"Fear the Lord"

[Psalm 34:8-14]

Who is the truly happy Christian? In Deuteronomy 10:12-13, the Bible says that God commands us to keep His commandments for our happiness. One of those commandments is written in Amos 5:14-15, which commands us to hate evil and love good. However, we often do not regard evil as evil. Instead, we sometimes live in a way that satisfies our sinful nature rather than hating evil. What does the Bible say about this? The Bible says that “the fear of the Lord is to hate evil…” (Proverbs 8:13). We must live in the fear of God.

Today, I came across an article on the internet titled "The Heart that Fears God". As I read it, one thought-provoking part stood out. The article summarized that, having the heart that fears God, we should also share God's attitude towards sin—hating it as He does. It went on to explain that God does not stand as a judge who condemns and disciplines us for sin, but rather, He is the One who hurts when we sin. A couple of sentences from the article say: “After learning about God's heart, what immediately came to mind was that I truly hate and despise sin. It wasn’t just the fear of the discipline I would receive, but a genuine hatred for the sin itself that arose in me.” (Internet). Do we feel this hatred for sin? If we answer "Yes," we need to ask ourselves whether this feeling comes from realizing that God, our Father, suffers when we sin, rather than simply fearing His discipline.

Today, I want to meditate on the theme "Fear the Lord" based on the passage from Psalm 34:8-14, to learn what it truly means to fear God. I will reflect on four key points about those who fear the Lord.

First, those who fear the Lord take refuge in Him.

Let’s look at Psalm 34:8: "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him." Here, the phrase "take refuge in God" means "to trust in Him, to place all hope in Him, and to obey Him." (Park Yun-seon). In other words, those who fear the Lord are those who trust in Him, place their hope in Him alone, and obey His commands. Such people experience the goodness of God. That is, those who take refuge in God experience His goodness. Already, in Psalm 31:19, David confessed about those who fear the Lord and take refuge in Him: “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who take refuge in You, in the sight of the sons of men!” (Psalm 31:19). The great grace that God gives to those who take refuge in Him includes not only His protection (Psalm 5:11), but also the experience of His salvation, and thus His "wonderful loving-kindness" (Psalm 17:7). David experienced not only God's mercy but also His goodness.

Have you ever experienced the goodness of God? I experienced God's goodness through my process of marriage. It was through God's guidance that I met my wife, and with His great love and grace, we held our wedding ceremony and offered it to God. During that time, God gave me the verse from today’s text, Psalm 34:8. Truly, our God is a good God, and we experience that He works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Our God is indeed a good God. He is merciful and good. Therefore, we must trust God. We must place our hope only in Him, and when we obey His word, that is when we receive blessings.

How does obeying God's word bring us blessings? The one who fears God is the one who seeks refuge in Him, and the one who seeks refuge in God experiences His goodness. In order to experience God's goodness, we must trust Him, put our hope only in Him, and obey His word. This is the life that brings blessings to us.

Secondly, the one who fears God lacks nothing.

Let’s look at Psalm 34:9-10: "O fear the Lord, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing. The young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

The one who fears God not only seeks refuge in Him but also seeks Him. In dangerous situations, the one who fears God first seeks refuge in Him and then seeks God. And the one who seeks God "lacks no good thing" (v. 9). The “lion” is known to be cruel, harming and seizing what belongs to others, so it doesn’t worry about lacking. On the other hand, a "saint" who is honest and does not harm others may appear to be on the brink of starving to death (Park Yun-seon). However, the Bible says that even though young lions may go hungry, God’s saints will not suffer hunger: "I have been young, and now I am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread" (Psalm 37:25). The young lion symbolizes “self-sufficiency” in terms of physical needs (stored food). In contrast, the one who fears God does not rely on self-sufficiency. Those who fear God depend on Him for their daily needs. The one who fears God has the Lord with them. What kind of Lord is with them? The Lord, who is the Shepherd, is with those who fear God. When this happens, they, like David, can make the following confession: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1). The one who fears God and seeks the Shepherd Lord experiences His abundant provision, and therefore, the one who fears God lacks nothing. God has stored up His abundant grace for those who fear Him, and He will generously pour it out to those who seek Him (Psalm 31:19). Therefore, those who fear God and seek Him lack nothing.

Thirdly, the one who fears God receives blessings.

Please take a look at Psalm 34:12: "Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good?" What kind of blessing is being referred to here? The blessing is none other than desiring life, that is, the blessing of long life. The word "life" and "long life" mentioned here carry the same meaning as "eternal life," as clearly stated in the New Testament (J. Ridderbos, Park Yun-seon). David, in a dangerous situation, fled to God and, lacking nothing, wanted to teach his disciples (“little ones”) to fear God (v. 11). The lesson that David, as a teacher, wanted to teach his disciples was the most fundamental thing of all, the meaning of life. It was precisely ‘desiring life,’ ‘desiring longevity,’ that is, ‘wanting to receive blessings’ (v. 12). David, who was already enjoying this blessing, wanted his disciples to also enjoy the satisfaction of living a meaningful life.

In his teaching, David taught them the way to desire the blessings of life, and that way is to discern God’s purpose and live according to that purpose, in an appropriate and righteous manner. To live in accordance with God’s purpose means to glorify God, to fear Him, to praise Him, and to seek His help (vv. 1-7). Furthermore, in order to live in an appropriate and righteous manner according to God’s purpose, David gives two pieces of advice (vv. 13-14): (1) We must restrain our tongue and keep our lips from speaking deceit (v. 13), (2) We must depart from evil, do good, and seek peace (v. 14). By fearing God, we live a life of praise to Him and seeking His help, thereby bringing glory to God. We must control our tongues, depart from evil, and do good to enjoy the eternal blessings that God offers us.

Finally, in the fourth place, those who fear God forsake evil and do good.

Look at Psalm 34:14: "Depart from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." This verse is one of the answers to the question in verse 12, “Who is the one who desires to receive blessings?” That is, the person who desires life and longevity and wishes to be blessed must fear God, forsake evil, and do good. Look at Proverbs 8:13: "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil..." Those who fear God and depart from evil are wise (Prov. 14:16). David says that those who fear God, passively, depart from evil, and actively, do good (Psalm 34:14). The phrase “do good” here means “seeking peace and pursuing it.”

What is the way to seek and pursue peace? The answer can be found in Psalm 34:13: "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit." This means we should stay away from sins that harm others through our words, such as cursing, slander, flattery, gossip, spreading falsehoods, etc. (Park Yun-seon). In the community of the church, to seek and pursue peace, we must control our tongues. If we do not exercise self-control, the peace of the church will be broken. The reason for this is that the tongue, when misused, is "an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8).

The one who fears God is a happy person. He experiences the goodness of God by taking refuge in Him. He also receives and enjoys the great grace that God has stored up for him. Not only does he receive God’s protection and salvation, but he also experiences God’s marvelous love. He trusts in God and, in hope, obeys His commandments, thus gaining strength. Since the Lord, as his Shepherd, is with him, the one who fears God lacks nothing. He forsakes evil, does good, and pursues peace. Therefore, he guards his tongue from evil. The one who fears God is truly a happy person.

Being strengthened as a happy child of God,

Pastor James Sharing
(While seeking the wisdom that fears God)