Have a Healthy Fear of God
Have
a Healthy Fear of God
I read a
story from the Bible the other day and noticed something about the story that really
stood out to me! I think that there is
an especially important principle in the story, and I would like to share that
with you today.
In the book of Exodus, chapter 1, we read
that as the Israelites began to prosper in Egypt, the Egyptians came to despise
them. They had forgotten how God had
greatly blessed them during the times of Joseph and began to spread lies about
them and oppress them. In the middle of
this story is a remarkable statement!
(Exodus 1:12-17) GW
“But the more the Israelites were oppressed, the more they increased in
number and spread out. The Egyptians couldn't stand them any longer. So
they forced the Israelites to work hard as slaves. They made their lives
bitter with back-breaking work in mortar and bricks and every kind of work in
the fields. All the jobs the Egyptians gave them were brutally hard. Then
the king of Egypt told the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and
Puah, "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth, look at the
child when you deliver it. If it's a boy, kill it, but if it's a girl, let it
live." However, the midwives feared God and didn't obey the king
of Egypt's orders. They let the boys live.”
Isn’t this
an incredible statement! The Hebrew
midwives were ordered by the King of Egypt to kill the babies if they were
boys, but they did NOT follow it! They
had a healthy fear of God and even though they were risking their lives – they
continued to follow their conscience, instead of following what they were told
in society, even a personal command from the King.
I think that our society needs a healthy
dose of what these midwives had. We need
to have a healthy awareness of the fear of God!
It is remarkable to me when someone in our society goes out and kills a
bunch of people and then immediately takes their own life! It is as if they are committing a horrible
crime and then immediately running before the judge! They take their lives so that they do not
have to face the judgment of society for their actions, but they do not
realize that they are about ready to face something far beyond the judgment of
society, they are getting ready to face the judgment of God, who is Holy and
Righteous, and Just.
(Hebrews 9:27) KJV states
“And as it
is appointed unto men once to die, but after this – the judgment.”
If people would have some awareness of what
might happen to them after they die and stand before God – it might deter them
from living as badly as they would otherwise.
Of course, the best thing to happen to someone who doesn’t know God is
to come to be born again and instead of facing judgment – they would stand
before God in acceptance and reward.
As Christians, it is valuable for us to
remind ourselves that even though we are walking in a personal relationship
with God, we still need to remind ourselves that we need to be diligent and not
take our standing with God for granted.
. When we become Christians – instead of
experiencing dread and terror as to what God may do – we need to have a
“godly fear.”
(Romans 8:15) KJV
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage
again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry,
Abba, Father”.
(Hebrews 12:28) KJV
“Therefore, we
must be thankful that we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Because we are
thankful, we must serve God with fear and awe in a way that pleases him.
(2 Corinthians 7:1) GW
“Since we have these promises, dear friends, we
need to cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit and
live a holy life in the fear of God.”
To try and illustrate this principle, I
think that it is a good idea to think of it as a balanced scale.
To fully appreciate what Christ did on the
cross – one must have a balanced view of the holiness and righteous nature of
God… and his unconditional love.
There are a lot of great reasons to live for
God. You may serve Him because you have
come to love Him. You may serve Him because
you may have come to realize that He is the God of the universe, and you are
not! You may have come to realize that
you would one day stand in front of Him and give an account of your life and
that awareness led you to Christ. I
think that whatever the motivation that brought you to Christ and motivates
you to live for Him – is well worth it if it is kept balance!
Written by Lee Malden 2021
For more information: email lmalden@hotmail.com
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