MY SHORT REPORT PSALMS 126 - PROVERBS 9
The link that brought you to this page and the page title are a bit of a misnomer, because this short report is not long enough to cover so many chapters of the Bible. What the link and the title do, however, is track where we are in our plan to read through the entire Bible in 1 year. May each report pique your interest and help you to draw near to God. The Bible, James 4:8, tells us if we do so God will draw near to us. Works cited are at the end of the report. Internal links provide additional information.
BIBLE READING—WEEK 28—PSALM 126 – PROVERBS 9: Last week’s Short Report beheld the Law of God by way of the 119th Psalm. This week’s Short Report provides an overview of the book of Proverbs and highlights Proverbs 1-9, especially some key words like “understanding” and “learning” and the key phrase “the fear of the Lord.”
That King Solomon wrote over 4000 songs and proverbs (1 Kings 4:31-32) speaks well of his wisdom and insight; that the Bible holds less than 900 of his proverbs and only 2 of Solomon psalms provides us with some insight about God’s selectivity while He authored and organized the Bible to provide the information we need for salvation and to live a God-pleasing life.
The reader is told, in Halley’s Bible Handbook, that the book of Proverbs like the Pentateuch and Psalms before it is divided into five books. The first two sections, chapters 1-9 and 10-24 are attributed only to King Solomon. The third part, chapters 24-29, also have Solomon’s name on them but were collected by Hezekiah. The fourth division, chapter 30, are the proverbs of Agur. Finally, the proverbs of Lemuel comprise the fifth section—chapter 31 (Halley, 269).
In The Books of the Old Testament Stuenkel tells his readers, “there are 935 proverbs in this book, not all written by Solomon but all inspired by the Holy Spirit.” He continues, “Wisdom is more than the opposite of ignorance; it is rather the opposite of foolishness and is the key to God’s divine plan behind the whole creation, Prov. 30:3-5” (p. 55).
Of course, God’s plan is centered around Christ Jesus so it is not surprising to have Stuenkel compare Wisdom to Jesus. He says, “The great power and real beauty of Proverbs are found in grasping the true meaning of ‘wisdom’ by realizing that Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, John 1:1-18, is Personal Wisdom … and the Foundation of all true wisdom” (p. 56).
Ehlke agrees with Stuenkel. In Proverbs – People’s Bible Commentary he says, “Biblical wisdom finds its highest fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is the very wisdom of God. Only the Gospel of Christ can work a true change of heart and make us ‘wise for salvation’ (2 Timothy 3:15)” (p. 4).
In Prepare the Way of the Lord Lessing provides his readers with a good overview of Christ in the book of Proverbs saying, “Several [passages] speak of God’s Wisdom in terms that point to the second person of the Trinity and have been understood since the earliest Christian writers.” He explains that even though Proverbs often personifies Wisdom as a woman, verses like 3:19-20 show Wisdom to be “the instrument through which Yahweh created the world.” He adds that the subject is further established in chapter 8 where “Wisdom is divine,” for example, because “she empowers kings to rule (Prov 8:15-16)” (p. 324).
Lessing further explains the importance the book of Proverbs from the Masoretic Text, “the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text” (Wikipedia), had in developing the Creeds, especially the Nicene Creed, and the correcting the Septuagint, a Koine Greek translation of the O.T. that came to us from Egypt in the 3rd and 2nd century B.C. (Wikipedia). A mistranslation of Proverb 8:22 which read, “The LORD created me…” in the Septuagint led Arian to falsely teach that Christ was not one substance with the Father (p. 325). The Septuagint also rearranged some of the proverbs and omitted the names of Hezekiah, Agur and Lemuel in an apparent attempt to elevate Solomon (p. 323).
Stuenkel also provides information about 7 synonyms for wisdom found in Proverbs, which I placed into the list below (pp. 55-56).
