Fear the Lord?

[drtanner]

D&C 76:5 For thus saith the Lord—I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious unto those who fear me, and delight to honor those who serve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end.

Mormon 9:27 27 O then despise not, and wonder not, but hearken unto the words of the Lord, and ask the Father in the name of Jesus for what things soever ye shall stand in need. Doubt not, but be believing, and begin as in times of old, and come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.

Fearing the Lord seems to be a pre-requisite to some pretty amazing blessings:

7 And to them will I reveal all mysteries, yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of old, and for ages to come, will I make known unto them the good pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom.

What does it mean to "fear the Lord" in the context of these and similar scriptures?

[oneClimbs]

This may help you, first, a definition of fear from the Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

"6. In scripture, fear is used to express a filial or a slavish passion. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience. This is filial fear."

All well and good, now what the heck is "filial" you might ask, well the Dictionary defines it as:

"Pertaining to a son or daughter; becoming a child in relation to his parents. filial love is such an affection as a child naturally bears to his parents. filial duty or obedience is such duty or obedience as the child owes to his parents."

While watching an episode of the BBC's Sherlock series, Holmes said, "Fear is wisdom in the face of danger." God is love, but he is also the great judge and must execute the law while extending as much mercy as is possible. There is nothing weak about him, he is a consuming fire, he is mighty, the great creator who comprehends his creation and every intelligence in it. We would do well to fear him, not because he is scary, but because he, above anything else in existence, deserves any ounce of respect we are capable of producing. Fear generates respect. How do you act around a rattlesnake, fire, or the edge of a cliff? Are you more careful and respectful or more careless and disrespectful? When we sense danger, we can't help but respect it. When you consider the greatness of God and the very real possibility of being shut out from his presence forever, especially when you have tasted his love, you will discover fear. Perfect love does cast out that fear, but until then, it is a healthy thing to have.

Those that do not fear God do not know him. It's not a fear that he will harm you, it is a fear of doing anything (intentionally or unintentionally) that will keep his love and presence from your life.

[MMbelieve]

This may help you, first, a definition of fear from the Webster's 1828 Dictionary:

"6. In scripture, fear is used to express a filial or a slavish passion. In good men, the fear of God is a holy awe or reverence of God and his laws, which springs from a just view and real love of the divine character, leading the subjects of it to hate and shun every thing that can offend such a holy being, and inclining them to aim at perfect obedience. This is filial fear."

All well and good, now what the heck is "filial" you might ask, well the Dictionary defines it as:

"Pertaining to a son or daughter; becoming a child in relation to his parents. filial love is such an affection as a child naturally bears to his parents. filial duty or obedience is such duty or obedience as the child owes to his parents."

While watching an episode of the BBC's Sherlock series, Holmes said, "Fear is wisdom in the face of danger." God is love, but he is also the great judge and must execute the law while extending as much mercy as is possible. There is nothing weak about him, he is a consuming fire, he is mighty, the great creator who comprehends his creation and every intelligence in it. We would do well to fear him, not because he is scary, but because he, above anything else in existence, deserves any ounce of respect we are capable of producing. Fear generates respect. How do you act around a rattlesnake, fire, or the edge of a cliff? Are you more careful and respectful or more careless and disrespectful? When we sense danger, we can't help but respect it. When you consider the greatness of God and the very real possibility of being shut out from his presence forever, especially when you have tasted his love, you will discover fear. Perfect love does cast out that fear, but until then, it is a healthy thing to have.

Those that do not fear God do not know him. It's not a fear that he will harm you, it is a fear of doing anything (intentionally or unintentionally) that will keep his love and presence from your life.

:ymhug:
Love this answer, thank you.