Fear and Faith

“The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” (Ps 147:11 AV)

 I find it fascinating that fear of God and hope in His mercy can dwell together.  Even more than that, they seem to be mutually dependent.  In my limited human way of thinking, I would assume them to be the opposite.  If one fears an authority figure, he would naturally try to avoid him.  Not run to him for mercy.  But according to our passage, this is not the case.  If I fear a judge, I may go to him seeking leniency.  But I wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to assume he would show any.  The hope for mercy stated above is faith in His mercy.  It assumes mercy to be possible and probable.  According to our writer, who is probably David, he groups the fear of the LORD and faith in His mercy together.  They go hand in hand.  This is a mystery that needs further meditation.

As stated in other entries, I have had to stand before a judge several times.  Three to be exact.  In one of those cases, I had a lawyer present.  When we went to court, we were hoping for mercy, but not necessarily presuming upon it.  The lawyer’s job is to use the law to my advantage and ensure a fair trial.  One of those cases was speeding in a park.  The speed limit sign was obscured by trees so I never saw the law posted as it should have been.  The law is clear here.  I could have been fined and points added to my license, yet the judge showed mercy.  He showed mercy because the law was not clearly stated.  He found equal fault with the state.  I should have known the posted speed limit regardless of the visibility of the sign.  It is my responsibility to know the law.  However, the lawgiver cannot make it difficult to attain the law by neglect or malice.  Therefore, I had redress and the judge dropped the ticket to a non-punitive level.  I received mercy from the court while fearing what the court might decide.

This is not so with God.  We have no redress.  We have no relief.  There are no arguments we can make to absolve ourselves of guilt.  Outside of the blood of Christ, we have no claim at all to mercy.  The Psalmist mates the fear of God and faith in God’s mercy together.  How is that possible?  Unlike the above judge, God is the final authority.  The judge is guided by the law.  The law is his authority.  There is no authority above God.  So, if we fear Him, then we have a reasonable expectation of mercy.  If we show the proper respect and hold God in awe, then He reveals his kindness to us.  Faith in mercy is two-sided.  We have faith in the attributes of God.  We have faith He will exercise forgiveness.  We believe He will show mercy when justice is warranted.  Secondly, we have faith the Holy Spirit has humbled us to the point we have no other hope but in His mercy.  We are totally emptied of ourselves or any and all other options.  This is the humility and fear God honors with His mercy.