Journal for Christ: 3 questions concerning fearing the Lord

November 1-4, 2016

Worship: That’s Who You Are by Zealand Worship

[Verse 1]
I will sing when the world is upside-down
I will sing, though the troubles overwhelm
I will sing when the reasons can't be found
I will sing, though my heart is on the ground

[Pre-Chorus]
And all through the chaos
We will remember
You are moving
And You are good

[Chorus]
You are the rest for the weary
The hope and the healer
God above all things
That's who You are
You are the truth that is standing
When the world is changing
You are forever
Lord of it all
Yeah, that's who You are
That's who you are

[Verse 2]
When I let go the trouble of my heart
When I lay my tomorrow in Your arms
There is peace like a river running free
There's a song that rises up in me

[Pre-Chorus]
And all through the chaos
We will remember
You are moving
And You are good

[Chorus]
You are the rest for the weary
The hope and the healer
God above all things
That's who You are
You are the truth that is standing
When the world is changing
You are forever
Lord of it all
Yeah, that's who You are
That's who you are

[Bridge]
The One who hold my future
You are, You are, You are
Forever working all things for good, yeah
My heart cries out declaring the truth of who You are
The Savior of my world

[Chorus]
You are the rest for the weary
The hope and the healer
God above all things
That's who You are
You are the truth that is standing
When the world is changing
You are forever
Lord of it all
Yeah, that's who You are
That's who you are

[Outro]
That's who you are
That's who you are
That's who you are
You are forever, Lord of it all

Witness:

"Rest for the weary...That’s who You are."

I didn’t get much sleep today, so when I sat down for dinner, I ate and fell in and out of sleep as I listened to the news and some sermons by John Piper. Finally, I mustered the strength to get up and work on some laundry. Weariness took over again, so I laid sown on my bed and searched for songs about weariness. After sampling some good and some not so good ones, I decided on the song above as an appropriate song to sing. This is week 8 of Band of Brothers. The theme for week 8 is rest. The memory verse for the week is:

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29 NIV

In fact, the verse preceding and following this verse are important to the context:

28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matt 11:28-30 NIV

It is a marvelous promise of our Lord to those who are burdened down by man-made religion. It is also a promise to those who are burdened by the cares of the world and circumstances beyond their control. The words of our Lord minister rest and lift the burdens we bear when we trust in Him. Look to the sermon on the mount. Look to the “I Am” passages, but most of all look to the cross where the greatest burden was lifted – the weight of our sins. And while in this world we will have many trials, troubles, and temptations we are promised in His word that He will be with us always and that He has overcome the world.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NIV

We too are overcomers by faith:

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5 ESV

It is interesting to note that a similar promise as that given in Matthew 11:30, is given by God in the verse preceding 1 John 5:4:

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3 ESV

His yoke is made easy then, and rest is afforded, because of our faith. Yet, our faith sometimes falters, and peace and rest vanish. Fighting against the ways of the world with God’s ways seems futile. Weariness sets in, and we cry out for help. But we have this promise also given to us and to which we should cling to:

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4-5 NIV

I realize this last verse is in the context of false prophets. But false prophets lie, and the source of the lies are from Satan. When our faith falters, it is because we are listening to the lies our enemy is throwing at us. But we have the Spirit of God in us to help us, and He is greater than the spirit of antichrist which is in the world.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4 NIV

WORD:

Ps 25:11-15

11 For the sake of your name, O Lord,

forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord?

He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

13 He will spend his days in prosperity,

and his descendants will inherit the land.

14 The Lord confides in those who fear him;

he makes his covenant known to them.

15 My eyes are ever on the Lord,

for only he will release my feet from the snare.

NIV

Ps 25:11-15

11 For the honor of your name, O Lord,

forgive my many, many sins.

12 Who are those who fear the Lord?

He will show them the path they should choose.

13 They will live in prosperity,

and their children will inherit the land.

14 The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.

He teaches them his covenant.

15 My eyes are always on the Lord,

for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.

Ps 25:11-15

11 For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.

12 What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth.

14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

15 Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

KJV

Ps 25:11-15

11 For your name's sake, O Lord,

pardon my guilt, for it is great.