1) Understanding—the ability to comprehend
2) Knowledge—ability to differentiate principles and premises
3) Learning—process of development
4) Discernment—distinguishing results and influences
5) Discretion—exercising moderation
6) Prudence—virtue of saying and doing the right at the right time
7) Fear of the Lord—awe of majestic but loving God
In Proverbs first 9 chapters Understanding occurs 9 times. Although, when couched together with understand and understands the total rises to 15. One famous occurrence is found in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” No matter how wise you have become it is not enough—you still need God! This is true of any subject. Anything we lean on or trust in more than God is an idol. If you have much gold, strength, power, friends, crops, sheep, cattle, ships, or trucks, you still need God!
Ehlke explains it this way: “To trust in Him is to commit our lives entirely to Him. … To do this we have to be confident that God isn’t going to pull away and let us fall flat on our faces.” He also explains that we gain that trust by knowing who God is “through His self-revelation, the Bible” (p. 34). Reading the Bible is a big part of the Learning processes we need for continued growth. Reading the Bible and prayer can be accomplished in groups, but should also be done alone—one on one with God—where a personal relationship is built.
Knowledge is found 13 times in the first 9 chapters of Proverbs, 3 of those times it is coupled together with the fear of the Lord (1:7, 29; 9:10), and for good reason, because knowledge of God comes from God. Proverbs 2:6 states, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Consequently, having knowledge of God is a type of wisdom, and it is “the fool [who] says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalms 14:1). How appropriate, then, for there to be a beatitude associated with knowledge of God: Proverbs 3:13 says, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding.”
There is an important distinction to be made when speaking about having understanding—being wise—or foolish in a Biblical sense. In the Bible, wise people know God and His precepts, and obey Him. In contrast, foolish people disrespect God, His Law, and His people. Speaking on this subject Ehlke says, “The wisdom God offers does not have to do with one’s mental capacity. It is a spiritual matter. It involves what we believe and how we live, not simply how much information we can cram into our heads” (p. 72).
Learning is only found four times (including twice as learn). Remember that Stuenkel calls it a “process of development.” Certainly development—learning for personal and spiritual growth—should be important to the Christian walk, so we do not become lukewarm or even cold in our faith. In Revelation Jesus admonishes the Church in Laodicea: “Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:16-17).
In the Concordia Popular Commentary: Revelation Brighton tells his readers that the sin of the church of Laodicea was apathy and adds, “The works the Christians were producing from such an attitude demonstrated neither anger nor enthusiasm toward God” (p. 67). Clearly, Christians need to be have a certain level of passion, the more the better, to be engaged in their personal and spiritual development in their walk with Christ.
Proverbs 1:5 and 9:9 both use the phrase “increase in learning.” Increase is always the goal, not for the sake of increase. Rather, we want growth or increase so we may be better servants. Consider the “Parable of the Talents” in Matthew 25. The servants that produced increase were rewarded for their good work, while the worthless servant was cast out.
This Short Report is far too brief to properly cover the fear of the LORD, because the subject could fill a book. However, it is a part of this week’s Bible reading and must receive some commentary for that reason alone.
First, the term the fear of the LORD appears 30 times from 1 Samuel 11 to Acts 9, but mostly in the Old Testament books of wisdom. In Proverbs alone it appears 14 times. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
If my only understanding of the term came from Proverbs – People’s Bible Commentary I would be convinced that the fear of the LORD is only “godly reverence.” Indeed, there I’m also told “it is not terror. In fact, the fear of the Lord delivers us from fear!” Solomon’s father, David, described it in Psalms 34:4, 7, 9 …” (Ehlke, 15). After the verse numbers the verses are quoted as proof, because anyone can look them up for comparison, I don’t use the space here.
In many way I agree with Ehlke, and I agree completely that the children of God need not be struck by a death-like terror of God. And I can support that position with verses like 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear…” and 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear,” but I know there is much more to say on the topic.
