Notice the Fence

(Pro 14:30 KJV)  A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

The KJV sounds much more scientific than the NASB.  The NASB has “tranquil” (4832) for “sound”.  The Hebrew, as far as I can tell, has the idea of healing and being cured.  

Where do we get this cure?  There are frequent references in Proverbs to the fear of the Lord.  A reminder: Fear in Proverbs is not the phobia of the Greek but a sense of awe and reverence.  Read the rest of the chapter and you will find it several times.  It tells us to take a step back and put things in perspective.  When I am out walking I will occasionally have a dog start barking from close by and get me to jump.  When I stop and think I realize that the dog is behind a fence.  I might even notice that its tail is wagging.  That is where our confidence in God produces the tranquility mentioned here.

So?  A momentary spike in adrenaline is not a mark of doubt or danger.  It helps us focus on what the real problem is and get a better understanding of the security we have in Christ.  

Living Reminders

Psalm 59:11 (KJV) Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.

(Proverbs 9 also read)

David is in the crosshairs.  Later he will reverse his request but this is an interesting insight into the role of the evil people around us.  They are there as a reminder.

Have you had those times when you are driving and not paying enough attention and you hit the biggest pothole in sight, or since you hit it, out of sight?  Assuming your car survives, it wakes you up to pay more attention.  Even if it blows a tire you come out of it more aware of the dangers you face.

Politicians can do that for you.  They can remind you of the dangers of falling asleep politically.  David seems to be wanting just enough pain to keep people on their toes.

So?  This gives you a reason to be thankful for the hard times.  It is like sticking your head out the front door to see if you need a coat.  Make use of God’s warnings. 

Time for a Heel Check

Psalm 49:5 (KJV) Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?

(Proverbs 5 also read)

My thinking went two ways when I read this verse.  The first was the assurance that God offers.  We live in evil days.  Because we trust in God we are not to fear.  Lock your doors.  Stock up on food.  Don’t go down dark alleys.  That is rational preparedness.  Do not prepare out of fear.  Prepare out of obedience.  And do not fear.  Islam is on the march.  Corporate greed is contagious and a reflection of our personal sin.  In the midst of that, do not fear.

Read the rest of the Psalm to remind yourself of the promise of eternity.

The second thought I had in reading the KJV was what kind of sin can my heels commit.  This is the only place the word is used.  The scholars think it is a corruption of the actual word “heels” which is almost identical.  Either way, keep your heels in check.

So?  Providence has our backs.  God watches out for His faithful remnant.  

Waiting for the Hunter

Proverbs 29:25 (KJV) The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

I have never set a snare but in my mind the snare does not necessarily kill the rabbit it catches.  I think of a snare as something that stops your freedom of movement and leaves you to become part of the harvest.

Fear does that to us.  It keeps us from moving freely through life.  It limits our options, not because we can’t see them but we are immobilized.

So?  God wants us to be free from those crippling limitations.  He wants us to learn to avoid the dangers of life, not life itself.  Trust and rejoice.  

Familiarity Causes Blindness

Psalm 31:16 (KJV) Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake.

As I was reading this Psalm I found myself falling into the trap of the Old Shoe.  We get so used to the love of God and the glorious attributes He displays that we forget how unique He is.  He comes across as one of a kind, which is appropriate, since He is one of a kind.

Consider the supernatural creatures you have experienced in horror movies and products of the fantasy genre.  They generate fear, but the fear they are out to create is not the fear of awe and respect but the fear of terror and panic.

Yahweh is capable of tremendous wrath and can dispense calamity but that is not who He is.  Those actions are the result of degenerate behavior on the part of people who should know better.  The gods of fantasy inflict pain because they enjoy watching people squirm.

So?  Get serious about knowing the living God.  He will give you a foundation in life as well as eternity.  

Seems Backwards

Psalm 130:4 (KJV) But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

(Proverbs 5 also read)

Look at that verse. It seems that the order is wrong. Wouldn’t it make more sense if our fear would lead us to seeking forgiveness? That seems logical to me, but it is not what is proclaimed.

