“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”
Proverbs 31:30
Beauty is passing
Are you “Over the hill”? One lady I know referred to being over the hill as a reference to turning 30! I thought this was rather amusing. I am nearing that point in my life. Funny enough, I still feel like I am still eighteen and I am still waiting for the day when I actually feel like a grown up! Since I am nearing 30, I am beginning to think that I will feel like this for the rest of my life. Even though I still don’t feel like a grown up, it does not change the fact that the years are flying past and gravity is doing its job very well and will indeed continue to do so for the next, Lord willing, at least 40 years in the future. Yes it is true that beauty is passing! Here is a sobering verse:
“All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and its flower falls away,
But the word of the LORD endures forever.”
1 Peter 2:24,25
We can not depend on our beauty to get through life but only on the word of the LORD! The word of God is the ONLY constant in Life.
We have done a very encouraging, enlighten, informative and convicting study of the Proverbs 31 woman. All aspects are important as in them we give God all the glory. However, the beauty of our homes and all the things we make will fade and are only temporary. Things wear and tear, they break, they are lost and even stolen. This is why it is important to remember that Physical beauty in any form is tempory. It may be important to us but to the Lord it is not important!
What is important to God is the next part of the verse, a woman who fears Him. It is a wise woman who fears God.
Types of fear
a. Natural fear:
This is the fear that causes you to be cautious as you live in a fragile human body.
For example, it is wise to check if there is a car coming before you cross a road.
Proverbs 22:3 says, “The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naïve go on and are punished for it. This is a natural and healthy fear.
b. Sinful fear:
This is a natural fear that causes you to sin against God. Moses is a good example. He feared man and this cause him to sin when he told God that he could not go to Pharaoh to set Gods people free. The Lord was not pleased by this sinful fear. Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man brings a snare.”
c. Holy Fear:
God commands us to fear. It is a fear that is sanctified and is put to holy use! With out having a Godly fear, we are unable to live Godly lives. Godly fear produces a fear of sin and thus keeps us from sinning. It also leads to knowledge and wisdom.
Proverbs 31:19, “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You.
Is good to fear God?
Yes! Wayne Mack wrote:
“I was impressed, almost surprised, to find that many of the commands to fear God were followed by promises of incredible blessing to people who do so.” There are many verses in the bible that command a fear of God. Please be encouraged to look out for them as you do your own personal studies!
Knowledge:
We have already mentioned that a fear towards God will lead to knowledge. As this is so, you will become wise if you obey God and love Him with all your heart in reverence.
Read Psalm 25:12.
Prosperity:
A Godly, holy fear leads to a prosperous soul. A soul content in the Lord and will be bountiful in the fruits of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Read Psalm 25:13
Godly legacy:
A Godly fear is good for your descendants! This is what is said in Psalm 25:13. The impact of your life on your children and grandchildren is astronomical! They watch you, they listen to you, they know what you stand for and they will see if what you say matches what your life is showing. A Godly mother who has a holy fear towards God will be a gem for the descendants to behold.
Blessing for you and your descendants;
“Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed.” Psalm 112:1,2
That is only the beginning of the psalm, you must read the rest of the psalm. The blessing that the Lord gives those you fear Him are so beautiful! Everyone in their right mind would want the best for their own children. As we can see from Psalm 112 and Psalm 25, we can be a blessing to our children and shows that the most important aspect of being a Godly parent is to have a healthy, real, passionate fear towards God.
God knows those who fear Him;
“The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him” Psalm 25:14
God knows those who fear Him. What a blessing to be known by God, to have been set apart for God by himself!
God’s Goodness;
“How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men! You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; you keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.” Psalm 31:19-20
God’s goodness never comes to an end. Those who fear God are able to partake of God’s goodness now and for the rest of eternity. What are some aspects of Gods goodness towards us? The goodness refers to the attributes of God, to name a few of them; 1)Gods faithfulness; Gods compassion, 3)Gods righteousness and 4)Gods mercy. We all deserve to face Gods wrath for all eternity as we have broken his commands every day of our life, we have sinned against Him! God has had mercy on our lives, He sent His son, Jesus Christ to bear the wrath stored up against us for our sin. Jesus paid the price for our sin, so that those who will believe in Him will be saved and will find Gods mercy. We know Gods faithfulness towards mankind as He has kept true to His covenants in scripture, He also never leaves us when we fall! God shows compassion upon us every time we read His word and discover that we fall short continuously. We also discover that God is righteous and just, we taste of Gods goodness and righteousness when He saves us and makes us righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ. What an awesome God who is to be feared and who blesses those who fear Him!