Before turning to the Bible for more answers, I will provide a much wider view of the term from another commentary. Also speaking on the topic from Proverbs 1:7 the Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary tells its readers:
“Reverential ‘fear’ (GK 3711) of the Lord is the prerequisite of knowledge. This term can describe dread (Dt 1:29), being terrified (Jnh 1:10), standing in awe (1Ki 3:28), or having reverence (Lev 19:3). With the Lord as the object this word captures both aspects of shrinking back in fear and of drawing close in awe. It is not a trembling dread that paralyzes action, but neither is it a polite reverence. ‘The fear of the Lord’ ultimately expresses reverential submission to the Lord’s will and thus characterizes a true worshiper” (Barker, 941).
If I only had the two choices, between “godly reverence” or “reverential submission to the Lord’s will” I pick the latter, and still believe it is good to put a little real fear into the mix from time to time.
Consider what God says to His chosen people in Jeremiah 5:22, “Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.” No matter how loose some theologians define “fear Me” how do they explain “tremble before Me?” Clearly, as the Lord is defining it, tremble is an act of fear! Not simple reverence.
I would not call this the typical situation, but one that arose because Israel was only paying God lip service. When I look around this nation and world I see the same condition today—people saying they are Christian, but they live a completely different lifestyle—they say one thing with their lips and another with their heart—they do not fear God, nor His awesome power.
When I turn to Jeremiah/Lamentations – Peoples Bible Commentary for an explanation of Jeremiah 5:22 I find nothing that helps expound God’s questions. Instead, Jeremiah 5:18-31 are lumped together and treated as a block of text. The 3 paragraphs that “explain” these verses avoid the subject of fear and trembling. The closest they come is pointing to the problem, “The people of Judah were willing to believe any reason for their trouble except the real one—their sin” (Gosdeck, 41).
Oddly, the Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary only talks about the sea and the sand (Barker, 1169). While they focus on the literary device that speaks of God’s great power, they void fear and trembling.
To its credit, the Eerdmans Bible Commentary ties the two parts of Jeremiah 5:22 together, “If the sea is feared—and who does not fear it—is not He to be feared?” (Guthrie, 632) Good answer! How could the other commentaries gloss-over such an important verse?
Another verse to consider is Psalm 96:9, “Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!” More than just the people of God, who belong to Him, the whole earth belongs to Him—and should tremble!
Psalms 2 - Peoples Bible Commentary comments on the praising part, but avoids the trembling part of Psalm 96:9, “Only the Lord deserves praise” (Burg, 101). The Eerdmans Bible Commentary also appears to be blind to the trembling while clearly seeing the praise and worship section of the verse using the words “homage, praise, offering, prayer” when “explaining” the verse (Guthrie, 512). The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary just barely touches the subject of trembling by equating it to submission, so it appears, “The Lord expects reverence, submission, holiness, and awe of his divine majesty and presence” (Barker, 895).
While there are other verses to look at, lastly, for this report, we must consider Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Going off-subject a bit, I must comment on work out your salvation; Paul is not talking about working for salvation, which is a free gift from God by His grace received through faith (Ephesians 2:8), he is talking about the growth process after we are saved, where God helps us to live holy lives. Looking in the People’s Bible Commentary, Kuschel tells his readers, “Especially in Paul’s writings, the term obedience is sometimes use as a synonym for faith. Here it no doubt includes both faith and living the kind of lives that result from faith, that conduct ‘Worthy of the Gospel’” [Philippians 1:27] (pp. 53-54). This type of work of obedience is a work, or fruit, of the Spirit. At that point Paul says to do so with “fear and trembling.”
