For a long time, I’ve struggled to try to understand how the prolific Old Testament phrase, “the fear of the Lord,” could coexist with Jesus’s declaration in John 15, “I call you friends”.
Recently, I read an article by the Old Testament scholar, Bruce Waltke. He provides the best explanation of this in the context of the theme of the Book of Proverbs, found in verse 7.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1.7)
Even as we will not understand “butterfly” by analyzing “butter” and “fly” independently, the fear of the Lord cannot be understood by studying fear and the Lord in separation from each other. The expression is a compound.
Waltke draws our attention to two Bible passages in Deuteronomy and one in Proverbs. When you combine all three of the passages, you have a good definition of the fear of the Lord.
“If only they had such a mind as this, to fear me and to keep all my commandments always, so that it might go well with them and with their children forever!” (Deuteronomy 5:29).
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5).
According to Proverbs 2:1-5, the fear of the Lord is found through heartfelt prayer and diligent seeking for wisdom’s words. Humility and the fear of the Lord are parallel terms in other sections of Proverbs.
My understanding of Waltke is that the fear of the Lord is that affectionate reverence by which the child of God bends himself/herself humbly and carefully to their Father’s guidance and direction.
When we understand the fear of the Lord, in Waltke’s way, it is not inconsistent, but is in keeping with what Jesus said to his disciples in John 15.
“You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15.14).
Paraphrasing Waltke once again, the fear of the Lord is to live with Him in a loving relationship, where we accept His guidance and follow through with humble obedience.
Solomon said this way of life is the pathway to wisdom and knowledge. Jesus said it is a way to experience abundant joy.
“I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15.11).
Easily Influenced
On the other side, trying to draw us away from God’s wisdom and Jesus’s joy, some influencers want us to adopt their way of life.
Perhaps, you are like me and you scroll through social media on your phone when you have nothing else to do. Do you browse Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, or other social media apps?
All of these platforms have one thing in common: they aim to influence us to think and respond in certain ways.
Solomon, in Proverbs, warns us against their influence and encourages us to live by the wisdom of Proverbs rather than the content of social media.
The purpose of Proverbs is . . .
To teach shrewdness to the simple,
knowledge and prudence to the young—
Let the wise, too, hear and gain in learning
and the discerning acquire skill (Proverbs 1.4-5)
I don’t like to think that I am simple, naive, or gullible. But I must admit, there are people in advertising and politics who want to capture my mind, money, and behavior.
Solomon’s wisdom aims to protect us from being drawn away from God in pursuit of what the influences are trying to get us to do.
The Message translation captures the meaning of verse 4.
To teach the inexperienced the ropes
and give our young people a grasp on reality. (Proverbs 1.4 The Message)
We need to know the ropes and be able to respond to those trying to draw our attention to their agenda, rather than God’s.
If we live in the fear of the Lord and as friends of Jesus, we will do this:
We will meet with Him daily and live in the love relationship He offers us.
We will humbly listen for His guidance, and then we will be obedient to follow what He shows us to do.
This will protect our minds and our behavior from being overly influenced by the people who would like us to accept their way of life as opposed to God’s.
What is a Proverb
To understand a proverb and a figure,
the words of the wise and their riddles. (Proverbs 1.6)
Solomon conveyed his wisdom through proverbs. What is a proverb?
A proverb is a short, memorable phrase that paints a picture. It can be easily remembered and integrated into our life.
We would do well to remember what Waltke says about the Book of Proverbs as we learn these short phrases of immense wisdom.
“Proverbs is a how-to-be book, not a how-to book.”
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 