Forgiveness is necessary for salvation. Our sins need to be negated. They need to be cancelled. As people living after the cross and resurrection we know that is tied in with Jesus on the cross. The OT saints seem to have had a similar assurance based on their trust in God.

I think it is implied that forgiveness is available. The result that is lifted out here is not sin’s penalty being cancelled but the arrival of fear, the fear of God. It would seem that is a good thing.

So? Think about that. Meditate on it. What does fear mean in this context? How is that a blessing. When you dwell on it you get a whole new perspective about what it means to fear the Lord.

Gotcha

Proverbs 7:12 (KJV) Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)

One of the games that we are constantly playing at my house is “gotcha”.  What this consists of is my grandchildren sneaking up on me as I am working at my desk or reading in my chair and making me jump.  That’s the normal.  At other times by coincidence I am situated where I can get them.  And as they say, “A good time was had by all.”

I noticed that after they have jumped me, I get cautious about walking through the house.  There are a number of corners, as I mentioned in this verse.  They might lay in wait around any of them.  There’s a way you can approach a corner without getting startled.  First of all, you have to be aware that you’re coming to a corner and that you need to be alert.  In life that’s where most of us err.  We don’t stop to think.  We get preoccupied.  If we think about it, we can situate ourselves so that we can at least have a glimpse of what’s around the corner before we get there.

So?  Evil is out to get you.  Accept that.  Be aware.  God is out to keep you from getting gotten.  Except that.  Be aware.  Rejoice.

Spiritual Spelunking

Psalm 142:1 (KJV) [[Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave.]] I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication.

I don’t know if this first comment is part of the actual scripture or was added by an editor somewhere along the way, but for today’s purposes, let’s just take it as belonging here.  Notice that David is hiding in a cave and at the same time praying to God.  While he cowers in the cave, he declares his trust in God.  How often do we duplicate that scenario?

I’m not trying to point fingers here.  I have my share of times when I’m afraid to let my head come up about the berm.  I’m not always the boldest advocate on the block.  At the same time, there is a real lack of confidence that we display at times because we are not willing to step out and trust God to be in charge.

So?  Is this the day to emerge out of the cabin?  Is this the day you see yourself being a troglodyte?  God is ready.  I trust I am ready.  Let’s get about changing our world and let the chips fall, not where they may, but where God declares them to fall. 

Easy to Say

Proverbs 3:24 (KJV) When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

When you take this verse out of context, it almost sounds like it ought to fit into the 10 Commandments.  Notice, “thou shall not”, “thou shalt….”

Taken in context there are a lot of things going on here, but the ultimate reminder for us as we start this new year is to fear not.  I will grant you that there are times when fear is appropriate.  When my grandchildren sneak up on me and make hideous noises I jump.  I admit it.  The thing is it doesn’t work if I see them coming.  I see them coming if I’m expecting them.  Of course a large part of that is that I remember that they’re coming because if I get distracted and focus on other things then fear becomes a natural reaction

So?  Keep your focus on the Lord.  Keep His glory and power and love in the front of your mind.  Sure your mind will wander but keep calling it back.  And being not afraid in spite of what your YouTube channel tells you.  

Some Things Are Worth Repeating

Proverbs 9:10 (KJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Don’t tell me you’ve never heard this verse before.  The problem with verses we are familiar with, or truth that is often repeated, is that we get used to it and don’t stop to think about it.  It might be useful every month when I read through this chapter of Proverbs to stop and contemplate this as one of those great truths that needs to be reconsidered regularly.

I can’t guarantee I’ll still feel that way next month but right now I need to remind myself about the importance of the fear of the Lord.  This is a stew of ideas.  As in any good stew it has many ingredients and the more they influence each other, the longer they are cooked, the more they are reheated, they just get better.  So start with the craven fear that makes us tremble in the corner when we hear a noise in the dark.  We don’t like to think about that, but that might be a good place to start.  We live in a day where we get complacent and we have great security.  That makes us take things for granted.

