MALACHI 2:5

“‘My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and was in awe of My name.’”

There have only been a few times in my life when I was truly fearful. One of those times was on a very wet, muddy road up a mountain in Kenya. Another time was when I faced my first stem cell transplant. During both of those times I did not doubt the Lord or His presence, but for a fleeting second or two I began to rely on my own strength and not His.

The Lord reminds the priests that His covenant with Levi (specifically Aaron) was “one of life and peace.” It was everlasting. Then the Lord uses three different words that could be translated as “fear.” “Reverence” is mora which refers to a deed that should be feared. “Revered” is yare which means to be afraid, to hold in awe. And finally, “awe” is chathath, which gives us the picture of being prostrate on the ground. Do you think the Lord meant to say something about fear here?

APPLICATION

Fear still applies to us as believers, but not in a scary kind of way. No, our fear of the Lord rests in the love of Christ. Listen to these words in Isaiah 8:13. “Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself, and let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread.” Proverbs 13:13 says, “He who feareth the Lord will be rewarded.” And I love Ecclesiasticus 1:11. “The fear of the Lord is honor and glory and gladness and a crown of rejoicing.”

What is your fear based in? Do you fear life and all the uncertainties it brings, or do you fear the Lord and trust His protection and guidance? When we have that spiritually healthy fear of the Lord, we are able to rest in His goodness. If things are not going the way we want them to, we can still reverence Him and fear His name.

God does not want us to be scared of Him. That is not the kind of fear He is talking about. But He does want us to have a high regard for Him and His commands. He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to believe He will do what He says. Do you fear Him that way? Try it this week. As you pray, tell Him how much you honor and trust Him. Then let your reverence build.

Father, I fear Your name and hold You in the highest reverence and praise.