Teaching Notes

The Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 19:22-24 (The Message)

It's only human to want to make a buck, but it's better to be poor than a liar.
Fear-of-God is life itself, a full life, and serene—no nasty surprises.
Some people dig a fork into the pie but are too lazy to raise it to their mouth.

Notes: This Proverb or saying of wisdom is talking about greed.  It is talking about how many want to make money, but it is better to be poor that to sell yourself short and become a liar.  This kind of behavior is not becoming of one that wants to serve the Lord. 

Question: Why does the writer says that the fear of God is life?

Answer: To fear the Lord is where wisdom first starts.  It is not until we begin to respect God, reverence him, love him and adore him that we begin to seek his way regarding the things in our life.  When we do not fear God, then we do things which are not becoming to the Lord.  It we do not fear him we have a life full of "nasty surprises" or results from sinful behavior.  We also become lazy and do not even want to take care of things when we do not have the fear of God.  It takes the fear or reverence of God to help us want to do what is right before God.

Prayer: Lord today help me do what is right before you.  Help me to allow that reverence for you to direct everything I do.  Help me not to do what is wrong so that I can have things, but help me to be content even when I don't have if it is during my times of being obedient to you.  Help me to give you the respect you are do.

Teaching Notes

The Fear of the Lord

Proverbs 29:25 (The Message)

25 The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that.

Notes: This verse of scripture isn't long but it tells us much.  This fear is associated with people. 

Question: What happens when you fear human opinions?

Answer: When you fear humans opinion what you are doing is giving that opinion a greater place than God.  It is God that you should be most concerned with what he thinks about your life.  When people take that role, what happens is the disable you from doing those things that may not be easy or against popular opinions.  It may be popular to drink and if you are afraid of what others say, you may drink so that you will not be a stand out. However, is you put your fear, respect and trust in God you will not care what others think about you because your desire is to please God.  What this verse tells us is when you put your trust in God, that trust in him protects us from being crippled by what others think about us.

Prayer: Lord help me to come to the place that I do not let what others think about me bother me.  Help me to trust in you and you will help me overcome that.  Help me to do what is pleasing to you at all times so that I can walk in victory.  Help me to let go of what others opinions are and to trust in what your word says.

Teaching Notes

The Fear of the Lord

Joshua 24:14 (The Message)

"So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship God.

Notes: Joshua is giving instructions to the children of God before they go in and possess the land that God has given them.  They have fought battles and now they are ready to take what God has for them.  So Joshua tells them to fear God.  And he tells them to worship God in total commitment.

Question: What doe you think Joshua means by total committment?

Answer: If you fear the Lord, have a respect and reverence for him you will want to do as he tells you to. The command that came down was to let go of the wrong worship.  They people had grown accustomed to worshipping the idols that their parents had worshipped when they were in Egypt.  God says, get rid of them.  He tells them this because he knows if they do not, they will lose heart and begin to do those things that are displeasing to him.  They will do this because they have lost the reverence or respect for who God is.  Do you know if you do not continue to develop your relationship with God you will lose your reverence for him because you forget who he is.  But if you do as the people did and listen (read) to the word of God it will help you to continue to fear God and his holiness.

Prayer: Lord, you are mighty.  You are better than anything else we can turn our attention to.  Help us not to turn away from you to lesser things.  Help us to turn to you and know that you will continue to protect us if we trust in you.  You are worthy of our praise.  Help us to praise you.

Teaching Notes

The Fear of the Lord

Deuteronomy 4:10 (The Message)

That day when you stood before God, your God, at Horeb, God said to me, "Assemble the people in my presence to listen to my words so that they will learn to fear me in holy fear for as long as they live on the land, and then they will teach these same words to their children"

Notes: When the people of God stood before him they listened to the word of God and the word helped them to learn to fear the Lord.  They learned through listening to the word of God to reverence him.  It is through the word of God that we are taught the ways of God.

Question: What do you think it means by "holy fear"?

Answer: This holy fear is that reverence we have been speaking about.  That is the desire to show an attitude of deep respect for God.  They learned to reverence him not only for themselves but also so they could go and tell others about God.  Did you know that the Bible talks about how people are saved, it is through the hearing of the word of God.  God's word not only saves us, but our reading it is very necessary so that we can grow.  As we grow in our understanding, we also grow in our respect (awe) of who God is.

Prayer: Lord today, help me to reverence you or show holy fear for who you are.  Help me to listen to what your word is speaking to my spirit so that I can learn to respect you even more.

Teaching Notes

The Fear of the Lord

Leviticus 19:31-34 (The Message)

 "Don't dabble in the occult or traffic with mediums; you'll pollute your souls. I am God, your God. "Show respect to the aged; honor the presence of an elder; fear your God. I am God.

Notes: The Levitical Law called for the children of God to obey that which he handed down to them.  They were the laws they lived by. There were many Laws but the way the people were to remember them was to continually repeat them and say them pass them on so that those coming behind would also understand them.  This was the "Oral Tradition".  The word was passed on orally from one generation to the next.

Question: What does it mean to fear God?

Answer: It is not the same way we think about fear as in being afraid of something and running from it.  It means to reverence or respect God.  The children of Israel were told to flee from anything that was not in line with God.  No other worship should take the place of God.  While you might say we are not worshipping idols today.  But if you allow your music, friends, relationships or habits to be more important than God then you have made that a "mini-god" and placed it in the place that God should hold.  So in this scripture the lesson is to show respect to those that are your elders and you do this because you fear (respect or are in awe) God. You should want to please God so much that you desire to seek excellence for him.  It is excellence that God displays through you, not a excellence of your own.  This will be something you seek only if you fear the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, today help me to show my reverence, respect and love for you.  Help me to do so by following after those things which are important to you.  It is important to you for me to respect my elders, help me to do so.  Help me to love them, even if they are not so loving to me.