"Fearing" God?

The bible frequently uses the word "fear" as something we should aspire to. For example, Proverbs 28:14 (KJV) reads

Happy is the man that feareth alway.

And Psalm 2:11 (KJV) directs us to

Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

But "fear" as a desirable mindset stands in sharp contrast to the values of modern society, where "bravery" and "courage" are considerable noble attributes. Moreover, we are to "love" God, but how does "fear" fit into a concept of love?

There are two reasons for us to "fear." First, fear offers a strong sign of our humility, and, as James 4:6 (KJV) states,

God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Second, and more importantly, we should accept how fragile our salvation really is, and we should legitimately fear the alternative to that salvation. As 1 Peter 4:18 (KJV) puts it,

If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

This passage in 1 Peter helps me reconcile the love-of-God/fear-of-God juxtaposition. We should definitely love him and praise him, because he has placed us just barely on this right side of salvation through no effort on our own part, but rather just because he loves us. And we should genuinely fear what would happen were that love to disappear.

Moses leaving Sinai

In Exodus 33, God commands Moses and the Israelites to leave Sinai. God promises victory against the inhabitants of the promise land, but he also expresses severe displeasure with the Israelites as a stubborn and "stiffnecked people."

But the same chapter also records a remarkable back-and-forth between Moses and God, and their exchange serves as a useful template for how we should interact with God through prayer. That exchange, appearing in verses 13 and 14 (KJV), starts with Moses praying,

If I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee.

To which God responds,

My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

Nothing complicated here. Moses asks for grace and guidance, and God responds favorably. Let us find the strength to pray as Moses did, and the faith to believe that God's response to us will be similar.

Remembering our sins

The books of Kings and Chronicles run through a list of kings of ancient Judah and Israel, along with descriptions of their reigns. In addition, those books usually provide a note of the kings' characters. For example, 2 Chronicles‬ ‭36:9‬ ‭(KJV‬‬) reads,

Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.

To me, the most jarring part of this passage is that Jehoiachin was only eight years old! How can an eight-year-old commit acts that are "evil"? And, moreover, he managed to commit those "evil" acts in only three months of rule!

How many of us can remember our sins from age eight? For that matter, can we recount our less-than-holy actions from even a month ago? Are we really held to account for sins we can't remember? David seemed to lament this very point (Psalm 40:12, KJV),

Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me ... they are more than the hairs of mine head.

So what to do? Yes, we will be held to account for all sins, but trying to form a lengthy list of them is likely a losing endeavor. Instead, we look to the cross and confess that our entire being tends toward sinful desires and actions. Something like Psalm 32:5 (KJV),

I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

Journey to the Promised Land

Deuteronomy 11 contains a wonderful promise from God. In verses 18-25 (KJV), God says,

...lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul ... that your days may be multiplied ... in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them... For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you ... then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you ... every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours ... There shall no man be able to stand before you...

As with many parts of the bible, those words appear to contain dual meanings, one immediate and the other more shadowy and distant.

As for the immediate, God was promising the Israelites that they would soon come into possession of the land promised to Abraham. And, of course, the subsequent historical books of the bible bear record of that.

But those historical books also record many trials and tribulations for the Israelites even after they come into possession of the land. So it would seem that God's promises were never fully fulfilled. That brings us to the more distance meaning behind those promises. The "Promised Land" appears also to apply to the end point of our earthly journey, and to that end, God's promises apply to all of us, even today.

Most pertinent to us: We should view our earthly journey as analogous to the Israelites roaming through the desert for 40 years. We seek our "Promised Land" that has been promised.

Prayer of the "elders" in Revelation

Following the letters to the seven churches, the book of Revelation turns to a vision of a throne set in heaven. God sits on throne, surrounded by four beasts and 24 elders. The beasts are similar to creatures seen in visions in the Old Testament, especially Ezekiel. Meanwhile, the 24 elders seem to represent all of Judaism (12 tribes) and non-Judaism (12 apostles).

All symbolism aside -- which, admittedly, is tough! -- the end of chapter 4 has the 24 elders praying to God, in a powerfully-simple display of praise. The prayer is short, and, therefore, easy to memorize. It reads (Revelation 4:11, KJV),

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. 

"One Year Bible" reading plan

The start of the calendar year seems like an opportune time to begin a daily bible reading plan. One of my favorites is the One Year Bible. The plan takes you through the entire bible, with each day including a reading from (1) the Old Testament, (2) the New Testament, (3) Proverbs, and (4) Psalms. (The plan actually cycles through Psalms twice over the course of the calendar year.)

Each of those four segments proceeds through the bible "in order," meaning from beginning to end in the bible's modern format. Although that might seem a bit mechanical, I find that, by simultaneously emphasizing both the Old and New Testaments, the plan does a remarkable job of bringing the entire bible into harmony.

Publishers have release printed and e-book versions of the One Year Bible, but it is not necessary to purchase those. Rather, one can use the website itself as a guide of what to read, and when to read it.

(The being the 8th of January, I meant to post this a few days ago, but it's not too late to get started!)