Within your work or ministry life, when was the last time you did something out of the fear of the consequences or penalty? Maybe you are the kind of person who is always running late and find yourself straining to show up for work on time because of the fear of your pay being docked. Maybe you have been late so much that you now strain to show up in fear of losing your job.
When you have experienced this fear, do you feel it is fair and legitimate? Do you think any organization could function well without imposing the fear of penalty or consequence? Can anyone lead people well without having the authority to deliver some form of the fear of consequence or penalty? I would suggest that you and I cannot. Here is why. God designed this when He first created man.
An important note is that God instituted this form of leadership before man disobeyed and became sinful. I believe there are those who would argue it really is not God's will that we use fear and try to support that by saying God is all about love. They would say that he brought fear and consequence in response to the sin of mankind, therefore blaming man for creating the need to have it or use it. Based on that belief it would not be a legitimate tool or model. However, prior to sin and prior to even giving man a woman companion, he delivered to man a warning and consequence. "Do not eat of this tree or you will die." God designed leadership to deliver warnings and consequences. Even if man had remained obedient, the warnings and consequences would still be a valid deterrent today, ... in keeping man obedient. The fact that we continue to disobey gives total legitimacy to using warnings and consequences in leadership today.
In our scripture above, there is a reference to "holy fear". Was it holy because Noah was described as a righteous and blameless man" in Genesis 6?
Genesis 6: 9 ... Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
The reference to Noah being "blameless" was referring to how he was described by those that lived around him, ... evil people! To them he was considered blameless! It was not a reference from God to describe his sinless nature! In a similar but different way Noah's "righteousness" was not a result of him being compared to the others of his time. No! He was considered righteous by God in the same way true believers are today ... by faith, ... by believing! The point of all this being that the holy fear referred to here is simply the same holy fear we should have on a daily basis. The fear that comes from the knowledge of God.
Noah's holy fear was as much about his fear of drowning as it was about his fear of disobeying. Both were developed because of his faith and belief in God. He was fearful of drowning because he knew it was going to rain and that he needed a boat if he and his family were to live. His fear of drowning was because of his belief in God.
In the next issue, we will look closer at the application of the kind of fear Noah had and the fear we should have. In the meantime, reflect and try to answer this question.
What have you done lately because of your holy fear of the Lord?
