What're you afraid of?
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. -Proverbs 9:10 (NIV)
“Fear of the Lord”. The phrase makes us a bit uneasy, doesn’t it? If you’re a Christian, you may find yourself trying to explain: “Well it doesn’t really mean to be afraid of God; it’s more of a ‘respect thing’.” If you aren’t a Christian, it just confirms your suspicions: “If your god is primarily interested in punishment and scaring people into submission, you can keep him. I don’t need any of that.”
God is Sovereign. He possesses all power, and all authority to exercise that power in whatever way He sees fit. You would not want it any other way, for if it were otherwise, He wouldn’t be God. At least not a god who could do you any good. No one likes to see the blue flashing lights in the rearview mirror, but we’re relieved to see them roll up when we need help. If I’m in court, my opinion of the judge may depend on whether the ruling is in my favor, but if I’m smart, I won’t be giving him any backtalk in his courtroom. Do I “fear” the judge? Let’s just say I know my outcome will be more pleasant if I acknowledge that it’s his job to be in charge in that context.
I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. -Jonah 4:2b (NIV)
We may not always agree with the decisions of those entrusted with authority in our daily lives, but we understand the importance (and difficulty) of their role in making the world we live in more safe and more fair. God is different from human authorities in that He is always right, always righteous, always holy. And though He wields all authority, His heart tends toward mercy. In general, we consider that a good thing, but perhaps more so when His mercy is pointed in our direction. Jonah knew what kind of God he was dealing with. He didn’t want the Ninevites getting any second chances. He failed to appreciate that God had already shown that same mercy to him.
Beyond a basic misunderstanding of the heart of God, mankind has long demonstrated an aversion to being told what to do by anyone at any time. That might be fine if we knew what we were doing. Unfortunately, strong will, combined with arrogance and stupidity, have proven to be a bad recipe. Hence our need for a God Who is big enough to fix stuff. That power/authority thing isn’t so onerous when I’m seeking rescue, redemption, and restoration.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV)
There is right and wrong. There is good and bad. There is a standard, and all humanity will be accountable to that standard. Sin is sin and it has consequences. To allow people to believe otherwise does them no favors. The good news? God loves sinners. So what does it all mean? It means I should be humble. Call it fear, call it respect, call it recognition of reality. I don’t get to pick who God extends mercy to. I need not relish, as Jonah did, being able to tell someone that God’s gonna get ‘em. Instead, I should realize how many times I have been the recipient of God’s mercy and be sure that gets included in any discussion of how God deals with sinners.