Holy Fear

Holy Fear, October 17
Author: Charles H. Spurgeon From the book: Faith's Checkbook

"He that feareth the Commandment shall be rewarded" - Proverbs 13:13

Holy awe of God's Word is at a great discount. Men think themselves wiser than the Word of the LORD and sit in judgment upon it. "So did not I, because of the fear of God." We accept the inspired Book as infallible and prove our esteem by our obedience. We have no terror of the Word, but we have a filial awe of it. We are not in fear of its penalties because we have a fear of its commands. This holy fear of the commandment produces the restfulness of humility, which is far sweeter than the recklessness of pride. It becomes a guide to us in our movements: a drag when we are going downhill and a stimulus when we are climbing it. Preserved from evil and led into righteousness by our reverence of the command, we gain a quiet conscience, which is a well of wine; a sense of freedom from responsibility, which is as life from the dead; and a confidence of pleasing God, which is heaven below. The ungodly may ridicule our deep reverence for the Word of the LORD; but what of that?. The prize of our high calling is a sufficient consolation for us. The rewards of obedience make us scorn the scorning of the scorner.

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The more I study theology, doctrine and the lives of our chuch fathers (i.e. John Calvin, Martin Luther, C.H. Spurgeon, etc), the greater my appreciation grows for such things. The greater my love for Sound Doctrine grows, the more I see the beauty in the Law of God (Old Testament!), and the more I see God's providence throughout Scripture. Its an amazing blessing to grow, learn and understand these things. I think with a right understanding of the Word of God, of God's commandments for our lives, we will not see them as just rules but as God's guidance which promises the gift of Heaven! They are stepping stones to our promise, they are essential to glorify God. Properly looking at the law provides new insight! Agape.