Exodus 20:20
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
There is a tendency in our modern, casual culture to think of God as a kindly father and friend. He is certainly that, but He is also much more. He still is a powerful, awesome God that none of us can approach as an equal. Thus the Bible speaks approvingly of "the fear of the Lord", for we are the creature in comparison to the Creator. What is interesting about this passage is the idea that the fear of the Lord may help us to not sin (verse 20). Frankly, we often sin because we think we can get away with it. We think that our private actions are not seen and thus have no consequences. But the truth is that we have a God who sees everything we do. We can't hide any sins from Him. At the same time, we have a God who hates sin. So why doesn't that stop us from sinning? One problem may be that we don't believe God is really watching us. We try to pretend that God doesn't really see this part of us, but Israel had any such pretensions shattered by the visible signs of God's power and presence in the desert. Verse 20 says that it is when the fear of the Lord is "before you" that we do not sin. Would you masturbate if Jesus was literally in the room with you? Probably not. But isn't He always in the room with us?
God, You are an all-powerful God, yet I confess to not fearing or even thinking of You at times. Help me to keep You "before me" and in my thoughts at all times.
20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.”
There is a tendency in our modern, casual culture to think of God as a kindly father and friend. He is certainly that, but He is also much more. He still is a powerful, awesome God that none of us can approach as an equal. Thus the Bible speaks approvingly of "the fear of the Lord", for we are the creature in comparison to the Creator. What is interesting about this passage is the idea that the fear of the Lord may help us to not sin (verse 20). Frankly, we often sin because we think we can get away with it. We think that our private actions are not seen and thus have no consequences. But the truth is that we have a God who sees everything we do. We can't hide any sins from Him. At the same time, we have a God who hates sin. So why doesn't that stop us from sinning? One problem may be that we don't believe God is really watching us. We try to pretend that God doesn't really see this part of us, but Israel had any such pretensions shattered by the visible signs of God's power and presence in the desert. Verse 20 says that it is when the fear of the Lord is "before you" that we do not sin. Would you masturbate if Jesus was literally in the room with you? Probably not. But isn't He always in the room with us?
God, You are an all-powerful God, yet I confess to not fearing or even thinking of You at times. Help me to keep You "before me" and in my thoughts at all times.