Where is this “fear and trembling” to be done if not before the Lord? Should we “fear and tremble” before the world, other Christians, the church, our pastor? Of course not. In Matthew 10:28 Jesus is talking to His disciples when He says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Of the 3 commentaries I’ve been using, 2 of them stop to consider the impression the words “fear and trembling” may have on the believer in a head-on way, but Kuschel takes a longer approach. He goes to great length to explain Paul’s meaning of work. At one point, however, Kuschel clarifies “fear and trembling” from a practical application perspective when he says, “They [Christians working out their salvation] must fear and tremble at the thought of their own weakness and at the possibility that they, by spiritual laziness or carelessness, may foolishly throw their spiritual treasures away” (pp. 55-56). Some may argue this type of fear and trembling is manufactured of and directed towards self, but these feelings could not exist if first we were not made alive in Christ, and therefore in a position to view ourselves in the light of working out our salvation as we draw close to God (James 4:8).
Although it first speaks of Christian joy, in responding to “fear and Trembling” in Philippians 2:12 the Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary makes a good point and even uses James as supporting Scripture, it says, “’With fear and trembling’ does not contradict the joyful spirit permeating this letter. Christian joy is the experience of every believer in God’s will, but holy fear of God that trembles at the thought of sin is also the attribute of the careful Christian (Jas 4:8-10)” (Barker, Vol 2, 799).
The Eerdmans Bible Commentary goes straight to the heart of the matter in its commentary on Philippians 2:12 saying, “The example of Jesus Christ is not only one of humility; it is also one of obedience (v. 8). To such obedience—irrespective of whether or not Paul is with them (cf. 1:27)—the Philippians are called. Christ is Example, but supremely He is Giver of salvation. Yet that salvation is not to be accepted complacently but worked out in life in a spirit of reverence and fear by men that know that they live in His holy sight and must give account to Him” (Guthrie, 1133).
In conclusion, this Short Report gave an overview of Proverbs and looked at some key words, and shifted into high gear to dig into the deeper meaning of the “fear of the Lord.” In many ways the believer is put at ease around God. We are encouraged to call Him Father (Matthew 6:9), Jesus calls us friend (John 15:15), and nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). But there is another side of God that calls us to account (Romans 14:12) and encourages us to both avoid our sinful nature (Galatians 5:13) and become servants of righteous (Romans 6:18).
Water will always find its own level. If a surface is not even, water will race downhill. For each of us, our faith must find its own level. Unlike water our faith can move us upward. The fear of the Lord is much more than respect or reverence for God, it should prompt us to shun evil and move us even further in an upward direction by way of a desire to obey His holy will for our lives.
That King Solomon wrote over 4000 songs and proverbs (1 Kings 4:31-32) speaks well of his wisdom and insight; that the Bible holds less than 900 of his proverbs and only 2 of Solomon psalms provides us with some insight about God’s selectivity while He authored and organized the Bible to provide the information we need for salvation and to live a God-pleasing life.
The reader is told, in Halley’s Bible Handbook, that the book of Proverbs like the Pentateuch and Psalms before it is divided into five books. The first two sections, chapters 1-9 and 10-24 are attributed only to King Solomon. The third part, chapters 24-29, also have Solomon’s name on them but were collected by Hezekiah. The fourth division, chapter 30, are the proverbs of Agur. Finally, the proverbs of Lemuel comprise the fifth section—chapter 31 (Halley, 269).
In The Books of the Old Testament Stuenkel tells his readers, “there are 935 proverbs in this book, not all written by Solomon but all inspired by the Holy Spirit.” He continues, “Wisdom is more than the opposite of ignorance; it is rather the opposite of foolishness and is the key to God’s divine plan behind the whole creation, Prov. 30:3-5” (p. 55).
Of course, God’s plan is centered around Christ Jesus so it is not surprising to have Stuenkel compare Wisdom to Jesus. He says, “The great power and real beauty of Proverbs are found in grasping the true meaning of ‘wisdom’ by realizing that Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, John 1:1-18, is Personal Wisdom … and the Foundation of all true wisdom” (p. 56).
