Good Fear- When Fear is Good. 6-15-25
Overview
Good Fear: When Fear Is Wisdom
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight" Proverbs 9:10. Proverbs is a book about wisdom—the ability to take what we know about God and apply it to the ordinary, practical realities of life. And remarkably, Scripture says wisdom begins with fear. But what kind of fear?
The Hebrew word carries several shades of meaning. One sense is terror—being scared of someone, as when Jacob learned Esau was approaching with four hundred men and "was greatly afraid and distressed" Genesis 32:7. Jesus speaks this way too: "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" Matthew 10:28. Our casual culture is tempted to minimize such warnings, treating God like a "cosmic bellhop" or a genie. Scripture will not let us. To stand before a holy God clothed only in our sin truly is terrifying.
Yet the fear of Proverbs 9 is something richer—what Luther called filial fear, the reverence of a beloved child who dreads disappointing the Father he honors. This fear is born of the gospel. Psalm 85 ties God's nearness to salvation, and Psalm 130:4 says, "But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared." Awe and reverence are birthed in us by God's mercy in Christ. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ Romans 10:17, and through Word and Sacrament the Lord renews this best kind of fear in His people—wonder at who He is and what He has done.
This is intensely practical. Scripture contains hundreds of "fear not" commands, not because we can master life's troubles, but because of who God is. If He has redeemed us by the blood of His Son, He will not abandon us to face adversity alone. Awe and reverence give birth to wisdom; the knowledge of the Holy One gives insight to apply to the problems that perplex us, the pain that persists, the unknown that looms. So do not be terrified of God in Christ—but be filled with the good fear: awe, reverence, and trust in the Holy One who has saved you.
Transcript
Would you open your Bible's please with me to Proverbs 9th chapter for our time in God's 3s
Word today? 8s
Proverbs 9th chapter of using a Pew edition, you're going to find that on page 554 in the 10s
Old Testament. 16s
We continue this morning, our summer series, that is all summer long, focusing on various 18s
Proverbs of Holy Scripture. 24s
Proverbs are wise sayings that the Lord in His grace and mercy compiled and birthed. 28s
And that word wise is a very, very important word in terms of interpreting Proverbs. 38s
Because over and over again, you hear the word wisdom, wisdom in the book of Proverbs. 46s
The Proverbs that God gives us has to do with the ordinary things of life. 55s
It has to do with the practicalities of life as one author puts it. 63s
And wisdom is the ability to take what you know and apply it to the ordinary, to the practicalities. 71s
And so there's incredible book that we're exploring of this summer. 84s
Wisdom that key word, the ordinary things of life, the practicalities of life, wisdom, 88s
the ability to take what you know and apply it to the practical, to the ordinary things. 97s
And notice, notice in our text for this morning, what is associated with wisdom? 108s
Book of the place, adverse ten. 120s
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 124s
Now that's interesting, isn't it? 132s
That associated with wisdom, the ability to apply what you know to the ordinary, 135s
isn't the practical, what's associated with wisdom is fear. 142s
The Hebrew word for fear is a really difficult word to translate, really difficult. 155s
Because it has, it has so many shades of meaning. 161s
For example, one of the meanings of the Hebrew word for fear here, this very word, 169s
one of the meanings of the word is to be scared of someone or something, 176s
to have, to have terror. 184s
I think of the story of Jacob and Esau in Holy Scripture. 187s
The two brothers, Esau is supposed to receive the blessing from his father, 191s
but Jacob steals the blessing in cohoots with his mother. 199s
And Esau is filled with rage. 205s
In Genesis the 32nd chapter, it says, the messenger's return to Jacob saying, 212s
we came to your brother Esau and he's coming to meet you and four hundred men are with him. 217s
The notice the next line, then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. 226s
It's one of the shades of meaning of the Hebrew word of fear. 235s
You're scared of someone. 240s
You're scared of something. 243s
