"For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,
Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread."
Isaiah 8:11-13
This puts an interesting spin on all of those scriptures that talk about fearing God. Here is it clearly presented as a superior option over fearing people, and I think that's totally right. To fear God typically means to respect him, somewhat in the way that we usually fear fire. We aren't terrified when we encounter it, but we are careful to follow the rules of interacting with fire so that we don't burn ourselves or others. Here, dread is added, but still as something superior to dread about things or events or people.
Maybe the idea here is that fear is an obsessive focus that makes us anxious, and if we are going to be obsessive or anxious about something, it should totally be about God. If we're worried about something, maybe it should be being able to be reunited with God and our loved ones after death. If we're going to have something always in the back of our minds, maybe it should be the only one who can really help us in 100% of the situations that we face.
I'm not saying, and I don't think God is saying, that he wants us to be afraid or freaked out in general. I think it is another way to say, hey--if you have a problem in your life, let me replace it. I can be the solution to *anything* that is wrong. ... And he can be. Today, let's go to him and rediscover that truth.
Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread."
Isaiah 8:11-13
This puts an interesting spin on all of those scriptures that talk about fearing God. Here is it clearly presented as a superior option over fearing people, and I think that's totally right. To fear God typically means to respect him, somewhat in the way that we usually fear fire. We aren't terrified when we encounter it, but we are careful to follow the rules of interacting with fire so that we don't burn ourselves or others. Here, dread is added, but still as something superior to dread about things or events or people.
Maybe the idea here is that fear is an obsessive focus that makes us anxious, and if we are going to be obsessive or anxious about something, it should totally be about God. If we're worried about something, maybe it should be being able to be reunited with God and our loved ones after death. If we're going to have something always in the back of our minds, maybe it should be the only one who can really help us in 100% of the situations that we face.
I'm not saying, and I don't think God is saying, that he wants us to be afraid or freaked out in general. I think it is another way to say, hey--if you have a problem in your life, let me replace it. I can be the solution to *anything* that is wrong. ... And he can be. Today, let's go to him and rediscover that truth.
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