The Fear of Him

The Israelites were standing at the foot of Mount Sinai. There, God had spoken the Ten Commandments to His people amid a terrifying display of His power and holiness.

Thunder crashed. Lightning flashed. A trumpet sound kept getting louder and louder. Smoke rose up from the mountain. The ground itself seemed to tremble beneath their feet.

Once again the people were terrified. They backed away and told Moses, essentially, You speak to us. Don’t let God speak to us or we will die.

And that is when Moses said,
“Do not fear.”

He wasn’t telling them that what they had witnessed wasn’t frightening.
He was telling them they did not need to shrink back in terror.

Then Moses continued:
“…that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”

There it is again.
Fear.

But this one is a different kind of fear.

There is the fear that makes us think God’s power means He will use it against us.
And then there is the fear of God where we recognize who He truly is.
Holy.
Powerful.
Righteous.
God.

God had revealed Himself to the Israelites so that the fear of Him would shape the way they lived. One kind of fear drives us away in terror. The fear of God teaches us to recognize His holiness and take His words seriously.

I know people who obeyed someone simply because they were frightened of what would happen if they didn’t. Maybe there was a raised voice, a threat, a belt, or a punishment they knew might be waiting for them. That kind of fear can make someone obey, but it can also make them pull away.

In my home growing up, I was not frightened into obedience. I wanted to follow my parents’ rules. I respected them. I wanted to honor what they asked of me. Not because I was terrified of them, but because of who they were to me.

That comparison only goes so far, because, well, God is God.
But perhaps it helps me understand what Moses is saying.

The fear of God is not about constantly wondering whether He will suddenly turn against me.

Instead, it is living with a quiet awareness of exactly who He is. It’s about standing in absolute awe of His holiness and letting His words sit deeply in my heart. When we remember that the very same God who loves us fiercely is also the God who holds us accountable, it changes everything. That kind of holy reverence draws us closer to God and shapes the way we live.

Maybe that is why Moses could say both things in the same breath:
Do not fear.
And
Let the fear of God remain before you.

Do not run from Him in terror.
But never become so comfortable with God that you forget who He is.

FEAR NOT in terror of God.
BECAUSE GOD IS holy and worthy of your awe.