|
|
||
|
|
|||
In recent years, we’ve come to think of the word “fear,” and the concept of fear in general, as a strictly negative thing. It is something to be avoided. It is something that makes one weak, or reveals a lack of preparation. Fear is something that children deal with, not adults… and certainly, Christians have nothing to be afraid of, because at the very worst, they believe in life after death.
The Bible has a number of verses that lend some support to this idea. We read, for example, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them, for Yahweh thy Elohim, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Deu 31:6)
“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)
In verses like these, fear is placed in opposition to faith, to trust in the fulfillment of the Father’s promises. Because He has promised us victory in battle, and in all things, we do not fear. Because He has given us an eternal future, the little flock is told not to have fear. And as with all things regarding Yahweh, in the words are the power to accomplish the thing. When the temptation to fear arises, we may read, or recall, the words “fear not, little flock,” and in the word is the power to wash away the hesitation, the paralysis, the stress, that comes from feeling fearful.
But we also know that this is not the complete picture. We read these well-known passages:
“The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Pro 1:7)
“The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Pro 9:10)
Both knowledge and wisdom are found in fear, the fear of Yahweh. This idea is not limited to the Old Testament either. We read, after the supernatural death of a couple that had lied about their contribution to the sacred treasury, “And great fear came upon all the Church, and upon as many as heard these things.” (Acts 5:11) We do not like to speak too freely about matters like this, because matters of tithes and offerings are really only blessings when they are given willingly, cheerfully. Those who are coerced into obedience to Yahweh’s instructions only receive the physical benefits, the cause-and-effect benefits. They do not receive the true value of the commandments, which is spiritual health and growth of character. As we trust our Father with our time, our talents, and our substance, in the trusting of Him we gain spiritual confidence. In the knowledge that we are contributing to His work on earth, we gain an increased closeness to His will.
The unfortunate truth, though, is that many minds are so sickened, so corrupted by this world, that it requires a “shock” to open their eyes. The Scriptures present the ideal, that we preach the Gospel, people love what they hear, and they join their lives to the Bride who is awaiting Yahshua’s return. But we also have passages like this: “And of some have compassion, making a difference; and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” (Jude 1:22, 23)
Save with fear. Shock them. Show them, and explain, the passages about Yahweh’s judgment, and the death of sinners. There are some who need that to awaken from their slumber. Of course, this is not enough – that will not keep them on the path of righteousness for very long. They must learn to love after they have been awakened. None can be sanctified through fear… but as we were seeing last week, unless one first sees himself guilty under the Law, and worthy of death, there is no genuine confession of need – no genuine and desperate coming to Christ for salvation.
As with any emotion, fear is a complex subject. In most circumstances, the Scriptures are clear on our relationship to this feeling. We read, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” (1John 4:18) Perfect agape casts out all fear. That’s the end of the study, right? I mean, there shouldn’t be much more to say…
But remember, and I have said this over the course of several studies now… watch for those words: since, for, therefore, because… they tell you the meaning within the passage you are reading. Perfect love casts out fear… why? Because, the passage tells us, fear hath torment. The kind of experience that John is describing here is a painful experience. It is a destructive experience that prevents one from hoping, from seeing hope in the promises of our Creator. It is the spiritual wound that takes sorrow, which can be healthy, and changes it into despair, which is fatal. It is the mental injury that takes anger, which can be righteous, and changes it into unreasonable fury, into hatred, which is contrary to the mind of Christ. This kind of fear corrupts, and the Scriptures describe how, and tell us why.
Is it painful, is it a torment, to “fear” Yahweh, in which we find wisdom and knowledge? Is there terror in obedience to our Father’s commandments? John himself tells us that this is not the case, in the very next chapter in fact: “For this is the love of Elohim, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous.” (1John 5:3) There is no grief, there is no pain, in submission to the will of our Father, yet there are passages that tell us that it is fear that drives us to understanding the importance of obedience.
Some of us may have heard the common explanation given here, that the word “fear” means reverence when speaking about Yahweh, and regular, commonplace fear when speaking about other things. I don’t entirely disagree with that, but there is more to it, and a closer parallel between fear and love than we’ve probably acknowledged thus far.
