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Albert Barnes, condemnation, curses, discerning the spirits, exhortation, experience, freedom, God's love, joy, judging others, love, obedience, peace, spiritual blessings, spiritual power, T.A. Sparks, true faith
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Although this article springs from my own experiences with the fear of God, I did not describe here how it really feels to be struck all of a sudden by this special spirit of Him who rules the universe. If you like to read more about that, though, click here. In this entry you will rather find a definition by T. Austin Sparks’ of the fear of the Lord and some implications of what it means to truly belong to God’s people. Contrasting the evil of fear imposed on us by Satan in order to torment and paralyze us, TAS wrote regarding the fear of God,
“But this fear is a holy fear. Let no one think for a moment that this fear of the Lord is death, bondage, stultification and repression. Not at all. Wherever you find this fear of the Lord you find joy, love, peace and liberty. People are not afraid of the Lord. But they are careful not to grieve the Lord. They do not take liberties with the Lord. They do not think of spiritual liberty as spiritual licence. They do not cast off restraint, they do not ride rough-shod over all sacred things, calling it liberty. No, there is holy fear which restrains and in restraining keeps things pure and keeps things clear and makes a straight way for the Lord. The true fear of the Lord is not dread. It is a very blessed and precious thing.” (1)
If the children of God have come to know their Lord and God and have received the spirit that makes them fear Him too, they will change a lot. For example, you won’t catch them making fun about saints in the Bible by turning their failures into ridicule. Much less they will mock Jesus’ humanity in any way. Instead, this fear of the Lord is so holy that they abhor what God abhors and they love what God loves. Of course, no human being is able to feel and act accordingly on their own. But once equipped with the fear of the Lord which is quite powerful, you will quickly realize who truly knows God and who does not. And you will realize that God’s children cannot have fellowship with another person who does not fear God at all. When the Holy Spirit is grieved, they feel it immediately and suffer with God whose Spirit dwells in them, in their hearts and souls, in their spirits, and even in their bodies (cf. 1 Cor 6:19).
Furthermore, you won’t meet true Christians who keep mocking their brethren or speak evil about them. The reason is that the children of God share the same Spirit of Him who is love. Can you and I speak evil about someone whom we truly love? I don’t think so. At this point I want to deepen this last issue by pointing you to a very often misused Bible verse that says, “Do not touch the anointed one of the Lord.” I say misused since I heard that especially in charismatic circles where those preachers with a false anointing thought they were speaking for God. And if someone disagreed with them or doubted the authenticity of their ‘anointing’, they quoted that verse. However, if someone has been genuinely anointed by God Himself, it can be perilous to resist or even attack these Christians. Here’s why. T. Austin Sparks explained these things in that same article of which I took the definition above (emphasis in bold letters mine).
“If you go through the Word and you find those various instances where God came out in judgment because this fear [of the Lord] was not there, you will find that it was that those instances represented something like this. In Numbers 16 you have Dathan and Abiram and their company. What are they doing? To Moses, the meekest of men, the anointed servant of the Lord, they say, “You take too much on yourself. You are not the only one through whom the Lord speaks. We are as much the children of God as you are!” That is how they speak, and they fear not to put their hand upon that which is anointed. It is not that Moses is anything, but it is the anointing. It is something anointed of God and they were guilty of the sin of spiritual assumption; it was due to a lack of meekness. The Lord came out in terrible judgment, showing for all time that when the Lord anoints anyone or anything, that anointing is not something that constitutes that person a special office or officer. The anointing is the Lord, the Lord Himself. The Lord is on that, the Lord Himself is in that, the Lord is there, and when you touch that, you touch the Lord; you touch that in word, you touch the Lord, you touch that in deed, you touch the Lord. “He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not Mine anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm” (Psa. 105:14-15).
