THE RIGHT KIND OF FEAR
- DAY 26
- Fear File: Shiphrah and Puah
- Scripture: Exodus 1:15-17
Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.
EXODUS 1:15-17
In our files today we have the bravest Israeli women in Egypt. These are the women that started the “giving birth like the Hebrew women” trend that lives on today. Shiphrah and Puah found themselves in a threatening situation. They had to choose between obeying the law and obeying God. Make no mistake, defying a king is suicide. But these women had the audacity to uphold the decree of God over the decree of man; because they feared the Lord.
Reverence Not Terror
In all our interactions with the various expressions of fear, we haven’t yet encountered this kind – the fear of the Lord. Now, this kind of fear does not speak of terror. We know that God is terrifying to His enemies. Demons, hills, trees, and rocks tremble before him. But we are not His enemies, we are his children (at least I hope you are. if you aren’t email me or leave a comment let’s fix that). So He doesn’t desire that our relationship be inspired by fear but by love.
The fear He speaks of here is more reverence than terror. Reverence is profound respect, love, and humility toward God that stems from recognizing His awe and greatness. When you have a reverent attitude toward God you live with the constant, conscious awareness that you are in the presence of an awesome, holy God. It guides your conduct.
It is sad that our society has become fearless and irreverent toward God. Our society is in shambles because the people of God have lost reverence. We treat his word as suggestions and spend our days debating what He meant’ while pulling down those He loves. Yet He shows us mercy. As gracious as He is we must never lose sight of how holy and powerful He is. We must not think of Him as weak because He so graciously loves us. A mistake even satan cannot make. We must put away those things He despises and live as His righteousness through Christ. I encourage you to take time to study what the word says about fearing God. I have put up a few scriptures below to get you started.
Shalom
Scriptures On The Fear Of The Lord
Isaiah 11:2
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. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
Job 28:28
And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.
Matthew 10:28
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
Ecclesiastes 12:13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.
Psalm 33:8
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
Luke 1:50
And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
Proverbs 14:27
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.
Deuteronomy 10:12
And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Ephesians 5:21
Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
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