Can FEAR be Good?

We are instructed in the Bible to “Fear” God. But, is it really fear or reverence that God wants?

Fear can be an effective parenting tool

I remember a time during my youth when I thought I was so smart, I could:

• Fool my parents, and
• Get away with (almost) anything!

Can you relate? And, if you had the same experience as I, you found out (perhaps the hard way) that you were wrong on both counts. I remember that my mom explained her powers by saying, “I have eyes in the back of my head!” My dad was less subtle. His explanation was, “I was a kid once. I know how you think!” Either way, my parents always seemed to “find me out” and make me pay for my wrongdoings. It was uncanny. A game of cat and mouse, where I was clearly the mouse. And it took what seemed like an eternity before I finally figured out that the risk was not worth the reward. In the meantime, I’d have to say that I had a healthy fear of my parents’ powers for quite a long time.

When you’re a kid, you don’t fear much, but when you have a healthy fear (or reverence) of your parents’ powers, that’ll keep you out of (at least some) trouble. The fear of getting caught was a great motivator, and that fear alone guided how I behaved (or at least made me think about it before I acted). I now know that my parents knew what they were doing. Instilling a healthy fear into me was the best way they could protect me when they were not around. Some might say I just wasn’t clever enough to fool them. Others may say, I wasn’t committed enough to my rebellion. Perhaps both thoughts have some truth in them, but I’d contend that my parents were more committed to protecting me than I was to getting into trouble. And somehow, in the process, I succeeded just enough to find out what I was looking for – REBELLION was not as exciting, nor as profitable as it seemed.

Properly Directed Fear = Respect/Reverence

I realize now how blessed I was as a kid. I had good parents who loved and looked out for me. The fear they instilled in me as a kid was meant to protect me, not hurt me. Now, that fear has been replaced by a deep sense of respect, reverence, and love. That one realization helped me understand why the Bible teaches us to fear God.

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV) says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” When I was a young Christian, I had a hard time with the use of the word “fear” when talking about God. It made me think of Him as a bully (like the image on the left above). But in light of my understanding of how my parents used fear, I now appreciate why some translations have replaced the word “fear” with “respect” or “reverence.” If we respect God, we look up to Him and revere (worship) Him. This opens us to the possibility that we could learn from Him. And that is where our wisdom and knowledge can begin to grow. Then, in Psalms 111:10 (EASY), it says, “If you want to live in a wise way, respect and obey the Lord. Everyone who lives in the way that He (God) teaches will understand what is right. People should praise the Lord forever!” This verse reminds me of how long it took me to live as my parents taught me. It’s not that hard a concept – allow wisdom to flow from those who have it into those who don’t! Pride acts like a faucet – it turns off the flow! The result is: life is harder, and the pain lasts longer.

King Solomon summed it up this way:

This is the end of my teaching. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for that is the responsibility of everyone. Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NCB)

Wise words. What will be your motivation to keep them?

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