The Refreshing Fear of the Lord

 Exodus 17-20; Acts 3

“Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’”

Exodus 20:20

“’Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,’”

Acts 3:19

It initially appears that Moses was contradicting himself when he called the people to not fear, but to fear God. However, the words in Hebrew are different. The fear to avoid is that which sabotages our obedience and faith in God. This fear is sin. However, the fear of God is a holy reverence of the awesome power and glory of who God is. This reverence will keep us from treating God lightly and willfully sinning.

Do we live with awareness of the presence of the Lord?

Are the pull and presence of temptation and sin greater than the presence of the Lord in our lives?

Maybe we, too, need a Mount Sinai encounter with the living God. Peter’s sermon at the temple after healing the crippled man was to repent and turn away from sin, including the religious pride of the law, so that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. The healthy fear of the Lord and his refreshing presence go together.

Is this our reality?

“Lord Jesus, I love you and honor you, for your glory.”