DRAWING NEAR
October 22
Fearing God
"The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever" (Ps. 19:9).
Fearing God leads to reverential attitudes and actions.
In the Old Testament, to fear God was to view Him with reverential
awe and bow to His sovereign authority. In Psalm 34 David wrote,
"Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the
Lord. Who is the man who desires life, and loves length of days that
he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from
speaking deceit. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and
pursue it" (vv. 11-14). His son Solomon added, "The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of knowledge. . . . Fear the Lord and turn away from
evil" (Prov. 1:7; 3:7).
The concept of fearing God isn't limited to the Old Testament. Paul
said, "Work out your salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12),
"Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1) and, "Be subject
to one another in the fear of Christ" (Eph. 5:21).
Our fear of God compels us to worship Him and conform our lives to
His will. If you fear Him, pleasing Him will be your greatest delight
and displeasing Him, your greatest disappointment.
In Psalm 19:9 David uses "fear" as a synonym for God's Word, implying
that Scripture is God's manual on how to worship Him. "Clean" (v. 9)
is a comprehensive term that speaks of the absence of sin,
corruption, filthiness, defilement, imperfection, and error. The
message Scripture conveys is always "flawless, like silver refined in
a furnace of clay, purified seven times" (Ps. 12:6, NIV).
Because it is so perfect, Scripture endures forever (Ps. 19:9).
That's why Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will not pass away" (Mark 13:31). It never needs to be updated to
accommodate contemporary thinking. It stands forever as authoritative
and unyielding. Those who judge it, slander it, or ignore it are in
grave peril. Far better to fear God and bow to His revealed will.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Read Psalm 33 as a prayer of praise to the Lord.
For Further Study:
Memorize Proverbs 3:5-7 as a reminder always to seek God's will and
approval.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Psalm 19:9
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of
the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
Psalm 33
33:1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the
upright is beautiful.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp; Make melody to Him with an
instrument of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.
4 For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in
truth.
5 He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the
goodness of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of
them by the breath of His mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up
the deep in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the
world stand in awe of Him.
9 For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes
the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart to
all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people He has
chosen as His own inheritance.
13 The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.
14 From the place of His dwelling He looks On all the inhabitants of
the earth;
15 He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their
works.
16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not
delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any
by its great strength.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those
who hope in His mercy,
19 To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in
famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in
His holy name.
22 Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.
Proverbs 3:5-7
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own
understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from
evil.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
http://www.gty.org/Gospel
http://www.gty.org/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
.
|
