We cannot proceed with our study of Ephesians until we deal with the import and meaning of two key words, submission and FEAR, that is the FEAR of God. We cannot grasp “submit” apart from the essential nature of FEARING GOD. We begin there.
What is the Fear of God?
To Fear God is to live consistently and constantly in the vital awareness that the Most High God Is the LORD of heaven and earth, and that everything, including me, belongs to Him by Creative Right, and as for the Redeemed, by Adoptive Right, and all must answer fully to Him!!! Hebrews 4:13 (Notice that this is in the “rest” context of the chapter) “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the Eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.!!!” See Deut. 10:12-14!!!
Jonah 1:9 Jonah’s testimony: “And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which has made the sea and the dry land.” Note Vs 10, the mariners fear!
“Fear God” Verses
This listing of verses is an attempt to come to a contextual meaning of The Fear Of God in scripture. I have gone through the Bible (KJV) and listed a selection of representative verses.
Fear and Wisdom: Remember, the fool has said IN HIS HEART, there is no God. (Ps 14:1)
NOTE: The Fear of the Lord is not found at the fruit of the tree of knowledge. It only grows among the foliage of the Tree of Life! And it governs the outworking of this Life.
Job 28:28 “And unto man He said, “Behold, the Fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”
Psalm 111:10 “the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they who do His Commandments: His Praise endures forever.”
Proverbs 1:7 “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 2:1-9 (Vs 5) “Then you shall understand the Fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”
Proverbs 9:10 “The Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the Knowledge of the Holy is understanding.”
Proverbs 15:33 “ The Fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility.”
Isaiah 11:1-3a (prophecy of the Stem of Jesse, our Jesus) “And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the Fear of the Lord, and shall make Him of quick understanding in the Fear of the LORD.”
Jacob “personifies” the Fear of God in dealing with Laban:
Genesis 31:42 “Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and THE FEAR OF ISAAC, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty handed.” Again in Vs 31, “And Jacob swore (to the covenant between he and Laban) BY THE FEAR OF ISAAC.”
Isaac’s personal encounter with the Most High God on the altar of sacrifice put the Fear of God literally in his heart. Humbling ourselves before the Mighty Hand of God (I Peter 5:6) as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1), seems to be the Spirits’ first step in implanting the Fear of the LORD in our hearts!!! It requires a personal encounter with the Fear of Isaac. See also Ex. 33:12-23–Moses’ encounter. The burning bush was nothing compared to this!!!
The Fear of God and obedience: The Fear of God is essential to the blessing of God. God gave the commandments and statues and judgments to Israel,
Deut. 6:2 “That you might Fear the LORD your God (in order that) you may keep all the commandments that I command you, and your son, and your son’s son, all the days of your life; that your lives may be prolonged.”
Deut 6:13 And lest they forget their Deliverer and go after idols, “You shall Fear the LORD your God, and serve Him and swear by His Name.”
Deut. 6:24 “And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to Fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.”
Jer. 5:20 The Lord’s words to a rebellious Israel. Vs 22 “Do you not Fear Me?’ says the LORD, will you not tremble at my Presence.” Vs 24 “They do not say in their heart, “Let us now Fear the LORD our God.”.... Lip service won’t do! This is a heart matter!!!
The Fear of the Lord is essential to our loving our God and walking with Him:
Deut. 10:12 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but TO FEAR THE LORD YOUR GOD, to walk in all His ways, AND TO LOVE HIM, and to serve the LORD you God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Deut. 13:4 “You shall walk after the LORD your God, AND FEAR HIM, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him”.
Psalm 86:11-12 “Teach me Your Way, of LORD; I will walk in Your Truth: unite my heart to Fear Your Name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart: I will glorify Your Name forever.”
II Cor. 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the Fear of God.”
Phil. 2:12b-13 “...work out your own salvation with Fear and trembling. For it is God Who is working in you both to will and to do His Good Pleasure.”
Heb. 12:28 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly Fear.”
I Peter 2:17 “Honor all men, Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King.” Notice, Fear God is in the middle of our love obligation to our Spiritual Family and our duty to God given authority. Fearing God is the only way we can honorably and consistently do both!
Rev. 14:7 After the presentation of the 144,000, the redeemed out of the earth, the angel proclaims the everlasting Gospel. “Saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His Judgement has come; and worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
The FEAR OF THE LORD is essential to any right sense and application of “social justice” including humble behavior among the saints!!!
Lev. 19:1-15 Vs 14 “You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall FEAR YOUR GOD: I Am the LORD.” (Also vs. 32)
Lev. 25:17 “Therefore you shall not oppress one another, BUT YOU SHALL FEAR YOUR GOD: for I Am the LORD your God.”
Lev. 25:36 “Take no usury or interest from him; but FEAR YOUR GOD, that your brother may live with you.”
Lev. 25:43 How to treat a “bankrupt” brother who sells himself as a servant. “You shall not rule over him with severity (as a slave), but you shall FEAR YOUR GOD.”
Neh. 5:1-15 Vs 9 “Then I said, ‘what you are doing is not good. SHOULD YOU NOT WALK IN THE FEAR OF OUR GOD because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies.” Vs 15 Nehemiah was unlike the other governors, “I did not do so, BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF GOD.”
Eph. 5:21 “SUBMITTING TO ONE ANOTHER IN THE FEAR OF GOD.”
And what was Solomon’s conclusion: Ecc. 12:13 “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil.”
My conclusion in the face of Solomon’s conclusion: Psalm 130:3-4 “If You LORD, should take note of iniquities, O LORD, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That YOU may be Feared.”