As you can be filled with terror. 247s
So, going back to verse 10 of the ninth chapter of Proverbs, it says, 252s
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 260s
So, is what is meant here that we are to be afraid of God? 272s
That God should strike terror in us. 281s
And that being afraid of God is the beginning of wisdom. 288s
Does that with fear here, means? 297s
Well, let's complicate matters, a little further. Shall we? 303s
Jesus says in Matthew the 10th chapter, he says, do not fear those who kill the body but cannot 307s
kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 315s
Was you talking about talking about the father? 327s
So, no, be afraid of losing your life for the cause of Christ, because that's the 330s
context here of which Jesus is talking. Verse 21 of Matthew 10, Jesus says, 335s
brother will betray brother to death and a father is child and children will rise against 342s
parents and have them put to death. You'll be hated by all because of my name. 347s
Verse 25 of Matthew 10, it says, it's enough for the disciple to be like the teacher and the slave 353s
like the master if they've called the master of the house beel's a ball. Let's just another word 360s
for Satan. How much more will they malign those of his household? So, the context here is, 366s
is Jesus saying that you can you can suffer for the cause of Christ. 372s
But don't be afraid that you lose your life. Jesus says, no, fear this, fear him 378s
who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Is that the type of fear of Proverbs 9? 389s
That is the beginning of wisdom. So, we can struggle for that work. We can struggle with it. 407s
We live in a very casual culture, very casual culture and that gets, that gets foisted upon God. 417s
And so, the thought of eternal damnation that God would do that, we can, we can be tempted to 427s
minimize it. We can be tempted to think that God is just going to millow out. We can be tempted to 435s
think that that God's our power, these are buddy. One author puts it, a cosmic bell hop. It's 447s
simply responds to whatever our desires are. Kind of like a genie in a bottle. That's how we're 458s
tempted to think of God. So, when we hear this, put, is that what Proverbs 9 means? Is that what 466s
that use of fear there means that it's wise for us to have the understanding that we will all 480s
filled with terror and fear of standing before Him, cloned in our sinfulness? That's a terrifying thought. 494s
And that's what Jesus is elevating here in Matthew the 10th chapter. But is, is that the fear 508s
of Proverbs 9? That the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Is it, is it that kind of fear? 516s
Such a such an interesting conversation. The man shared that, that with regard to his parents, 535s
there was fear associated with him. Really? What do you mean by that? He went on to, went on to 545s
share that, and he said, it wasn't that I was, I was afraid of them. But he said, the fear 556s
associated with my parents, but I didn't want to disappoint them. I respected them so much 565s
that I was afraid of disappointing them. That's Filiophyr. Filios el Latin term for 577s
son or daughter. Luther talked about Filiophyr. He said, that's the, that's the fear that we should 592s
have with regard to God. It's the, it's the fear of of awe and reverence. The, the not wanting to 603s
disappoint him. That's, that's Filiophyr. That's the fear of Proverbs 9, 10. That was the fear 615s
of the man in the conversation. That was the fear that Luther talked about. 632s
Fear in the understanding another Hebrew shade of the meaning of awe and reverence 645s
to God. How is that kind of fear born in us? How is it born in us? I think of Psalm 85. Psalm 85 657s
that his glory made dwell in our land. That you hear what's associated with fear? What's 688s
associated with fear? All and reverence is salvation. Or Psalm 130, we read, if you, 697s
Lord should mark in equities, Lord, who could stand? But there's forgiveness with you so that you may be 709s
revered. What's an association then with, with reverence of God? But forgiveness. 721s
Fear of the Lord. All and reverence is associated, scripturely with salvation and forgiveness. 732s
That, that fear. All and reverence has its birth salvation and forgiveness. 747s
So how's it born? God comes to us with His Word, the Word of the Gospel. And what is the 762s
gospel centered on? It's centered on the person of Christ. But what else is the gospel centered on? 768s
