Fear = Reverence and Love

Exodus 20:18-22 -  Now when all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled; and they stood afar off, and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will hear; but let not God speak to us, lest we die."  And Moses said to the people, "Do not fear; for God has come to prove you, and that the fear of him may be before your eyes, that you may not sin."  And the people stood afar off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.  And the LORD said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: 'You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. 

God called Moses up to the top of that holy mountain and he gave him 10 rules to guide our lives…a simple blueprint for us to live by. He gave us these rules to help us concentrate on him…to help us focus our attention on God and not ourselves.  The rules he gave Moses that day shape us into people who care about God more than any other…they call us to be respectful of the others that live around us…to give more than we take from the world. They call for us to be satisfied with what God had given us…to embrace our lives as they are.

The  people that stood at the base of that mountain…they heard God’s voice in the thunder…saw his great power in the lightning that flashed across the sky. They heard the loud…..constant  herald of his presence in a trumpet blast…that sounded every moment God lowered himself to Earth to speak his rules to Moses. What an ominous moment for the angel in Heaven picked to sound the trumpet….picked to announce God’s travel to earth. They were so scared…. that God had to tell Moses to speak words of comfort to them.  He told Moses to tell them not to be afraid…that he had come in such a memorable way to make sure the fear they felt in that moment kept them obedient to the rules he was giving them to follow….and keep them from disobedience…and sin.

I understand this fear…because of the great parents that taught me this kind of respect for life in general.  They gave me rules to follow…these same rules that God gave Moses! I loved my parents so much that my fear of hurting their feelings…of disappointing them….kept me from many sins.  My fear of them was not a physical fear of being hurt or abused…it was a mental reverence for who they were…and how the love I had for them drove me to do what was right…so they would be proud of me.

I admit…I have fallen so short of teaching this concept to my kids….and I myself drifted far from this concept as I have let the world sway me into the thinking that I was more important than the rules. As I reflect on these 10 rules …I have broken them all at some point in my life….and as I ponder even more…I am really convicted in this moment …of that rule about jealously. Oh how I struggle with pride…and wanting to be really good at something….and having PEOPLE pat me on the back….and tell me I am doing good things…and changing lives. It really shouldn’t matter what I receive….my motives are still wrong.  I might be trying to follow God’s rules…but I am doing it for the wrong reasons. Oh how easy it is for Satan to trick me!

And so God humbles me in this moment…and redirects me back to the real reason I must follow his rules. I must remember these rules…and follow them because he said to.  I must follow these rules…because God said that I must be fearful of his power and respect who he is. And just to be sure that I understood how much he loves me….he sent his son to earth for 33 years…to teach me…and model for me how the rules really work. Jesus loved me so much that he was obedient to his own father…and gave his life for me on that cross. He did not die for me because he knew he would become great….he died for me because he had a healthy fear and respect for his father….and he put himself aside…and made sure his dad was the most important thing in his life.

Father…no words will ever truly describe how powerful…how mighty….how loving your heart really is.  I sit here…truly awed by the things you have done to show me how much you love me.  I am so sorry that I have strayed…and even harbored one thought that I deserve any grace…or blessing you decide help me father to put away the need to be love by people…and cling to your love and power for all that I need. Help me learn to empty me of myself…and allow you to fill me with just what I need to do what you are calling me to do. Help me father to wait on you….to enjoy the blessing that you place at my feet today…and never question you again about my future. Amen.