The Fear of the Lord

[Interlude: Shai Linne]
"Proverbs 1:7 says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge
What exactly is the fear of the Lord?
When you think fear, what comes to mind?
Well, when it comes to fearing God
You shouldn't think fear
In the same way a person fears snakes
Or heights
Or the mafia
Nah, the idea is more
What you think as you're staring
Out into the vastness of the ocean
Or standing on the precipice
Of the Grand Canyon
To fear the Lord is to stand in awe
Before the reality of God
Therein lies the problem
In this sin-infected world we live in
The fear of the Lord is the exception
Not the rule
Scripture teaches that the fear of the Lord
Is hatred of evil and
That it's by the fear of the Lord
That one turns away from evil
But it says in Romans 3:10
“None is righteous, No, not one, No one understands;
No one seeks for God. All have turned aside;
Together they have become worthless; No one does good, not even one.”
Then it goes on to say in verse 15
“Their feet are swift to shed blood
In their paths are ruin and misery
And the way of peace they have not known."
And what's the reason for that?
What's the source of all the violence and evil?
Verse 18
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
So all evil in this world
Can be traced back to not fearing the Lord
And if the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life
Then not fearing the Lord
Must lead to death
And that's where we all stand
In the prophet Isaiah chapter 11
We find a prophecy about a Savior to come
And it says in verse 3 that His delight
Shall be in the fear of the Lord
That savior is none other than Jesus Christ
Who lived a life of perfect obedience to God's law
Jesus feared God perfectly
And He died on the cross
And rose from the grave
To save His people from their sins
So that all who trust Him
Can joyfully walk
In the fear of the Lord
Forever