What is the fear of God?
We can see from scripture that it is good and essential to fear God! A healthy Godly fear should impact every aspect of our lives and our children will be blessed through it. We have looked at the blessings of a Godly fear, but what does the fear of God look like?
Trust;
“The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.”
Proverbs 29: 25
Trust and fear are used interchangeably in scripture. A woman who fears man is simply not trusting in God. A woman who trusts in God, will not fear man!
“If you are a God-fearing person, you are a person who believes that God’s Word is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true and righteous altogether (Psalm 19:7-11). You fear God, you trust God, and you know that what God says is trustworthy. You simply can’t fear God and not trust His Word. The two can not be separated.” Wayne Mack
Love;
We are taught through out scripture to fear God and to love God. These two can not be separated either! If you love God, you will fear Him and if you Fear God you will love Him. We have a holy fear towards God so that we may walk in His ways, so that ultimately we do not have to fear His wrath upon us. As we grow in knowledge and wisdom of God, will love the Lord more and more!
Obedience and Service
Those who fear the Lord, obey Him. As I mentioned, a Godly fear will cause you to want to obey the Lord. As you walk in obedience to God, you will be serving Him.
“What does the LORD your God require from your but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways…. And to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 10:12
Hope;
“Behold the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His loving-kindness. Our should waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him…Let Your loving-kindness…be upon us, according as we have hoped in You”
Psalm 33:18, 20-22
Those who fear the Lord will place all their hope in him and will wait for Him!
Awestruck:
A holy fear towards God leaves us Awestruck!
“Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” Psalm 33:8
Pulling it all together by Wayne Mack
“The fear of God is a reflex, an attitudinal and emotional reaction to an accurate understanding and awareness of the glory and majesty of the God of the Bible that causes a person to trust God, love God, obey God, hope in God and be consumed with God - wanting to honor, magnify, glorify, please and serve Him in every area of life. This fear of God will involve your intellect, your emotions and your attitudes and actions.” Wayne Mack
THOUGHTS:
“People who fear God have big thoughts of God, His majesty and His glory. They think of Him as He is described in scripture. Their view of God is not based on their own opinion or the opinion of others, but rather on God’s self revelation of Himself in the Living Word (Jesus Christ) and in His written Word (the bible).” Wayne Mack
EMOTIONS:
“People who fear God don’t act in a flippant manner toward Him; they are not careless, irresponsible or casual before Him. They know the experience described in numerous passages of Scripture: “Worship the LORD in holy attire; tremble before Him, all the earth”(Psalm 96:9); “Tremble, O earth, before the LORD” (Psalm 114:7); “Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling’(Psalm 2:11); “I will bow in reverence for You”(Psalm 5:7); “Tremble, and do not sin” (Psalm 4:4); “My flesh trembles for fear of You” (Psalm 119:120). According to these texts, people who fear God are affected emotionally in at least four ways:
1. They tremble before Him
2. They rejoice.
3. They experience a sense of reverence or awe.
4. They bow down, an outward evidence of something that is happening on the inside. Particularly in their emotions. Wayne Mack
ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS
“An accurate fear of God will motivate you to trust and hope in Him, obey and serve Him, love and admire Him, worship and praise Him, depend and rely on Him, submit and yield to Him and magnify and glorify Him.” Wayne Mack
Cultivating a Holy Fear
We have learnt the blessings of why holy fear is important and how it affects our lives. I have been so encouraged by learning the how’s and why’s. Wayne Mack is so complete in his biblical counselling that he helps us complete our study by teaching how to cultivate a holy fear. I will simply put in a few points how you are able to focus on fearing the LORD more and more in your daily life:
1. A change of heart. Holy fear is not natural, the LORD gives us a heart that will
fear Him reverently. We are to realise through the work of the spirit and through Gods Word, that we have sinned towards God. We are to cry out to the Lord for forgiveness and repentance. The Lord, through His son, Jesus Christ can forgive and change our hearts.