Ehlke agrees with Stuenkel. In Proverbs – People’s Bible Commentary he says, “Biblical wisdom finds its highest fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who is the very wisdom of God. Only the Gospel of Christ can work a true change of heart and make us ‘wise for salvation’ (2 Timothy 3:15)” (p. 4).
In Prepare the Way of the Lord Lessing provides his readers with a good overview of Christ in the book of Proverbs saying, “Several [passages] speak of God’s Wisdom in terms that point to the second person of the Trinity and have been understood since the earliest Christian writers.” He explains that even though Proverbs often personifies Wisdom as a woman, verses like 3:19-20 show Wisdom to be “the instrument through which Yahweh created the world.” He adds that the subject is further established in chapter 8 where “Wisdom is divine,” for example, because “she empowers kings to rule (Prov 8:15-16)” (p. 324).
Lessing further explains the importance the book of Proverbs from the Masoretic Text, “the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text” (Wikipedia), had in developing the Creeds, especially the Nicene Creed, and the correcting the Septuagint, a Koine Greek translation of the O.T. that came to us from Egypt in the 3rd and 2nd century B.C. (Wikipedia). A mistranslation of Proverb 8:22 which read, “The LORD created me…” in the Septuagint led Arian to falsely teach that Christ was not one substance with the Father (p. 325). The Septuagint also rearranged some of the proverbs and omitted the names of Hezekiah, Agur and Lemuel in an apparent attempt to elevate Solomon (p. 323).
Stuenkel also provides information about 7 synonyms for wisdom found in Proverbs, which I placed into the list below (pp. 55-56).
1) Understanding—the ability to comprehend
2) Knowledge—ability to differentiate principles and premises
3) Learning—process of development
4) Discernment—distinguishing results and influences
5) Discretion—exercising moderation
6) Prudence—virtue of saying and doing the right at the right time
7) Fear of the Lord—awe of majestic but loving God
In Proverbs first 9 chapters Understanding occurs 9 times. Although, when couched together with understand and understands the total rises to 15. One famous occurrence is found in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” No matter how wise you have become it is not enough—you still need God! This is true of any subject. Anything we lean on or trust in more than God is an idol. If you have much gold, strength, power, friends, crops, sheep, cattle, ships, or trucks, you still need God!
Ehlke explains it this way: “To trust in Him is to commit our lives entirely to Him. … To do this we have to be confident that God isn’t going to pull away and let us fall flat on our faces.” He also explains that we gain that trust by knowing who God is “through His self-revelation, the Bible” (p. 34). Reading the Bible is a big part of the Learning processes we need for continued growth. Reading the Bible and prayer can be accomplished in groups, but should also be done alone—one on one with God—where a personal relationship is built.
Knowledge is found 13 times in the first 9 chapters of Proverbs, 3 of those times it is coupled together with the fear of the Lord (1:7, 29; 9:10), and for good reason, because knowledge of God comes from God. Proverbs 2:6 states, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” Consequently, having knowledge of God is a type of wisdom, and it is “the fool [who] says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalms 14:1). How appropriate, then, for there to be a beatitude associated with knowledge of God: Proverbs 3:13 says, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding.”
There is an important distinction to be made when speaking about having understanding—being wise—or foolish in a Biblical sense. In the Bible, wise people know God and His precepts, and obey Him. In contrast, foolish people disrespect God, His Law, and His people. Speaking on this subject Ehlke says, “The wisdom God offers does not have to do with one’s mental capacity. It is a spiritual matter. It involves what we believe and how we live, not simply how much information we can cram into our heads” (p. 72).
Learning is only found four times (including twice as learn). Remember that Stuenkel calls it a “process of development.” Certainly development—learning for personal and spiritual growth—should be important to the Christian walk, so we do not become lukewarm or even cold in our faith. In Revelation Jesus admonishes the Church in Laodicea: “Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:16-17).