What is the Fear of God?
To Fear God is to live consistently and constantly in the vital awareness that the Most High God Is the LORD of heaven and earth, and that everything, including me, belongs to Him by Creative Right, and as for the Redeemed, by Adoptive Right, and all must answer fully to Him!!! Hebrews 4:13 (Notice that this is in the “rest” context of the chapter) “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the Eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.!!!” See Deut. 10:12-14!!!
Jonah 1:9 Jonah’s testimony: “And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which has made the sea and the dry land.” Note Vs 10, the mariners fear!
“Fear God” Verses
This listing of verses is an attempt to come to a contextual meaning of The Fear Of God in scripture. I have gone through the Bible (KJV) and listed a selection of representative verses.
Fear and Wisdom: Remember, the fool has said IN HIS HEART, there is no God. (Ps 14:1)
NOTE: The Fear of the Lord is not found at the fruit of the tree of knowledge. It only grows among the foliage of the Tree of Life! And it governs the outworking of this Life.
Job 28:28 “And unto man He said, “Behold, the Fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”
Psalm 111:10 “the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they who do His Commandments: His Praise endures forever.”
Proverbs 1:7 “The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 2:1-9 (Vs 5) “Then you shall understand the Fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”
Proverbs 9:10 “The Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the Knowledge of the Holy is understanding.”
Proverbs 15:33 “ The Fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility.”
Isaiah 11:1-3a (prophecy of the Stem of Jesse, our Jesus) “And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the Fear of the Lord, and shall make Him of quick understanding in the Fear of the LORD.”
Jacob “personifies” the Fear of God in dealing with Laban:
Genesis 31:42 “Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and THE FEAR OF ISAAC, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty handed.” Again in Vs 31, “And Jacob swore (to the covenant between he and Laban) BY THE FEAR OF ISAAC.”
Isaac’s personal encounter with the Most High God on the altar of sacrifice put the Fear of God literally in his heart. Humbling ourselves before the Mighty Hand of God (I Peter 5:6) as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1), seems to be the Spirits’ first step in implanting the Fear of the LORD in our hearts!!! It requires a personal encounter with the Fear of Isaac. See also Ex. 33:12-23–Moses’ encounter. The burning bush was nothing compared to this!!!
The Fear of God and obedience: The Fear of God is essential to the blessing of God. God gave the commandments and statues and judgments to Israel,
Deut. 6:2 “That you might Fear the LORD your God (in order that) you may keep all the commandments that I command you, and your son, and your son’s son, all the days of your life; that your lives may be prolonged.”
Deut 6:13 And lest they forget their Deliverer and go after idols, “You shall Fear the LORD your God, and serve Him and swear by His Name.”
Deut. 6:24 “And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to Fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.”
Jer. 5:20 The Lord’s words to a rebellious Israel. Vs 22 “Do you not Fear Me?’ says the LORD, will you not tremble at my Presence.” Vs 24 “They do not say in their heart, “Let us now Fear the LORD our God.”.... Lip service won’t do! This is a heart matter!!!
The Fear of the Lord is essential to our loving our God and walking with Him:
Deut. 10:12 “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but TO FEAR THE LORD YOUR GOD, to walk in all His ways, AND TO LOVE HIM, and to serve the LORD you God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Deut. 13:4 “You shall walk after the LORD your God, AND FEAR HIM, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him”.
Psalm 86:11-12 “Teach me Your Way, of LORD; I will walk in Your Truth: unite my heart to Fear Your Name. I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart: I will glorify Your Name forever.”
II Cor. 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the Fear of God.”
Phil. 2:12b-13 “...work out your own salvation with Fear and trembling. For it is God Who is working in you both to will and to do His Good Pleasure.”
Heb. 12:28 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly Fear.”
I Peter 2:17 “Honor all men, Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King.” Notice, Fear God is in the middle of our love obligation to our Spiritual Family and our duty to God given authority. Fearing God is the only way we can honorably and consistently do both!
Rev. 14:7 After the presentation of the 144,000, the redeemed out of the earth, the angel proclaims the everlasting Gospel. “Saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His Judgement has come; and worship Him Who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
The FEAR OF THE LORD is essential to any right sense and application of “social justice” including humble behavior among the saints!!!
Lev. 19:1-15 Vs 14 “You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall FEAR YOUR GOD: I Am the LORD.” (Also vs. 32)
Lev. 25:17 “Therefore you shall not oppress one another, BUT YOU SHALL FEAR YOUR GOD: for I Am the LORD your God.”
Lev. 25:36 “Take no usury or interest from him; but FEAR YOUR GOD, that your brother may live with you.”
Lev. 25:43 How to treat a “bankrupt” brother who sells himself as a servant. “You shall not rule over him with severity (as a slave), but you shall FEAR YOUR GOD.”
Neh. 5:1-15 Vs 9 “Then I said, ‘what you are doing is not good. SHOULD YOU NOT WALK IN THE FEAR OF OUR GOD because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies.” Vs 15 Nehemiah was unlike the other governors, “I did not do so, BECAUSE OF THE FEAR OF GOD.”
Eph. 5:21 “SUBMITTING TO ONE ANOTHER IN THE FEAR OF GOD.”
And what was Solomon’s conclusion: Ecc. 12:13 “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether it is good or whether it is evil.”
My conclusion in the face of Solomon’s conclusion: Psalm 130:3-4 “If You LORD, should take note of iniquities, O LORD, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, That YOU may be Feared.”