Last Sunday we looked at a few of Solomon’s proverbs that told us how we should act in order to gain LongLife. Then near the end of Proverbs Chapter 10 he addresses how we should think, what should be in our hearts and minds. Solomon uses the word “fear” here but it may not be the fear that you are familiar with. This fear; “Is in the Old Testament used as a designation of true piety (Proverbs 1:7; Job 28:28; Psalm 19:9). It is a fear conjoined with love and hope, and is therefore not a slavish dread, but rather filial reverence.”
I know, there are a lot of words in that definition that we don’t use every day, like piety, conjoined, slavish, filial. Let me put it in my own words: The kind of fear in Proverbs 10:27 is mixed with love and hope to produce a relationship more like that of a son or daughter to a loving father than that of a horse thief to a hangman.
In this loving relationship our fear should be that if we would do something wrong our Father would find out and be disappointed in us, not that we would be punished for our wrong doing.
Proverbs 10
27 The fear of the LORD prolongs life,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.
If this “fear of the Lord” that He would find fault in what we are doing and be disappointed keeps us from doing those foolish things than what would be the outcome? LongLife! In the Old Testament we have 10 Commandments that we are to follow and in the New Testament we have two. And yes, God will be disappointed when be do not follow those commandments, but He is a Loving Father and not a cruel task-master. He wants us to have an abundant life while we are here on Earth. When we blow it we need to ask Him to forgive us for what we have done and He will, so we can get on with our lives and try to do better next time.
Recent Comments