Fear of Great Price

“The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.” (Isa 33:5-6 AV)

In times past, the LORD has impressed upon my heart that wisdom and knowledge shall by my stability.  That is so true.  The worst of all fears I have is the unknown.  I can deal with all sorts of bad news or unfortunate projections.  The worst, however, is what I do not know.  But the truest sense of the above phrase is knowledge and wisdom in the LORD and His law.  What the LORD has impressed me with this morning is the underlying phrase, “…the fear of the LORD is his treasure.”  Think on that for a moment.  It is a treasure to fear the LORD.  It is a trove of wealth of blessing to fear God.  I thought we were not supposed to fear God. (I’m being facetious, of course) Or, anything for that matter.  How can the fear of the LORD be a wonderful thing?

Natural law teaches us that a healthy respect for those things which can harm us is a good thing.  It keeps us from harm, but at the same time, affords us the experience of enjoying it.  My wife loves the zoo.  Me, not so much.  It is ok.  But not my most favorite place to visit.  However, there is something about the zoo that strikes me as amusing, yet profound.  Those who have designed the exhibits organize them around a theme of where these animals are naturally found.  This forces predator and prey to be within eyesight of one another.  The lions are less than 100 yards from the zebras.  The hyenas are only a pebble’s cast from the gazelle.  The bear are next door neighbors to the elk.  I have in my mind what might be going through the minds of those animals being so close to one another.  However, in between predator and prey there is a great gulf fixed so that no one can pass from one to the other.  This allows the predator to lay in the grass without any concern for the prey and the prey are gleefully grazing on their field.  Neither is even this slightest bit aware of the other.  The fear, represented in the great gulf fixed is what gives these animals a huge sense peace.  A barrier is the tool of fear that domesticates even the wildest of creatures.

The fear of God is not intended to unnecessarily add anxiety to our souls.  In fact, just the opposite.  If we submit to and live within the confines of the fear of God, there is absences of anxiety.  It truly is a treasure.  If only the world could see this.  If only they would humble themselves under the absolute authority of the LORD, they would see how much better life truly can be.  His fear is not a tyrannical one.  His fear is a profitable one.  A fear that disciplines the soul that it might receive untold blessing from a grateful God.