So?  Let’s start there this week, this month, today.  God is so holy, so grand, so beyond our understanding that it behooves us to spend a moment trembling in the corner in fear.  Of course that is then mitigated by the fact that we know Jesus loves us, which means that God loves us.  We belong to Him.  That will help us come out of our corner. 

Even Kings

Psalms 76:12 (KJV) He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.

(Proverbs 4 also read)

Most political leaders would reject the idea that they are submissive to the God of Israel.  When you figure in the atheists, animists, pagans and psuedo-Christians there are not many left who actually think about God.  That does not mean they are not aware on some level.

Think of what it means to be terrible.  The word can mean awe or fear.  Every leader on earth has something to be afraid of even if it is nothing less than being betrayed by their servants.  God has the ability to channel and manipulate that fear.

So?  Sometimes it is good to be one of the little people.  We also have our fears but it seems easier for us to turn to God in His majesty.  

Open Eyes

Proverbs 28:14 (KJV) Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.

Fear makes us flexible and helps us adapt when we understand it correctly.  Keep in mind that this kind of fear that is being talked about is not the craven, quivering phobias that everybody likes to accuse you of.  This is the fear and respect that we have for things of great power and dominance.  Ultimately, this is talking about fear of God.

Fear can bring happiness.  That is the statement that is made here.  Actually, it’s the results of the fear that seem to be so beneficial.  When I am afraid to sit on a fire-ant nest, I find that I am a happier person.  In fact, I don’t even have to sit on it.  All I have to do is stand not moving when someone else is yelling, “Get away from the fire ants.”  That will rapidly make me unhappy.  A healthy fear will make my lunch go down better.

So?  Don’t try to pull a John Wayne when you’re surrounded by Indians and you have a back door to get out of.  Show intelligent, healthy fear.  Be aware of who God is and the fact that He loved you enough to send Jesus to die for you.  

Skip the Trial

Psalms 143:2 (KJV) And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

(Proverbs 10 also read)

This is a great verse for “out of context with a fly-by technique”.  What I mean by that is you emphasize the final statement and ignore the total verse and other verses that relate to it.

This could easily be quoted as a proof text that there is no one who has ever been righteous or who ever will be righteous.  That could be used as a foundation for saying that we cannot live a holy life and that sinning is something we are locked into every day in word, thought and deed.  In fact, it has been used for that.  That is not the point of this verse.  Notice the beginning of the verse.  He’s talking here about God judging us, about God putting us on trial.  And the clear statement is that compared to God and His holiness none of us have any hope

Fast forward to the words of Jesus,

John 3:18 (KJV) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Through Jesus, and His shed blood, we can have forgiveness, restoration, regeneration.  We can be born again.

So?  If you are walking with Jesus, you have no fear of the judgment.  If you are living in the power of the spirit you have no fear of the judgment.  Our justification is not a matter of comparing us to the eternal holiness of God in our natural sinful state.  Fear not. 

The Primacy of Fear

Proverbs 2:5 (KJV) Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

Fear really gets a bad rap in our culture.  We overlook the fact that a reasonable fear is what keeps us out of a lot of tragic situations.  And on a more superficial level, I wonder how many traffic tickets I have not gotten simply because I’m afraid of getting a traffic ticket.  But this fear is on a higher level.

This fear involves a relatively accurate assessment of who God is and what He expects.  It involves the love which is in his character.  It is a key factor and that is why time and time again in Proverbs we find the fact that so much is dependent upon the fear of God.  Substitute what you want.  Call it awe.  Call reverence.  Call respect.  Most Bible translators like the word fear

So?  Fear God.  Define it anyway you want.  But in the mist of your fear, don’t forget that God is love, God is light, God is a spirit, and Jesus died for you.

OT God at Work

(Psa 57:1 KJV)  To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.

(Proverbs 22 also read)

I will concede that Yahweh has moments where He applies His wrath and seeks to correct the sin and debauchery in the world.  He is capable of tremendous violence, and He is one who should be feared in the phobic sense.

Yet that is only the side of God that God haters want to emphasize.  To those who do not spit in His face openly or quietly live in rebellion and rejection, He is the picture of mercy and refuge.  Notice those two words here in the verse.  This is not my favorite word for mercy, but it is very common in the Old Testament.  To those who are faithful, to those who are doing their best, to those who are trusting Him, and living as He would have them live, He extends an awesome amount of wing coverage.