I suggest this as an addition to the knowledge we have on this subject: the word “fear” in the Bible, just like the word “love,” is almost never talking about the actual feeling. In almost every case, when fear is mentioned, it is about reverence, in the sense of our reaction to something we acknowledge as more powerful than we are. There may be, and usually are, feelings associated with fear, just as there may be, and usually are, feelings associated with love… but that is not the part that is significant to our spiritual development.
In a way, it is easier to understand what “love” means in the Bible, because at least in the New Testament Greek, there are several different words for it, each with its own shade of meaning. The word for fear, as far as I can tell, is always phobos, a single term that comes into English as the root of different kinds of “phobias” that people who study human behavior have identified. Again, we see here an almost exclusive association in English with negative, painful, torment-filled experiences.
But with regard to the language of the Bible… I would suggest you do this as an activity: find all the Bible passages you can that use the term “fear” and substitute for it the phrase, “acknowledge the power,” and you will see that they make a lot more sense. Even better, the wording of the Scriptures becomes almost entirely consistent on this principle without needing to read too much before, or after, the verse in question.
Let’s look at two passages as examples:
“Only fear Yahweh, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things He hath done for you.” (1Sam 12:24)
By contrast: “The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in Yahweh shall be safe.” (Pro 29:25)
This is the key to the whole matter, because yes, we see that in the first one the “fear” is directed to Yahweh, which makes it acceptable, and in the second the fear is directed to mortals, which makes it unworthy of the character of Christ. But when we understand what is being conveyed in principle by the word “fear” in Biblical languages, that it is a kind of worship, a giving over of power to another, we do not even need to switch contexts for them both to make sense.
The first one means, and says, “Only acknowledge Yahweh as powerful.” When we do that, we will serve Him in truth with all our hearts because, not only is He powerful, but He has used His power to give us great things. You see how this works, without even needing to examine the feeling of “fear” as it has come to mean to us.
The second one means, and says, “The acknowledgement of man as powerful bringeth a snare.” Now we see the contrast. Instead of giving man the power, and believing humanity to be our judge, instead we put our trust in Yahweh, and therefore we are safe.
This is quite relevant to us in this last generation, because it is the “fear of man,” the worship of human power, that has led to the Mark of The Beast. The Churches, the Christians, the Seventh-day Adventists have, for the most part, accepted the rulings of mortal judges and the sentiments of unsanctified humanity as “the power,” as being more important than the principles and commandments of Yahweh. Thus, they turn to Caesar to enforce their religious viewpoints, their dogmas, their “legal identities” as found in trademarks. Now have creeds upheld by the state. Now we have that union of Church and State that is the enemy of Yahweh, who has declared in His infinite wisdom that every man and woman must be free to worship Him according to the dictates of conscience, and not as a result of the threat of legal consequences.
This was the lesson that the religious leaders of Yahshua’s day needed to learn. The ignorance of this principle is what kept many of them from accepting Him at His word. We read, as something of a “type,” “And Saul said unto Samuel, ‘I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of Yahweh, and thy words, because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.” (1Sam 15:24) I worshipped the people, I gave them that power in my mind. I accepted them as my judge, Saul says, and because of this, because he could not serve two masters, he transgressed the Law of the One he should have been fearing, the One he should have acknowledged as powerful.
Saul in this was a prototype of the scribes and the Pharisees. Note the similar wording here: “And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill [Yahshua], for they feared the people.” (Luke 22:2) For, since, because… because the leaders feared the people, because they were more concerned with the judgment of the people, and maintaining influence with them, they rejected the Son of Yahweh. No man can serve two masters. We cannot, in our minds, give power to Yahweh and also give power to man in any kind of ultimate, decision-affecting sense. Yes, we obey the law, we honor the king, we pray for our leaders… but we do not acknowledge them as the true power. We do not “fear” them in this Biblical sense; to do so would be to reject the worship of the Most High, and to transgress His divine Law.
