INTRODUCTION:  One of the missing ingredients in today’s world is a fear of God.

A. Examples of the Fear of God - There are a number of examples of men and women in the Bible that feared God.

1. Abraham - And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God [is] not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake (Gene 20:11).

2. Joseph - And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; [for] I fear God (Gene 42:18).

3. Midwives - But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive (Exod 1:17). And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses (Exod 1:21).

4. Seventy Elders - Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place [such] over them, [to be] rulers of thousands, [and] rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens (Exod 18:21).

5. Obadiah - And Ahab called Obadiah, which [was] the governor of [his] house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly: (1Kin 18:3).

6. Job - There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name [was] Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil (Job 1:1). And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? (Job 1:8). And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause (Job 2:3).

7. Jonah & Sailors - And he said unto them, I [am] an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry [land] (Jona 1:9). Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows (Jona 1:16).

8. The Virtuous Woman - Favour [is] deceitful, and beauty [is] vain: [but] a woman [that] feareth the LORD, she shall be praised (Prov 31:30).

9. Jesus - And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: (Isai 11:2).

10. Cornelius - [A] devout [man], and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway (Acts 10:2).

11. The Lack of the Fear of the Lord - Pharoah (Exo 9:30), man in general (Rom 3:18).

B. Exhortations to Fear God - God has given a variety of admonitions to fear God.

1. Leviticus 19:3, 14, 32; 25:17, 36, 43

2. Deuteronomy 6:2, 13, 24; 8:6; 10:12, 20; 13:4; 31:12-13

3. David, a King - 2Sam 23:3. Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD (Psal 34:11).

4. The Judges - 2Chr 19:7

5. Solomon - Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man (Eccl 12:13).

6. Peter - Honour all [men]. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king (1Pet 2:17). But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and [be] ready always to [give] an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1Pet 3:15).

7. Paul - There is no fear of God before their eyes (Roma 3:18). Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2Cor 7:1). Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: (Hebr 12:28).

C. The Essence of the Fear of God - What is the essence of the fear of God? In his warning regarding getting a king, the Prophet Samuel explains that fear, service and obedience go together (1Sam 12:14). Using the book of Proverbs as a guide to discover what the fear of God is, we discover that the essence of the fear of the LORD is to know the Word of God and obey it. In this discovery we find that there are four products of the fear of God.

I. WISDOM

The first product of the fear of God is wisdom. There are basically three verses in the Proverbs that express wisdom as a product of the fear of the Lord.

A. The Beginning of Knowledge - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction (Prov 1:7). Knowledge, of course, comes from the Word of God, the Lord, himself, being the source of wisdom (Prov 2:6).

B. The Beginning of Wisdom - The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy [is] understanding (Prov 9:10). Knowledge, understanding, and wisdom are three words that are somewhat synonymous. In Hebrew poetic form the two phrases in this verse are repetitious of one another. "The fear of the LORD" is equal to "the knowledge of the holy." The holy, of course, is the Lord. In the parallelism of the verse, "the beginning of wisdom" is equal to "understanding."

There is a bit of distinction between knowledge, understanding and wisdom. The three words can be construed as three steps to obtain the fear of God. Knowledge is the first step. We must go to God’s Word to gain knowledge about God and about God’s creation. Knowledge is an accumulation of facts. Most Christians live only at the knowledge level. As we learn things from God’s Word we must begin to put those bits of knowledge together. This second step is called understanding. It is an assimilation of the facts. A few more Christians take this step. The final step is that of wisdom. Wisdom could be defined as putting the facts into action. Very few Christians have enough discernment to understand what life is all about and enough discipline to wisely live life. Where are you in your growth toward a fear of God?

C. The Instruction of Wisdom - The third verse in the Proverbs that deals with the fear of God in relation to wisdom is Proverbs 15:33, The fear of the LORD [is] the instruction of wisdom; and before honour [is] humility.

II. HATRED OF EVIL

The second product of the fear of the Lord is a hatred of evil. The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate (Prov 8:13). The man who has a desire to know the Word of God and obey it will have a hatred of evil.

III. CONFIDENCE

The third product of the fear of the Lord is confidence. In the fear of the LORD [is] strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge (Prov 14:26). It makes sense - when you have a desire to know the Word of God and obey it you will have a strong confidence. You see, you can depend upon the Word of God; it is trustworthy. When we do not have spiritual confidence we demonstrate that we are lacking the fear of God in our lives.

IV. ABUNDANT CHRISTIAN LIVING

A fourth product of the fear of the Lord is an abundant Christian life. Solomon says, The fear of the LORD [is] a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death (Prov 14:27). There are three aspects of this abundant Christian life that Solomon exemplifies as he defines the fear of the LORD.

A. Long Life - First of all, The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened (Prov 10:27). When you know the Word of God and obey it you add days to your life. It is a known fact that "living right" will grant long life. This principle works even for the unbeliever. If he lives right according to God’s plan he will not shorten his life with sin.

B. Satisfied Life - The second aspect of the abundant Christian life is a satisfied life. The fear of the LORD [tendeth] to life: and [he that hath it] shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil (Prov 19:23). Living long is one thing, but living happy is an entirely different matter. I would guess that most people, including many Christians, do not live happy lives. You see, we will not be happy until we live for others. This is the meaning of the Ephesians 5:21 text. We must learn to submit to one another in the context of the fear of God. As we submit to the teaching of the Word of God and obey it we must submit to one another. This attitude will give us satisfaction. Please God, please others, and you will be pleased.

C. Full Life - Not only will God grant to the submissive believer a long and happy life, but he will grant to him a full life. By humility [and] the fear of the LORD [are] riches, and honour, and life (Prov 22:4). The believer must come to the end of his life and be able to say as did the Apostle Paul, I have finished my course. We must complete the life that God wants us to live.