12 Who is the man who fears the Lord?

Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

13 His soul shall abide in well-being,

and his offspring shall inherit the land.

14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,

and he makes known to them his covenant.

15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,

for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

ESV

As I look at verse 12, I come across a strange sequence of sentences. The verse begins with a question. Yet the sentence that follows does not seem to be an answer to the question. So, I did a little research, and this is what I found.

Keil and Delitzsch Commentary says:

The question…is only propounded in order to draw attention to the person who bears the character described, and then to state what such an one has to expect.(from Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.)

UBS Old Testament says:

The question in verse 12a (RSV) is not a request for information but is a forceful way of identifying the person whom Yahweh instructs in line b. Such a literary device is not very common in English and may be misunderstood by the reader. Consequently, TEV has used a descriptive statement (using the plural form), "Those who obey the Lord." Another way of handling this is "Whoever obeys the Lord...." Or else, "If anyone wants to obey the Lord, the Lord will teach that person the way (or, path) to follow."
(from UBS Old Testament Handbook Series. Copyright © 1978-2004 by United Bible Societies. All rights reserved.)

So, the TEV translates this as a declarative sentence:

Those who have reverence for the Lordwill learn from him the path they should follow.
Ps 25:12 TEV

The Message paraphrases it to make it take the form in English of a question followed by an answer:

My question: What are God-worshipers like?Your answer: Arrows aimed at God's bull's-eye. Ps 25:12
(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

These translations or paraphrases may be helpful in untying the confusion associated with the seeming awkwardness of this verse as it is translated into English. However, I think they take the contemplative force out of the verse. The first sentence is a call to reflection. Here are three questions I find resulting from this contemplation.

I. Am I one who fears God?

The answer to the first question can be answered by examining myself in light of what has preceded up until now. Do I worship from a pure heart (v. 1)? Do I trust Him (v. 2)? Is my hope in Him alone (v. 3, 5)? Do I desire to be taught by Him (v. 4,5,9), Am I humble (v. 9)? Do I keep and obey His Word (v. 10)?

Spurgeon notes:

Psalms 25:12

What man is he that feareth the Lord? Let the question provoke self-examination. Gospel privileges are not for every pretender. Art thou of the seed royal or no?

II. What does it mean to fear the Lord?

Again, if we look back at the preceding verses, we get a picture of the activities, desires, and responses of the person who fears the LORD. The one who fears God trusts and hopes in God alone. They are humble and recognize God as the source of guidance for their life. They demonstrate that they are God-fearers by their faithful obedience to His ways. They realize their great propensity to sin and God’s even greater propensity to forgive. Finally, they make it their priority and passion to do this all for the glory of God.

In a previous portion of my journal, I quote a sermon by John Piper. In that sermon, he touches on the meaning of the fear of the Lord. This is what he said:

And what does fearing God mean? It means fearing to insult his knowledge by presuming to hide our sin. It means the reverence of humility. It means fearing to dishonor God's name by not trusting that he is a reliable guide to joy.

Link to this sermon: http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-goodness-of-god-and-the-guidance-of-sinners

VanGemeren comments:

The "fear of the LORD" is the OT concept for an inner responsiveness and willingness to learn of the Lord. The "humble" are those who continually seek his mercy, forgiveness, and instruction.

III. What are the benefits of fearing the Lord?

The benefits are manifold. The verses that follow reveal some of those benefits: a chosen way (v. 12b, goodness (v. 13), illumination and the blessings of His covenant. Do not fret over the desire to receive these benefits. God does not want cold hearted obedience, and He is not a cold-hearted master extracting His pound of flesh from His obedient servants. He delights in giving gifts and blessings to His people. As John Piper constantly says, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” To desire benefits from other sources is idolatry.

David shares the benefits of those who fear the Lord in Psalm 103, and I will finish this journal entry with it.

Ps 103

103 Praise the Lord, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits —

3 who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The Lord works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,

so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

14 for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass,

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting

the Lord 's love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children's children —

18 with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his bidding,

who obey his word.

21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,

you his servants who do his will.

22 Praise the Lord, all his works

everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, O my soul.

NIV_

Journal for Christ

Sunday, June 11, 2017

3 questions concerning fearing the Lord

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