Biblical fear, this mental acknowledgement of power, is not a feeling that is contrary to the fruit of the Spirit. In fact, both exist at the same time in the mind of Christ as expressed in His people. Here is the passage and verse for which this study is named, and we may consider it as two parts. This is the first: “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of Yahweh descended from Heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow; and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.” (Mat 28:1-4)
Now, even here, where it is so obvious what it means, clearly talking about a feeling of overwhelming surprise that caused their bodies to shake, even here our understanding is consistent. Matthew describes what it is about the angel, the fearsome countenance, the impressive clothing, that causes the keepers to feel fear. This is clearly a being of great power, and even though we do not bow before them, the reflected glory of the Heavenly Kingdom causes our bodies to automatically, irresistibly, react to that majesty. It is no surprise that the first thing an angel usually says to a human being before whom he has appeared is, “Fear not.”
We keep reading, “And the angel answered and said unto the women, ‘Fear not ye [there is the typical greeting], for I know that ye seek Yahshua, which was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him. Lo, I have told you.’
“And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring His disciples word.” (Mat 28:5-8)
Fear and great joy, all together, all at once. They are not contrasting feelings, because fear – as the Bible uses it, is not a feeling at all. It is a state of being, just as agape is a state of being, that we may decide will affect, or not affect, our choices, according to our character.
The women were overcome by the power that they had both witnessed for themselves in the angel, and also that they had heard reported. For this Yahshua, this Man, had come back from the dead… a feat only possible for the truly divine. What they felt did not cancel out or diminish their joy; no, it enhanced it, for the One they had been learning from, and trusting, and seeing work all these miracles, He was confirmed before them as being the Victor over death, and the Keeper of even the most outrageous of promises.
And that is what this is really all about: the promises of Yahweh. When we fear Yahweh, when we acknowledge His power, we do not “fear” that He will fail to fulfill all that He has said concerning us.
When Yahshua said, “They will crucify me, but in three days, I will rise again,” we know from the reactions of His disciples at His death that they did not really, truly believe Him in their hearts. Yes, they had seen Him heal the sick. Yes, they had seen him multiply bread and fishes to feed a multitude. Yes, they had even seen Him calming the storms, and walking on water. But to be humbled and killed by human beings? Surely that must mean His power has limits… surely that must mean that even if He was right about everything so far, the fact that mere mortals could take away His life, that must mean that He was wrong about that final prophecy, His own power return from being put to death.
And yes, this is the very thing we hear today when we testify of Yahshua to others, even to others who claim to be His people. We say, “Christ is risen. He is risen in my heart, and just as He was once dead, but is alive forever, so I – who was once dead in trespasses and sins – I am alive forever through Him. Because Christ dwells in me, and has made me the righteousness of Yahweh the Father, I cannot commit sin.” They do not believe us, any more than His professed followers believed Him when He predicted His resurrection.
“Yes, He heals, yes He performs miracles… but this promise? No… it is too much. It is too outrageous. Yahshua cannot rise from the dead,” they say. In our generation, the testimony of the broken witnesses is a parallel: “Yes, He heals, yes He performs miracles… but this promise? No… it is too much. It is too outrageous. Yahshua cannot keep me from sin,” they say. These statements are equivalent expressions of unbelief, for they limit the power of Yahweh in Christ to what human beings think He ought to be able to do. It is a worship of human understanding, a “fear” of human beings, rather than a fear, and acknowledgement of the power, of Yahweh.
We hear all the time, “Because I am a Christian, I should not commit sin.” We hear, “Before we go to Heaven, we will stop sinning.” But it is not should, it is not will; these are not what the Bible tells us. The promises of God in Christ are not “Should,” or “Will.” They are “Yea,” and “Amen.” They are “Yes,” and “So it is.” The testimony of the Christian is, “I have ceased to sin, because the love of Yahweh in Christ dwells within me, and I cannot sin, because I am born of God.” We do not hear, “I do not sin,” and we do not hear, “I cannot sin,” except from those who are among the wise virgins. We are reviled by the carnal man, especially the “carnal Christian,” merely for quoting the Scriptures. And we do not commend ourselves in this; we do not boast of ourselves in this… we boast of our Savior, who has done for us all that He has promised, and greater than we could have imagined. It is He who has kept His promise to us, not we who have kept a commitment to Him. He overcomes sin within us, and we benefit, we forever benefit, from His power, by His grace, and through His faith which we accept as our own.
