“Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.”” – Exodus 20:20 (NASB)
Fear of God is like the promise of ‘hope’ that does not disappoint, we are more used to a ‘hope’ that lets us down and is more of a wish than a certainty of God’s promises. We know and think of fear as a terrible and unwanted emotion. Like the people of Israel, at the base of Mount Sinai were receiving the Law of God, specifically the Ten Commandments. Having seen the thunder and lightning and the sounds of the trumpet and fire from the mountain top, they are deathly afraid of God and fear He is going to kill them. Moses instructs them to not respond to the phenomena with fear. Instead they were also told to have a proper healthy fear of God. It’s being in awe and reverence of God’s perfection. Such fear deterrers sin. God’s intention is that his power and holiness stimulate fear in us not to drive us from Him, but to drive us to Him. Fearing God means, first, fearing to abandon him as our great security and satisfaction. Romans 11:20 instructs us to stand strong through faith so that we will avoid pride and instead fear falling to unbelief.
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