“If you and I ever have the slightest reason to conclude that the Lord is anywhere or with any person or with anything or with any people, we touch that to our peril if it is touching it other than in the fear of the Lord. It is a tremendous check. We read that little bit from 1 Samuel. Yes, David was anointed, David was God’s chosen one, but Saul had been anointed and Saul was not yet dead. Saul was not yet set aside finally, although potentially. David got an opportunity and cut off the skirt of Saul’s garment and then it says, “David’s heart smote him”. David’s heart smote him. We in New Testament times in whom the Spirit dwells would say, “The Lord rebuked me, smote me in my heart, in my spirit”. Again and again this comes up – exactly what happens in the case of the bringing up of the ark. When Uzzah died before the Lord, what was the reason? It was a lack of the fear of the Lord of the right kind. It was an assumption. It was a putting forth of a hand to touch holy things. That is terrible. The evil of not fearing, you see. It comes from an insufficient apprehension of the sacredness of what is of God.” (1)
I was just reminded of another Scripture that also displays how much God identifies with someone, here Abra(ha)m, whom He gives His Holy Spirit. God promises Abram, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.” (Gen 12:3 NLT) We may also think of that frightening occurrence described in Acts after Pentecost when a couple lied to the apostle Peter and dropped dead soon afterwards (Ananias and Sapphira, see Acts 5). Barnes’ exposition on Genesis chapter 12 says ,
“I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee.” Here the Lord identifies the cause of Abram with his own, and declares him to be essentially connected with the weal or woe of all who come into contact with him. “And blessed in thee shall be all the families of the ground.” The ground was cursed for the sake of Adam, who fell by transgression. But now shall the ground again participate in the blessing. “In thee.” In Abram is this blessing laid up as a treasure hid in a field to be realized in due time. “All the families” of mankind shall ultimately enter into the enjoyment of this unbounded blessing.
http://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/genesis/12.htm
From hence, we might understand that judgment (condemnation) is not ours. If we have been treated wrongly BECAUSE we belong to God, we can be sure that He will be a righteous judge of our case. However, since God is love, as Christians who share God’s Sprit we know how we ought to ‘react’ when we are cursed by others. Jesus told us how as he said,
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” (Lk 6:27-35 ESV)
In closing I want to paste a few verses from an ancient book of the Apocrypha which confirms much of what has been said (by TAS in particular). In Ecclesiasticus we read,
1:22 The fear of the Lord is a crown of wisdom, filling up peace and the fruit of salvation.
1:25 The root of wisdom is to fear the Lord: and the branches thereof are longlived.
1:26 In the treasures of wisdom is understanding, and religiousness of knowledge: but to sinners wisdom is an abomination.
1:27 The fear of the Lord driveth out sin:
1:28 For he that is without fear, cannot be justified: for the wrath of his high spirits is his ruin.
1:29 A patient man shall bear for a time, and afterwards joy shall be restored to him.
(1) http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/004826.html
“In keeping with T. Austin-Sparks’ wishes that what was freely received should be freely given and not sold for profit, and that his messages be reproduced word for word, we ask if you choose to share these messages with others, to please respect his wishes and offer them freely – free of any changes, free of any charge (except necessary distribution costs) and with this statement included.”
Entering the Promised Land 
Susanne,
This was very good. I have recently experienced the checking of the Spirit; it was a presence that I could not get away from; a weight that was pressed into my bones. I was being confronted with my uncanny ability to ease right into old patterns, and His desire for me to live from my new created self, which, as you know Susanne, is not MY doing, but His. Although it does take my choosing as to which road I will walk; the one marked flesh/ego/self-centeredness, or the one marked Spirit/love/other-focused. What an experience it has been.
When you shared the verses from Luke 6, it reminded me of what I read this morning in my Streams in the Desert devotional; a book I’ve had shelved for months and pulled down the other day for a powerful reading (March 15th) that my mom shared with me. Today’s reading started off with Mark 15:3, “He answered nothing,” and had this (an excerpt): “There is a stillness that lets God work for us, and holds our peace; the stillness that ceases from its contriving and its self-vindication, and it’s expedients of wisdom and forethought, and lets God provide and answer the cruel blow, in His own unfailing, faithful love.”
And thank you for that Sparks quote on the fear of the Lord. So very good! “People are not afraid of the Lord. But they are careful not to grieve the Lord.” That makes it quite simple.
In His wide & gracious love,
B.
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Wow!! What a beautiful and wise response, dear Becky! ❤
You’re welcome as to all I could share here. 🙂 Thank you so much for the encouragement and for sharing your own experiences on the fear of God, which was very helpful. also for others who might read it, I believe. Regarding the fear of God you wrote,
“…it was a presence that I could not get away from; a weight that was pressed into my bones. I was being confronted with my uncanny ability to ease right into old patterns, and His desire for me to live from my new created self.”
Yes and amen! I know you told the truth, Becky. It is a power, almost a force that causes us to do His will instead of ours. Just as the apostle Paul said here,
“For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16 ESV)
In His great love for you,
Susanne
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Dear Susanne and Becky,
You each have spoken to my heart about the fear of the Lord (and where I often have lacked it, sad to say). In my case, God has kept me through fear from my own foolishness in not respecting those who walk in the humility of Christ (even though they might have had a title in the church systems of men). But I have found myself speaking out against those who have these ecclesiastical titles and walked in their own pride as they lorded over the people of God and He has never rebuked me for that.
