The Fear of God
I’m starting a new series of blogs today by reaching back into the Old Testament book of Jonah. I’m simply calling this series, “Lesson’s From Jonah.” One of the reasons I want to look into Jonah is to remind us that the God of the Old Testament is the same God we meet in the New Testament writings. Christians today have the tendency to divide God up into the Old Covenant God and the New Covenant God. Yes, the two covenants are different, however, the God who established his covenants is not. We read in the scriptures the unchangeable nature of God…
Psalm 119:89
Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Psalm 33:11
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
Malachi 3:6
For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed
Revelation 22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
James 1:17
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
Since God is unchanging, if we’re to know him fully, we need to take the fullness of scripture to inform us of the entire nature, character, and heart of God that both the Old and the New Testaments speak of. And if we do, we will develop a healthy fear of God. Fear in the sense of awe, respect, and reverence. Today, I want to look into what it means to “fear” God.
GOD’S TRUTH (HIS WORD) IS FINAL
What motivates you to obey God when his Word tells you to do something, especially something you may not want to do? What could happen if you choose not to do something God tells you to do? For our purposes here, let’s consider the truth and counsel of the scriptures—the Word of God. Remember what the Apostle Paul wrote to his disciple Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16…
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
So, if all of scripture (Old and New Testament) teaches the truth, guides you into doing what’s right, and corrects the wrongs in your life, what do you choose to do with what it teaches? Do you obey? Disregard it? Do you cherry pick what you agree with but reject what you don’t agree with? 3000 years ago, Jonah, a prophet of God who was called to speak God’s truth, was in a tough position to obey God or disregard his Word. Take a moment and read Jonah 1.
God told Jonah, “Go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” It’s helpful to know that the people of Nineveh were not God’s “chosen” people (the Israelites). They were Gentiles—pagans. Not only that, they were enemies of Israel. On the love love/hate meter, Jonah’s needle pointed to closer to hate. So, he refused God and instead bought a ticket to Tarshish, an Island in the Mediterranean. Maybe his plan was to waste away in Margaritaville under a palm tree on the beach—verse 3…
3 But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord
However, Jonah never got that far—verse 4…
4 …the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.
The storm raged and even intensified. The gig was up and Jonah knew it. He confessed to the sailors that he was the reason for the storm—verses 9, 12, and 15…
9 I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land. 12 Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault. 15 Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once!
Jonah was learning the hard way that God’s Word is final. You can try running from. You can try to hide from it. You can try to change it. But, none of that changes God’s will, ways, and truth.
GOD ACTS OUT OF HIS JUST NATURE
Remember, Jonah was a believer in God. He was actively involved in speaking God’s truth. That truth-telling was mostly
aimed at his fellow Israelites. Think of it this way:
A teacher in the local church often taught difficult biblical truths to fellow believers of Christ on Sunday mornings. However, he was largely silent concerning God’s truth outside of the church. As he lived his life in his neighborhood, at work, or in settings of leisure time with others, he never talked about spiritual things because it was uncomfortable for him. He would avoid spiritual conversations, and even change the subject if it came up. He would avoid unbelieving people because he just didn’t want the challenge of relating to them. Some of the people he rubbed shoulders with during the week were blatantly sinful. Deep down, he felt they would get what they deserved.
However, Jesus said in Matthew 28:19-20…
19 …go and make disciples of all the nations… 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.
In Matthew 22:39, Jesus said…
39 …Love your neighbor as yourself.
It’s clear that God desires his spiritual children to love all people and teach them about Jesus through our words and deeds. Running from that is to rebel against God’s will and ways. That’s where Jonah was. Like you and me, he wasn’t perfect in how he lived out his faith in God. What we need to understand is that God did not let Jonah off the hook for his disobedience and he won’t for you and me either. It’s not in God’s just nature to let rebellion go unaddressed, so he followed Jonah and sent a violent storm after him and caused him to be thrown into a raging sea. If we disobey God, in rebellion to his commands, he, who is holy and just and righteous, cannot allow us to persist in our disobedience. We need correction, even if we are one of his children.
GOD CORRECTS FROM HIS NATURE OF LOVE
Jonah said, "I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." But, rather than destroying Jonah in the raging sea, God was merciful to him and provided a rescue…
17 Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
That was God’s corrective action with Jonah. We know from reading the remainder of the book of Jonah that he entered a season of correction. More on that later. Getting swallowed by a giant fish certainly got his attention and was enough to get Jonah to turn around and head toward Nineveh. Here’s what we learn from God’s interaction with Jonah:
God disciplines us out of mercy and love. God will discipline his spiritual children. However, if we received from God what we deserved every time we rebelled against him, we would be cast from his presence forever. Instead, he draws us to a place where we can turn from our rebellion and sin and then grants us mercy.
God’s discipline is an act of love. It says in Proverbs 3:12, For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights. God didn’t just toss Jonah aside after he ran away. He didn’t immediately replace Jonah with someone else to preach against Nineveh. Instead, God desired what was best for Jonah by intervening and stopping him from continuing along his rebellious path. God gave Jonah what he needed to realize his sin (“I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”) Sometimes (not always!), the difficulty we find ourselves in may be God’s corrective work going on in your life. In the least, if you’re a difficult time, it serves as an opportunity to ask yourself, “Is there anything I’m doing that God needs to discipline me?”
God wants what’s best for you. Would it be loving of God to allow us to continue in our sin and possibly risk falling away from him completely? God is our Father, and, like any good parent, he will discipline us out of love to help form us into a better person. At the time, it may not seem like God’s discipline is good, but he desires what’s best for you. It’s more merciful to correct you and get you back on the right path than to allow you to continue on a downward spiral that leads away from God, spiritual death and an eternity in hell.
NEXT STEP
1. Like Jonah, admit your known rebellion and sins. Take responsibility for your mistakes. This takes humility before God, but God can use those who are willing to be bent to his will. And since God wants only what is best for you, it isn’t a threat to bend your will toward his. Be assured, God is merciful to those who fear him and he will restore you.
2. Are you patient and merciful toward others when they blow it? Be willing to accept God's mercy and grace when you fall so that you can show mercy and love to others when they fall.
