Posted on 09/02/2019 4:19:34 AM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:5 KJV).
This is the result of obeying verses 1-4. There are four things that you need to do to understand the fear of the Lord. And that just goes to show why 90% of preachers and expositors cannot explain to you what the fear of the Lord is. You take C. I. Scofield and some others, and they will call it, “reverential trust.” “Religious” people say, “Well, I don’t think you ought to scare anybody, I don’t think that being scared of God is the right motive for someone getting saved.”
One woman said, “I don’t think you ought to preach hell to children.” She thought that was cruel, that it was terrible, that is was not necessary because all it did was give them nightmares at night. Yes, it does. My kids have had nightmares about hell—so what? They have nightmares about E.T., they have nightmares about Frankenstein, why not “scare the hell out of them?” Kids have nightmares, they have nightmares about everything. They might as well have nightmares over something that is real.
Preach to them about hell. Keep them out of hell. “It upsets them!” Right, good. A lot of things in life are going to upset you, you might as well get used to being upset. Life is full of upsets.
Those crazy, stupid fools out there, think, “Well, don’t hurt the little . . .”, why? Don’t hurt them? You can’t hurt them. They fall down steps, they fall off their bikes, and they pop right back up and get back on their bikes. You ain’t gonna hurt them preaching to them about hell. I’ll tell you how you will hurt them—don’t tell them about hell and let them find out for themselves. You’ll hurt them. They won’t be afraid of God and they’ll try every thrill under God’s heaven—every wicked sin—they won’t be afraid of God; they won’t be afraid of anything. You better scare them, better hell scared than hell scorched!
“Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD,” you just get in there and seek after him until you get to the point where you know that God is right, and He is not going to fool around with you and I when we do wrong. Understand that! God is not playing games. People think that God is some kind of Santa Claus. God is righteous, God is holy, God is just.
“. . . every transgression and disobedience shall receive a just recompence of reward. How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him” (Hebrews 2:3 KJV).
God isn’t fooling around.
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7 KJV).
People need to understand that God is real, and sin is wicked, horrible, and ungodly. That is why there is no fear of God in the eyes of Americans, because churches and religious people have sugar-coated sin. You can go to churches where they have Bingo, they gamble, and they even drink alcohol in the basement. There are churches where as soon as the service is over the people run out and light up. Churches have candy-coated sin so that they don’t fear God.
“Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD,” David says that “the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever” (Psalm 19:9). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10). And it’s right! Nothing wrong with it. Fear is a good motive.
“. . . and find the knowledge of God,” learn about Him. But how do you learn about Him? You listen, you pray about it, you get out and apply it, and then you continue to seek it as you would with hidden treasure. Most people never really get to the point where they really understand the fear of the Lord. How many Christians do we know, and we do know that they are saved, and yet for some reason they just did not want to live for God? I don’t believe they understand the fear of the Lord. They do some things that will make the hairs on the back of your head stand up, they just don’t understand the fear of the Lord. It’ll keep you out of a lot of trouble.
Let’s read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let’s keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread!
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