Do you fear the Lord God who created the heavens and the earth? You might be surprised at the number of times the Scriptures enjoin us to fear the Lord. Look up the word "fear" in a good Bible concordance, or the phrase "fear the Lord." You will find hundreds of references.
Psalm 33:8 says: "Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." Why? Because He created the heavens and the earth by His almighty word. Read the psalm.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 says: "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?"
Psalm 103:17-18 says: "But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them."
Mary, in her song of praise called the magnificat, said: "And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation" (Luke 1:50). She echoed the words of Psalms 33 and 103. But she also expressed a truth we ought heed today: The Lord's mercy is "on those who fear Him from generation to generation."
Neither Mary nor the psalms are urging us to be afraid of God but rather to respect and honor Him as the great God who made us and will be our judge. But, sad to say, most people have little or no respect and honor for the God who created the heavens, the earth and all things. They do not honor Him as God, they reject His authority over them and they spurn His mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus.
But those who respect Him, who realize and acknowledge Him for who He is and what He has done in creating the world, giving us life and in providing for our salvation in the Son, receive in faith, from generation to generation, His mercy and forgiveness for Jesus' sake.
Do you have little honor and respect for the God who made you and all things -- the God who holds your every breath in His hands (cf. Dan. 5:23)? Do you neglect to consider the greatness of God and His workings? We so often consider it a light thing to continue in rebellion and disobedience against Him. We do not see the severity of our sin or the punishment which awaits us if we go our own way. And, without a right knowledge of our sin and God's judgment, we have little reason to look to Him for mercy and pardon.
But, when we are brought to fear and respect the LORD God who created us and will be our judge, we see our sin, our shortcoming, our disobedience, and rejoice in His mercy and forgiveness for the sake of Christ Jesus and His innocent sufferings and death upon the cross for the sins of all the world.
For Christ's sake, "His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation." Honor Him and look to Him for mercy.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 12/09/2015