It was my observation while reading the book of Ecclesiastes, in a mere two sentences Solomon summarizes his findings for all the wisdom present in the twelve chapters of his opus.
Ecclesiastes 12: 13-14 — Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil (NIV)
Now, let us reduce the two sentences to six words. Fear God and keep his commandments. There we have it. Jesus said — love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. Then came the second thing – love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. That was simple to express. But what about the commandment – Fear God? I think it is helpful to look at Isaiah 29. For me, this entire chapter helps define the notion of fearing God. The three verses below focus our thoughts.
Isaiah 29:13-16 — These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught. Therefore, … I will astound these people with wonder upon wonder; the wisdom of the wise will perish, the intelligence of the intelligent will vanish. Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”? (NIV)
These are strong words; they describe someone who does not fear Elohim. This passage can be reduced to a single phrase – Respect Me, I am the one who made the heavens and earth. Respect Me, if not for what I did, then for what I Am. Respect Me, Obey my commandments. Respect Me, Love your neighbor. Respect Me, Love my Son. Respect for Elohim leads to blessings and our contentment that all is right in the world. Resistance melts away and becomes peace. We feel happy in our place.
The fear (respect) for the things of God starts when the King of Kings occupies our heart. We quickly develop a reverence and appreciation for his majesty, we yield to his authority, and we pull away from things that displease him. We see and embrace his wisdom. We freely embrace him and worship with all the honor due to his name and actions. This becomes true devotion, fledgling at first, but soon becomes a comfortable stride, a power walk with God.
Scripture becomes much more personal. We become aware that God is talking to us, revealing himself to us in the same way that Martin Luther, or Augustine learned about the things of God. One moment of insight after another. We gain understanding and knowledge. Then, as we experience the application of God’s plan for us, we become wise. We learn this respect by absorbing his statutes and precepts from scripture. We know that what we think quickly becomes how we act and how we relate to others.
This acquisition of insight is the process of the Spirit of God writing the word upon our heart. The more dominant this respect becomes the more careful we are with the application of His word in our life. We know that this is no game, it matters how we process and relate to the message. If we are not settled on the inside, our actions will be bumpy, inconsistent – the internal war will be played out in our actions with others. This idea of respect is the whole of man’s relationship with God. It requires care and feeding. It requires alone time, wrestling with the word of God. It requires regular visits with God. It requires interaction with others of similar mind. It brings peace. It brings contentment. It brings rest.
I choose Jesus.
Shalom Talk 