Fear = Respect

March 27

(Psalm 34:6-16 NIV) “This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. {7} The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. {8} Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. {9} Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. {10} The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. {11} Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. {12} Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, {13} keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. {14} Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. {15} The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; {16} the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.”

In Psalm 34 God makes promises to those who “fear Him”. This fear is about respect and obedience. We respect one who has the power of life and death. In David’s time, kings had the power to do whatever they wanted. When you entered the presence of a king, you did so with respect. Fearing the Lord is not in vogue today. In our mouthy republic, we are more likely to bad-mouth those in authority. Besides, people want a user-friendly God. We are looking for a buddy, not a Lord. But when we are in the presence of a God who has our life in His hands, a bit of fear and respect is healthy. David feels that it should keep us from lying and gossiping. It should cause us to turn away from evil things and to do that which is good. This is the God who delivers us from those who seek our demise. This is a God who is attentive to our cries for help. Serve Him. Honor Him. Love Him. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day