Living In The Fear Of The Lord

Introduction

1. The people of Israel were near the end of a long journey. For almost 40 years they had been wandering about in the desert on their way to the promised land. There they would be in a land filled with milk and honey. Their own land in which they could settle down and rest from their travels. It had been a long journey.

2. Those of us reading through the Year Of The Bible may feel the same way. As the people wandered through the desert, the journey through our readings may have seemed long. We have been reading long passages about offerings and sacrifices, regulations, details about how to build the tabernacle, detailed ceremonial laws, lists of people and allocations of land. We also may be glad theat this journey is soon over and we can start reading about the events of God and His people in the promised land. Just like when we read a novel, we cannot wait to get through all the descriptive pages to the action.

3. Moses has been speaking to the people. He is preparing them for his departure and for their entry into the promised land. Telling them how they are to live their lives as God’s covenant people.

4. And as he does, he teaches us also how we are to live our lives as God’s chosen people.

5. If there is one thing that Moses wants to impress upon them and upon us is that they and we are to fear the Lord. He mentions that they are to fear the Lord 7 times in Deuteronomy.

Teaching

6. He has been telling them what God has done. vs. 12 begins with "and now, O Israel, what does the Lord ask of you?" How does the Lord ask us to respond to Him and what he has done for us? The response is to be one of attitude. We are to have a proper attitude toward God. An attitude that will affect all that we do.

7. We can work at becoming more loving, holy, and righteous. We can study God’s word and of all kinds of things to know Him more. But all these will fall short unless we have a right attitude to God. If we have the wrong attitude, we will not remain true to God and will consider His word to be a burden rather than a joy.

8. This morning I ask you to consider your attitude. How you look upon God. How you respond to Him.

9. The attitude we are to have is to fear the Lord our God. I ask you, do you fear the Lord? Is it the fear of the Lord that is the motivation of all that you think, say and do?

10. First we need to understand what it means to fear the Lord. All people, whether chosen or not, are to fear the Lord. Because God is a holy God and when we are in His presence we cannot live. That is why the people of Israel could not go upon Sinai. It a holy ground upon which they could not stand . That is why Isaiah would later be filled with fear when God came before him:

Isa 6:5 "Woe to me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty."

And as we see how God’s wrath will be poured out on the earth in Revelation, we see that people have a reason to fear God

11. But as God’s chosen people, this fear takes on whole new dimension. Yes there is this fear of a holy God, but the fear we have is more a fear of which leads us to stand in awe before God. To honour and respect and revere God. To stand in wonder before God.

12. When we see the majestic Rocky Mountains or the grandeur of the Grand canyon, there is an overwhelming, all-encompassing sense of greatness, of seeing or experiencing more than our senses will allow us to take in. So it is as we think on God and look upon Him. We are overwhelmed and stand in awe.

13. Why? Because we see that He is an awesome God.

Deu 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome,

And what He does is awesome.

Deu 10:21 He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.

14. Moses gives some reasons why do we stand in fear or awe before God?

a. Deu 10:14 To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.