The women who went to the tomb of Yahshua saw this clearly angelic being saying, “He has risen,” and you know, he even kind of rubbed it in a little, giving them a subtle rebuke for their mourning: “He has risen, as He said.” And “You will see Him in Galilee, lo – look – I have told you.” The angel is teaching them to fear, not according to their feelings, but according to their worship. Believe the testimony, because there is power in the testimony. Yahshua told you the truth, and I am telling you the truth. When you hear the testimony, believe it. Trust in the word you have received, and you will see the truth revealed.
The fear, the acknowledgement of Yahshua’s promises fulfilled, and Yahweh’s power revealed, that brings the saints great joy. It is with joy that we give Yahweh the power, that we acknowledge Him as supreme, as worthy, and exalted. The truth about Yahweh is “awful.” You have heard that word before, and just like “fear,” it has come to mean something different than the original definition, which is literally, “full of awe.” There are some old hymns that preserve this idea. There is one called “Before Jehovah’s Awful Throne.” It’s not a bad place to be when one is cleansed from all unrighteousness… instead, we are filled with awe, with Biblical fear, and consequently, with great joy.
Let me bring the study to a close with a brief examination of a commonly misunderstood Bible verse. The Scriptures say this, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil 2:12) People read that and they say, “You see, we must be preoccupied with judgment. We must always be watching out, lest we sin and fall into condemnation. Let us live in anxiety for our sins. Let us lock ourselves away in convents. Let us fast. Let us avoid spicy food. Let us beat our bodies into submission, as Paul said, so we will be safe from the fires of Hell. Let us have something we think we can control: a works-based religion.”
Of course, we are to “watch and pray” lest we be taken unaware by some temptation, (Mat 26:41) but those who live in chronic terror of the judgment misunderstand fear, and they misunderstand trembling. I understand what this verse sounds like in modern English, of course… but we must let the Scriptures reveal themselves to us. We know what fear means, Biblically. As we have been seeing, it is an acknowledgement of power that is, yes, often accompanied by great emotions, by great feelings, which are often negative, but may not be. And when we fear Yahweh, when we worship Him, and not Satan, and not mankind, for His supreme power, the emotion that arises from this fear is not despair, or terror, or aversion, but it is just the opposite: hope, the desire for unity, and great joy.
But what about trembling? Surely, if we are to work out our own salvation with “fear and trembling,” this is talking about the negative emotions that have to do with torment and condemnation. But no… the Scriptures tell us something different. Let us read the answer, and I am surprised this verse is not more popular than it is: “Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” (Psalm 2:11)
Rejoice with trembling! Fear is not a barrier to great joy, and trembling is not an obstacle to rejoicing. We are dealing with matters of the spirit here, truly, and not of the flesh. Have you never been so excited, so filled with amazement, your body shook? Extremely significant life events – baptisms, marriages, reunions with loved ones after many years apart – these involve great and powerful emotions, and there is often shaking, trembling, crying, shouting, and so on. Out of context, one might think that the celebrants are undergoing torment, terrible torture, to be carrying on as they are… but it is because they are overwhelmed. They are experiencing such grand thoughts and feelings that these frail and fragile little bodies of clay just don’t know how to process it all.
We shake, we tremble… but we rejoice. We rest, even in the excitement of everlasting life, we Sabbath-rest. We walk that narrow path. We see the world being stripped away from us, and we tremble. We are facing the unknown in one sense, and yet we “know” our Guides. We know the Father and Son, and we have a Family with whom we have surely covenanted. We are comforted in the love that we see coming to us from our Creator, our Savior, and our brethren… and that comfort does not diminish the experience.
The fear of Yahweh, the acknowledgement that He is greater than all the armies of the earth, and all the power of the enemy of souls, in that fear is wisdom. In that fear is knowledge. In that fear is the righteousness of obedience for the right reason, and this is the testimony that we bring to the world. We speak the truth of what the Father and Son have done for us, and then, when they say, “Prove it,” we answer them according to the Spirit, and not the flesh. We say, “Believe the testimony.” We say, “Come and see.” We say, “Believe in Yahweh, and you will be established, believe in His prophets, in His messengers, and you will prosper.” They must learn, as the angel taught the women at Yahshua’s tomb, that in the testimony is the power. It is not in signs, or wonders, or dreams, or visions… but in the word, simply and honestly spoken. In the Word is the power that brings forth fear, the fear that leads to great joy, and ultimately to salvation, and to everlasting life.
David.