So?  Make sure that your fear is the type based in awe.  Make it a factor of reference, respect, and love.  God’s grace waits to be applied to your life.  Rejoice.

Fearless

Psalm 36:1 (KJV) [[To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of David the servant of the LORD.]] The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

The Septuagint personalizes this in an interesting way.

Psalms 36:1 (BES) (35:1) For the end, by David the servant of the Lord.(35:2) The transgressor, that he may sin, says within himself, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

Recently at church, we had a discussion of why there is so much evil in the world.  We talked about the irrational ideas that are accepted as normal.  One of the reasons given was a lack of fear of God.  This verse reinforces that.

People deliberately reject God, and refuse to fear him.  That is one of the great sources of ignorance, confusion, and nonsense.

So?  Fear.  Be filled with awe.  Set your priorities based on what the universe is really like.

Insight into Fear

(Pro 13:13 KJV)  Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

Once again, I felt like Moffett had a good insight.  He takes the second part of the verse and put a little bit different spin on it.

    “To stand in awe of God’s command is safety.”

His choice of vocabulary is totally acceptable and yet it brings a totally different view of what is being said. “Awe” , is a perfectly acceptable synonym for fear. In the same way the idea of safety instead of being rewarded is also a good idea.

So? It pays to follow God’s standards.

Cross-Referencing

(Pro 9:11 KJV)  For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

As I was reading this another verse came to mind and I put them together.  Note the words of Jesus,

(Mat 6:27 KJV)  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

We would think this is a rhetorical question and Jesus probably meant it that way in His context but I notice when comparing it with this verse in Proverbs and other cross references suggested that there are ways to extend you life.  To see the point you need to look at the NASB,

(Mat 6:27 NAS77) "And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?

The basic thing Jesus is criticizing is worry or concern.  

Now look at Proverbs again.  It says that wisdom can extend out lives.  One of the key points of wisdom is to fear God, not man.

So?  Life choices based on the wisdom of God do have an effect.  It is up to us to apply what we know to what we do. 

Let Anticipation Trump Dread

(Pro 1:33 KJV)  But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

(Proverbs 27 also read)

Are you thinking yet about New Year’s resolutions?  Maybe you don’t bother, which is a wise position to take.  Yet resolutions have the ability to remind us of things we should keep in mind and don’t.  This verse is like that.  We get so worried about what we see and hear in the headlines and the society around us.  Perhaps you are attending a church that is going woke and are concerned.  You might read this whole last part of Proverbs 1 but the verse I am reflecting on is the last one.

Our world contains a lot to “fear” (6343).  We lock our doors and have security cameras installed.  We look both ways before crossing a street.  All of that is good practice and common sense.  What we are not supposed to do is elevate that fear to a level that overcomes us.  We are to fear God, not man.  The point given here is that paying attention to God and His words will put us in a position to overcome the wrong kinds of fear.

So?  Make a resolution to pay attention to your resolutions.  Live in joy, not fear.  Live in hope, not despair.  Live in anticipation, not dread.  Look forward to the New Year.  God is there waiting for us. 

Righteous Dreams

(Pro 3:24 KJV)  When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

The news of the day continues to be dark and worrisome.  It is good to be alert and lock your doors.  At the same time this is a reminder that we need to keep in front of us.  God is still on the throne and He has His eye on us.  It does not really matter if you take this as a literal promise or a general principle.  If the government gestapo is sent out to round up Christians they may not be able to find your address or you might not be on their list.  If they do come for you, God promises to be with you.

I think of the Old Testament history of Israel.  They were invaded.  They were hauled away into captivity.  Keep in mind that was after many warnings and chances to repent.  I have often wondered if God directed the deportation crews around the farms and homes of the devout and righteous.  

So?  Sleep well.  Fear not.  Keep your doors locked and get your heater serviced as specified.  Be glad you don’t have to boil your water or slaughter your own cows.