Susanne, you have brought to my attention in your article about what the difference is… PRIDE. God hates pride! Moses was the most humble man on the earth and to come against Moses was to raise the ire of God who loved him. On the other side of the coin, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble and this story of Dathan and Abiram trying to put themselves on equal standing with Moses in their pride is a perfect example of this in action. It did not go well for them. But as special as Moses was, when he rose up in his pride at the waters of Meribah and made himself equal with God before the people saying, “Must WE bring forth water for you out of this rock?” God rebuked and resisted HIM (See Due. 32:51-52). You see, it is not so much about our positions among the saints of God (who God calls His anointed – see Psalm 105:12-15 in context), for all of us who have His Spirit in us are his anointed (see 1 John 2:26-27). No, it is about pride and God will have nothing to do with it, but resist it in man while Satan spawns all manner of evil in it. Speaking lightly of these saints or even in vain jesting of God’s people who have shown themselves as His humble and faithful anointed ones is only showing our own pride and sinfulness and God will resist us in all such foolishness. How much more will He resist us when we dare to speak this way of His Son?
So, in my life God has put a fear of Him in me by warning me not to speaking out against or touch His humble saints in any harmful way (regardless of titles). He is ready and quick to come to their defense and when I have blown it in my own pride and I have felt that heavy rock settling on my heart. Jesus said, “What you have done to THE LEAST OF THESE, my brethren, you have done unto me.” This seems to be how God has taught me to fear Him. For me there is nothing more fearful than a humble child of God for God watches over them as they cast all their cares upon Him. It is better to have a millstone tied around our neck and to be cast into the depths of the sea than to offend one of His little ones.
Thank you, Susanne, for bringing this truth to our attention. Your humility is obvious to us all and you have been a tremendous blessing in my life since I met you for God has used you often to shine His light on my own darkness.
God bless and keep you always. ❤
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You’re welcome as to all what I shared on here, Michael. But I and humble? Well, God knows my heart and I know that apart from Christ I am and have nothing which is truly spiritual and of which I could boast in any way. God keeps me in a rather weak condition, esp. due to my frail health. However, when He wants me to write exhortations (which I do not like that much), He clothes me in the fear of Him so that I obey Him and ignore other people’s possible reactions and feelings.
You are right as for pride… and it rhymes at that. 😉 God always opposes our pride because that is the opposite of how Jesus’ humility should be seen in us if indeed His Spirit dwells in us. “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” (Rom 8:9 ESV) That means, someone who is not indwelt by His Spirit does not want, even cannot obey God, or is no Christian at all as John Wesley once put it. If someone claims to be anointed but keeps sinning, esp. by not loving his brethren, he is a liar and has not been born again as yet, either (cf. 1 Jn 3:6,9; 5:18).
I was just reminded of how much Christ identified with the first Christians as He revealed to Saul who would persecute them and would consent to Stephen’s execution by stoning. Here is a longer excerpt from Acts. The apostle Paul, former Saul, told king Agrippa the story of his own conversion to Jesus Christ. He said,
At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language,
‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’
And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ (Acts 26:13-18 ESV)
Michael, I do believe that everyone who claims to have Christ’s anointing must have been called AND sent by Jesus Himself as well. There are still way too many self-appointed “apostles”, “prophets”, “teachers”, “evangelists” etc., not only in churches, but also on the internet, people who do not know who our Lord really is. Much less have they been ‘known’ (loved) by Him, either.
God bless you and keep you always, too, my brother. You are a blessing! ❤
Susanne 🐱
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I think I have had this kind of fear as well as dread fear as well.
Thank you.
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You’re welcome, Fred.
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Pingback: The Fear of the Lord vs. Pride « A Wilderness Voice
Thanks, Susanne. Between you and Michael, I am seeing God working where I didn’t before.
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Wow!! That was VERY encouraging for me to read, Louise! ❤
You made my day, dear sister. Thank you so much!!! Indeed, I am always happy when someone hears God’s voice! 🙂
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You’re welcome. 🙂
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😀
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Thank you, Louise! What a blessing it is to hear that we have written words that He could use in your life. Thanks for your comment on my blog as well. You don’t write much, but I get the feeling as I read your blogs that you are one of God’s special treasures hidden in the hills of Idaho. I love your photography, too.
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