June 6

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” —ECCLESIASTES 12:13

In the book of Proverbs, the fear of God is one of the recurring themes Solomon writes about. There are many different shades of meaning in the Hebrew use of the word ‘fear’, but in this context, where Solomon says to fear God and keep His commandments, he is the voice of experience, and is saying with utter conviction to take God’s word, His promises and warnings seriously.

A casual Christian may take God seriously in confessing their sin, and being reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ, but may not take God seriously in the way he or she lives. Every truth of Scripture leads to Christ and Christ said, “I have come that you might have life, and have it to the fullest” (John 10:10). But there are conditions. Whoever hangs onto their life, which is living it to please themselves, will ultimately lose it, but whoever loses their life by submitting it to Christ will find life. It’s an exchange of our lives for Christ’s life, and ultimately, everything that the deepest need of the human heart seeks for is found in Christ.

Despite whatever else is going on in our lives, the Holy Spirit brings us to that point where we fear God; where deep within ourselves that becomes the reference point of our actions and behaviours because we know God is real. As a result of the fear of God, we are moved to living with a consciousness of the love of God. 1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” And that is experienced in the context of an intimate relationship with Christ.

It is the judgment of God that ultimately gives us dignity, and holds us accountable, but the problem today is that we no longer value truth as an objective reality. Truth has become subjective. In other words, what’s good for us is what we’ll do. However, we cannot read Scripture and avoid the judgment of God, so it follows that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Solomon calls it the whole duty of man.

When we search our hearts and consciences, and take in all the magnificence of creation, of which we are a part, there isn’t a deeper meaning or purpose to life than to be indwelt by our Creator for His divine purposes in this world. As Solomon says, everything else is a “chasing after the wind”.

PRAYER: Dear Father, I am so in awe of your creation and how You have designed everything to work, including us. To be indwelt by your Spirit is the most amazing gift and I thank You, Lord.

TO REFLECT UPON: What does the fear of God mean to me?