"Fearing" God

The bible speaks a lot of "fearing" God, which, at first blush, can seem to contrast with the image of an all-loving God. In fact, I imagine the thought of a God who should be "feared" might seem off-putting to those first approaching the bible.

First, an entity that created time and space, and who also controls the destinies of all parts of existence, should be feared, because that entity is under no obligation to follow our earthly-created rules of fairness and respect. But, more importantly, "fearing" God, in the way the bible describes it, can be liberating, and entirely consistent with an all-loving God.

In Ezekiel 12:18 (KJV), God says,

Eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and with carefulness.

God has provided the Israelites (and us) with bread and water, and they (and we) must realize that those items may be taken away in an instant. With that realization, they (and we) should proceed with humble thanksgiving.

Psalm 2:11 (KJV) famously hits upon this theme, when the psalmist commands,

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

The point is, this "fear" of God is the ultimate way to humble ourselves before him. Having "fear" means that we depend on him, and only him. Viewed in that way, this "fear," rather than being restrictive or unpleasant, is actually liberating and peaceful.