Lord and gave his life for this momentary gain.
In Acts 5 Ananias and Saphira held back a portion of their tithe and consequentially both fell over dead.
They stole what God had claimed for himself.
I find it interesting that two of these three examples are those who took away from God what was rightfully his. In one instance His praise and in the other His offerings.
The good news for us is that even though God still may still operated under this premise occasionally, he is also a God of Love, Mercy, Justice, Forgiveness, and Patience. I only bring up the other because I think our cultural Christianity sometimes overlooks this aspect of fearing the Lord. In order to have a healthy view of fearing him we must combine both the God of justice and God the merciful, compassionate forgiver.
So, this week be sobered by the God of Justice and next week we will rejoice together as we look how to truly fear God the merciful, compassionate forgiver!
November 27, 2009 at 6:16 am |
[...] weeks, I have written about fearing God as a means to freedom from our own fears. Click here and here to catch up if you wish. For the final segment, I wanted to highlight specific scriptures that [...]