But the gospel is centered on salvation and forgiveness is that. That Jesus Christ is his 773s
Jesus. That is shed blood. We are redeemed through that. That God opens up the doors of heaven 788s
for us. Not based upon what we do, but based upon what He has done, that we are washed in the promises 797s
in our baptism. That Word is alive and it crackles with life. It does something to you. Paul 805s
writes in Romans the 10th chapter. So faith comes from what's heard and what's heard comes 814s
through the Word of Christ. And so is God comes with His gospel to us, that that births in us by His 822s
separation. Faith, it sustains faith. It grows faith. Because of Jesus Christ, we don't live 834s
in terror of God. We live in fear of Him and it's the best kind of fear. It's all and it's reverence. 847s
And that's what He's doing this morning through Word and sacrament as He gathers His people together 867s
on His day. Because He has something to give us and through the Word and the sacrament, 874s
He comes and He feels us a new with fear, with fear, best kind of fear. All and reverence. 885s
Of Him. Look again, please. A verse 10. The fear on reverence of the Lord is the beginning 907s
a wisdom. A catch the next phrase and the knowledge of the Holy One is in sight. 919s
And the knowledge of the Holy One is in sight. What you see in Proverbs, when you see wisdom and 930s
knowledge so often they're just synonymous. I mean the same thing. For example, this verse is echoed 938s
back in chapter 2 when we read, for the Lord gives wisdom from His mouth comes knowledge and 945s
understanding. You hear it? It's wisdom and knowledge, just simply synonymous terms. 955s
So let's apply this. Let's apply this. All and reverence. That's the best kind of fear. All and reverence 964s
is the beginning of wisdom. We we know who God is because it forms our all and reverence. 974s
God is sovereign. He is omnipotent. He is omniscient. God is merciful. He is gracious. He is kind. 992s
All of the attributes of God. It's the attributes of God that that forms our fear. 1000s
We have all and reverence of Him because of who He is and what He has done for us. 1012s
So all and reverence is the beginning of wisdom and wisdom deals with what remember? 1021s
The ordinary stuff, the practicalities of life and what's wisdom again, it's the ability to 1031s
apply what we know to the ordinary and so the understanding of God, the awe and reverence, 1041s
the fear of Him is the beginning of that. And the Scripture says, and the knowledge of the Holy One 1050s
is what? It's insight. It's insight. So the ability to apply what we know, what is it that we know, 1060s
it's all and reverence. That forms our fear and that gives us insight then to apply 1071s
to that which comes with life, to take what we know and apply it to the practicalities of life. 1081s
So let's do that. 366 fear not statements in Scripture where God tells us not to be afraid of situations, etc. 1094s
We'll be all and the reverence of who He is is the beginning of wisdom and so we apply that wisdom 1111s
to the ordinary that comes along with life, the fears that just come along with life and God tells us, 1121s
don't fear. Why? Because we can somehow master whatever situation comes along in life. No, 1129s
because of who He is. If He has redeemed us through the blood of Jesus Christ, 1137s
is He going to leave us alone to face the adversities and the struggles of life? 1143s
It's the awe and the reverence based upon who He is that bursts the wisdom and then we apply the wisdom 1151s
with the insight of who He is and so we apply it to the ordinary fears that come along and we say 1156s
to the long with God, that's right, God, I don't have to fear. I don't have to fear. 1164s
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and so apply what it is we know about what 1175s
comprises the awe and the reverence to the problems that just perplex us to the pain that 1181s
persists to the unknown that looms to the situation that we know is right around the corner. 1190s
And God says, fear of me is the beginning of wisdom and who am I? 1198s
The knowledge of the Holy One is insight and God applies it. He applies it and that comforts us. 1213s
No tear of God because of Christ. But I hope that you're filled with fear this morning. 1239s
Just filled with it. That's kind of fear. That's kind of fear. 1250s
On reverence because that's the beginning of wisdom. 1256s