In the Concordia Popular Commentary: Revelation Brighton tells his readers that the sin of the church of Laodicea was apathy and adds, “The works the Christians were producing from such an attitude demonstrated neither anger nor enthusiasm toward God” (p. 67). Clearly, Christians need to be have a certain level of passion, the more the better, to be engaged in their personal and spiritual development in their walk with Christ.
Proverbs 1:5 and 9:9 both use the phrase “increase in learning.” Increase is always the goal, not for the sake of increase. Rather, we want growth or increase so we may be better servants. Consider the “Parable of the Talents” in Matthew 25. The servants that produced increase were rewarded for their good work, while the worthless servant was cast out.
This Short Report is far too brief to properly cover the fear of the LORD, because the subject could fill a book. However, it is a part of this week’s Bible reading and must receive some commentary for that reason alone.
First, the term the fear of the LORD appears 30 times from 1 Samuel 11 to Acts 9, but mostly in the Old Testament books of wisdom. In Proverbs alone it appears 14 times. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
If my only understanding of the term came from Proverbs – People’s Bible Commentary I would be convinced that the fear of the LORD is only “godly reverence.” Indeed, there I’m also told “it is not terror. In fact, the fear of the Lord delivers us from fear!” Solomon’s father, David, described it in Psalms 34:4, 7, 9 …” (Ehlke, 15). After the verse numbers the verses are quoted as proof, because anyone can look them up for comparison, I don’t use the space here.
In many way I agree with Ehlke, and I agree completely that the children of God need not be struck by a death-like terror of God. And I can support that position with verses like 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God gave us a spirit not of fear…” and 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear,” but I know there is much more to say on the topic.
Before turning to the Bible for more answers, I will provide a much wider view of the term from another commentary. Also speaking on the topic from Proverbs 1:7 the Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary tells its readers:
“Reverential ‘fear’ (GK 3711) of the Lord is the prerequisite of knowledge. This term can describe dread (Dt 1:29), being terrified (Jnh 1:10), standing in awe (1Ki 3:28), or having reverence (Lev 19:3). With the Lord as the object this word captures both aspects of shrinking back in fear and of drawing close in awe. It is not a trembling dread that paralyzes action, but neither is it a polite reverence. ‘The fear of the Lord’ ultimately expresses reverential submission to the Lord’s will and thus characterizes a true worshiper” (Barker, 941).
If I only had the two choices, between “godly reverence” or “reverential submission to the Lord’s will” I pick the latter, and still believe it is good to put a little real fear into the mix from time to time.
Consider what God says to His chosen people in Jeremiah 5:22, “Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.” No matter how loose some theologians define “fear Me” how do they explain “tremble before Me?” Clearly, as the Lord is defining it, tremble is an act of fear! Not simple reverence.
I would not call this the typical situation, but one that arose because Israel was only paying God lip service. When I look around this nation and world I see the same condition today—people saying they are Christian, but they live a completely different lifestyle—they say one thing with their lips and another with their heart—they do not fear God, nor His awesome power.
When I turn to Jeremiah/Lamentations – Peoples Bible Commentary for an explanation of Jeremiah 5:22 I find nothing that helps expound God’s questions. Instead, Jeremiah 5:18-31 are lumped together and treated as a block of text. The 3 paragraphs that “explain” these verses avoid the subject of fear and trembling. The closest they come is pointing to the problem, “The people of Judah were willing to believe any reason for their trouble except the real one—their sin” (Gosdeck, 41).
Oddly, the Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary only talks about the sea and the sand (Barker, 1169). While they focus on the literary device that speaks of God’s great power, they void fear and trembling.
To its credit, the Eerdmans Bible Commentary ties the two parts of Jeremiah 5:22 together, “If the sea is feared—and who does not fear it—is not He to be feared?” (Guthrie, 632) Good answer! How could the other commentaries gloss-over such an important verse?
Another verse to consider is Psalm 96:9, “Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!” More than just the people of God, who belong to Him, the whole earth belongs to Him—and should tremble!
