Psalm 112:1 has a promise that we might skim over but gives us some trouble if we stop and think about it. We read “blessed is the man who fears the Lord” and this verse might not immediately draw more attention. It’s one verse of many that talk about the fear of the Lord. For example, Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” and the church in Acts 9:31 is praised for “walking in the fear of the Lord.” We are a people focused predominantly on the grace of God for His people, on the forgiveness won on the cross and in the empty tomb. When that is our overriding image of God, it can be hard to remember that He is to be feared as well. Now we start to get into the trouble that this verse from Psalm 112 can cause us. When we typically think of fear, any number of things come to mind. Maybe you fear bear attacks or public speaking or spiders or clowns. Maybe you fear losing people you love or losing your health or losing your job or losing your home. But when we talk about God, we fear in a different way. Psalm 112:1 gives us a clue on this. It says to praise God and it suggests that the man who fears the Lord “greatly delights in His commandments.” So, our fear of God is one of respect for His power and His restraint that drives us to praise Him and follow His commands. It’s a subtle but important difference between how we frequently think of fear and how we are called to fear our God who shows us such consistent grace, love, and mercy.
Today’s B.I.B.L.E. Takeaways:
Blessings from God
God promises us incredible grace and mercy.
Instructions for Us
Psalm 112:1 encourages us to fearfully respect God and delight in His commandments.
Biblical Connections
The fear of the Lord is a consistent theme throughout the Scriptures and is very consistently used.
Laborious Understandings
Nothing in these verses strikes me as particularly difficult to deal with.
Enjoyable Passages
Psalm 112:1 is a powerful verse worth keeping on our hearts and in our minds.
Topics to Pray About:
Thank God for showing such mercy and restraint when it comes to how He treats us
Confess to God the times that you fail to fear and respect Him
Ask for God to give you joy as you live out His commandments for you
Fear of the Lord
Psalm 108-112
Psalm 112:1 has a promise that we might skim over but gives us some trouble if we stop and think about it. We read “blessed is the man who fears the Lord” and this verse might not immediately draw more attention. It’s one verse of many that talk about the fear of the Lord. For example, Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” and the church in Acts 9:31 is praised for “walking in the fear of the Lord.” We are a people focused predominantly on the grace of God for His people, on the forgiveness won on the cross and in the empty tomb. When that is our overriding image of God, it can be hard to remember that He is to be feared as well. Now we start to get into the trouble that this verse from Psalm 112 can cause us. When we typically think of fear, any number of things come to mind. Maybe you fear bear attacks or public speaking or spiders or clowns. Maybe you fear losing people you love or losing your health or losing your job or losing your home. But when we talk about God, we fear in a different way. Psalm 112:1 gives us a clue on this. It says to praise God and it suggests that the man who fears the Lord “greatly delights in His commandments.” So, our fear of God is one of respect for His power and His restraint that drives us to praise Him and follow His commands. It’s a subtle but important difference between how we frequently think of fear and how we are called to fear our God who shows us such consistent grace, love, and mercy.
Today’s B.I.B.L.E. Takeaways:
Blessings from God
God promises us incredible grace and mercy.
Instructions for Us
Psalm 112:1 encourages us to fearfully respect God and delight in His commandments.
Biblical Connections
The fear of the Lord is a consistent theme throughout the Scriptures and is very consistently used.
Laborious Understandings
Nothing in these verses strikes me as particularly difficult to deal with.
Enjoyable Passages
Psalm 112:1 is a powerful verse worth keeping on our hearts and in our minds.
Topics to Pray About:
In His Service,
J. LeBorious