Proverbs 1:7 tells us:
"The fear of YHWH is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and discipline."We read this and quote this all the time, but do we really even hear what it is saying? Can we even explain what it is saying? Or does it just sound like a great quote?
What does it mean to "fear" God? If you'd asked me this question 2-3 years ago, you would've heard something like, "oh, well it's a REVERENT fear" - what the heck does that even mean?? Do we actually understand the words that are coming out of our mouths sometimes? "A reverent fear" - meaning that I feared Him out of respect... again - what does that even MEAN?
What does fear mean? It means to be afraid. It means that there is something about a situation or a person that causes you to be afraid. So let's go back to the scripture: "The fear of YHWH (God) is the BEGINNING of knowledge..."
Let's stop there for a minute - We are told that having a fear of our Father is the beginning of knowledge. The beginning of understanding things. We are told that in order to get this knowledge or understanding, we must be afraid of God. But wait, if God is so graceful and merciful, why should we be afraid of Him? Because He has something that we should rightfully be afraid of - His judgment.
His judgment will fall on anyone who walks contrary to His commands (the lawless, the disobedient, the wicked, the unholy).
"...Fools despise wisdom and discipline."How does God correct us? With truth and discipline. How can we know what truth is, and how can He correct us if not for some standard of conduct? There has to be a measuring stick, and that measuring stick is His law. For those that walk according to it will be blessed, and those who walk contrary to it will be cursed (Deut. 11:26-28).
God even predicts through Moses that one day His people would turn away from the covenant by worshipping other gods (including the god of this world) in Deut. 31:19-29:
“Now therefore, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the sons of Israel; put it on their lips, so that this song may be a witness for Me against the sons of Israel. For when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to their fathers, and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous, then they will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant. Then it shall come about, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants); for I know their intent which they are developing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.” So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.Moses gave the Israelites a song, that we were commanded to remember in Deut. 32. And then before Moses is to die, he says one final thingin Deuteronomy 32:45-47:
Then He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”
It came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a book until they were complete, that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying, “Take this book of the law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may remain there as a witness against you. For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the Lord; how much more, then, after my death? Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, for you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger with the work of your hands.”
"When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess."Can you just re-read that passage again? Moses tells Israel (that's YOU, folks - if you've accepted Christ, you are grafted IN to Israel and therefore inherit the promises given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, including the Promised Land one day) - he tells US - that we should do a few things:
1. Take His words to heart - to HEED them. To listen to the warnings about keeping God's law.
2. That we SHALL COMMAND our kids to observe them carefully, EVEN ALL THE WORDS OF THIS LAW. That means that they were to teach their kids and so on and so forth... our parents should've been taught these things by their parents, so that they could then teach them to US, but that cycle was broken through millennia of disobedience to God's Word.
3. What Moses is saying is NOT an idle word - it means something. Again, WORDS MEAN THINGS.
And lastly - "INDEED IT IS YOUR LIFE" - your LIFE is at stake. We choose life or death. We choose to follow God or follow Satan. That's the real story, friends. We're making choices every day to choose one god or another. Choose the one TRUE God - YHWH - by listening to the bountiful guidance for our lives that He has blessed us with! Choose LIFE. Choose to listen to Him because He knows what is best for us.
We think "oh it doesn't really matter if I eat this ham sandwich" or "oh He doesn't really care if I don't observe a 7th day Sabbath, He knows my heart" - but what we're really saying in those few words is this: I am choosing to believe that God doesn't really know what He's talking about. I am choosing to do what *I* desire to do - just this ONE TIME - because God knows that I love Him, so He wouldn't get mad at me for enjoying life. Except that's exactly what Satan whispers in our ear, and we EAT IT UP, friends! We say, "well of COURSE God wants us to be happy! I like ham, I like bacon. God doesn't care what I eat, and even if He does - I've got grace - so I can just do whatever I want."
But it comes down to this, Samuel rebukes Saul because Saul was disobedient to God in 1 Samuel 15:22-23:
"Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE, and TO HEED THAN THE FAT OF RAMS (sacrifice). For REBELLION IS AS THE SIN OF DIVINATION, and INSUBORDINATION IS AS INIQUITY AND IDOLATRY. Because you have REJECTED THE WORD of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king."He tells us insubordination is the same as idolatry - because who are we worshipping when we disobey God? We are worshipping Satan. Maybe not so obviously that we're erecting an idol of Baphomet in our living rooms, but we're laying out those pieces in our hearts, until our hearts are so far from the one true God, we can't even properly discern right from wrong. We are closer to Satan at that point in time that we are to the heart of our Father.
It's time for a #realitycheck within the people of God. He wants us to BE HOLY as HE IS HOLY. Are our daily choices reflecting that? Or do we feel like we're struggling to keep it together every day? If it's the latter, I challenge each of you to take the #obediencechallenge and submit to God's laws for a month - that's 30 days - and simply watch how your life will transform.
That's right, I am telling you to test the scriptures to see if they be true (like a Berean - Acts 17:11). God dares you. He WILL bless you if you obey Him, He promises that. He also promises that He WILL curse you (and your children - who wants that?!) if you disobey. CHOOSE LIFE, FRIENDS. Join me on this #obediencechallenge. Just 30 days of going ALL IN for our FATHER. How can anyone say they don't want that?
If you're in, share this post and #obediencechallenge so that we can hold each other accountable. Love you all.
ETA: I will be posting a daily guide for this challenge to help guide you along. We'll start today. The guide will include scripture and thoughts to help you navigate what can at first feel overwhelming. Check out my next status update for Day 1.
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