Psalms 2 - Peoples Bible Commentary comments on the praising part, but avoids the trembling part of Psalm 96:9, “Only the Lord deserves praise” (Burg, 101). The Eerdmans Bible Commentary also appears to be blind to the trembling while clearly seeing the praise and worship section of the verse using the words “homage, praise, offering, prayer” when “explaining” the verse (Guthrie, 512). The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary just barely touches the subject of trembling by equating it to submission, so it appears, “The Lord expects reverence, submission, holiness, and awe of his divine majesty and presence” (Barker, 895).
While there are other verses to look at, lastly, for this report, we must consider Philippians 2:12, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Going off-subject a bit, I must comment on work out your salvation; Paul is not talking about working for salvation, which is a free gift from God by His grace received through faith (Ephesians 2:8), he is talking about the growth process after we are saved, where God helps us to live holy lives. Looking in the People’s Bible Commentary, Kuschel tells his readers, “Especially in Paul’s writings, the term obedience is sometimes use as a synonym for faith. Here it no doubt includes both faith and living the kind of lives that result from faith, that conduct ‘Worthy of the Gospel’” [Philippians 1:27] (pp. 53-54). This type of work of obedience is a work, or fruit, of the Spirit. At that point Paul says to do so with “fear and trembling.”
Where is this “fear and trembling” to be done if not before the Lord? Should we “fear and tremble” before the world, other Christians, the church, our pastor? Of course not. In Matthew 10:28 Jesus is talking to His disciples when He says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Of the 3 commentaries I’ve been using, 2 of them stop to consider the impression the words “fear and trembling” may have on the believer in a head-on way, but Kuschel takes a longer approach. He goes to great length to explain Paul’s meaning of work. At one point, however, Kuschel clarifies “fear and trembling” from a practical application perspective when he says, “They [Christians working out their salvation] must fear and tremble at the thought of their own weakness and at the possibility that they, by spiritual laziness or carelessness, may foolishly throw their spiritual treasures away” (pp. 55-56). Some may argue this type of fear and trembling is manufactured of and directed towards self, but these feelings could not exist if first we were not made alive in Christ, and therefore in a position to view ourselves in the light of working out our salvation as we draw close to God (James 4:8).
Although it first speaks of Christian joy, in responding to “fear and Trembling” in Philippians 2:12 the Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary makes a good point and even uses James as supporting Scripture, it says, “’With fear and trembling’ does not contradict the joyful spirit permeating this letter. Christian joy is the experience of every believer in God’s will, but holy fear of God that trembles at the thought of sin is also the attribute of the careful Christian (Jas 4:8-10)” (Barker, Vol 2, 799).
The Eerdmans Bible Commentary goes straight to the heart of the matter in its commentary on Philippians 2:12 saying, “The example of Jesus Christ is not only one of humility; it is also one of obedience (v. 8). To such obedience—irrespective of whether or not Paul is with them (cf. 1:27)—the Philippians are called. Christ is Example, but supremely He is Giver of salvation. Yet that salvation is not to be accepted complacently but worked out in life in a spirit of reverence and fear by men that know that they live in His holy sight and must give account to Him” (Guthrie, 1133).
In conclusion, this Short Report gave an overview of Proverbs and looked at some key words, and shifted into high gear to dig into the deeper meaning of the “fear of the Lord.” In many ways the believer is put at ease around God. We are encouraged to call Him Father (Matthew 6:9), Jesus calls us friend (John 15:15), and nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). But there is another side of God that calls us to account (Romans 14:12) and encourages us to both avoid our sinful nature (Galatians 5:13) and become servants of righteous (Romans 6:18).
Water will always find its own level. If a surface is not even, water will race downhill. For each of us, our faith must find its own level. Unlike water our faith can move us upward. The fear of the Lord is much more than respect or reverence for God, it should prompt us to shun evil and move us even further in an upward direction by way of a desire to obey His holy will for our lives.