2. Devotion to prayer. Our hearts are to be united to God through prayer. Remember to read Psalm 51.
3. Study Gods Word. His Word teaches you more about who God is, you learn to fear the Lord. Obey Gods Word!
4. Meditate on Gods Word. Discover ways to remind yourself to meditate on Gods word as often as possible! I have discovered that I am in the kitchen a lot these days, so I have started writing out verses from my quiet time in the morning. I stick the cards on the wall above my work surface so that it stares me right in my face and I am able to meditate on Gods word more often.
I pray that you may understand just a little more about how important Holy fear is. I would encourage you to buy Dr Wayne Mack and Joshua Mack’s book, “The fear factor, what satan doesn’t want you to know”. It is a brilliant book which takes you through a thorough in-depth study of what I have summarised in this talk!
Proverbs 31 woman
A reminder of our verse:
“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”
Proverbs 31:30
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”
Proverbs 31:30
Beauty is passing
Are you “Over the hill”? One lady I know referred to being over the hill as a reference to turning 30! I thought this was rather amusing. I am nearing that point in my life. Funny enough, I still feel like I am still eighteen and I am still waiting for the day when I actually feel like a grown up! Since I am nearing 30, I am beginning to think that I will feel like this for the rest of my life. Even though I still don’t feel like a grown up, it does not change the fact that the years are flying past and gravity is doing its job very well and will indeed continue to do so for the next, Lord willing, at least 40 years in the future. Yes it is true that beauty is passing! Here is a sobering verse:
“All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and its flower falls away,
But the word of the LORD endures forever.”
1 Peter 2:24,25
We can not depend on our beauty to get through life but only on the word of the LORD! The word of God is the ONLY constant in Life.
We have done a very encouraging, enlighten, informative and convicting study of the Proverbs 31 woman. All aspects are important as in them we give God all the glory. However, the beauty of our homes and all the things we make will fade and are only temporary. Things wear and tear, they break, they are lost and even stolen. This is why it is important to remember that Physical beauty in any form is tempory. It may be important to us but to the Lord it is not important!
What is important to God is the next part of the verse, a woman who fears Him. It is a wise woman who fears God.
Types of fear
a. Natural fear:
This is the fear that causes you to be cautious as you live in a fragile human body.
For example, it is wise to check if there is a car coming before you cross a road.
Proverbs 22:3 says, “The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naïve go on and are punished for it. This is a natural and healthy fear.
b. Sinful fear:
This is a natural fear that causes you to sin against God. Moses is a good example. He feared man and this cause him to sin when he told God that he could not go to Pharaoh to set Gods people free. The Lord was not pleased by this sinful fear. Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man brings a snare.”
c. Holy Fear:
God commands us to fear. It is a fear that is sanctified and is put to holy use! With out having a Godly fear, we are unable to live Godly lives. Godly fear produces a fear of sin and thus keeps us from sinning. It also leads to knowledge and wisdom.
Proverbs 31:19, “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You.
Is good to fear God?
Yes! Wayne Mack wrote:
“I was impressed, almost surprised, to find that many of the commands to fear God were followed by promises of incredible blessing to people who do so.” There are many verses in the bible that command a fear of God. Please be encouraged to look out for them as you do your own personal studies!
Knowledge:
We have already mentioned that a fear towards God will lead to knowledge. As this is so, you will become wise if you obey God and love Him with all your heart in reverence.
Read Psalm 25:12.
Prosperity:
A Godly, holy fear leads to a prosperous soul. A soul content in the Lord and will be bountiful in the fruits of the spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Read Psalm 25:13
Godly legacy:
A Godly fear is good for your descendants! This is what is said in Psalm 25:13. The impact of your life on your children and grandchildren is astronomical! They watch you, they listen to you, they know what you stand for and they will see if what you say matches what your life is showing. A Godly mother who has a holy fear towards God will be a gem for the descendants to behold.
Blessing for you and your descendants;
“Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, Who delights greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed.” Psalm 112:1,2
That is only the beginning of the psalm, you must read the rest of the psalm. The blessing that the Lord gives those you fear Him are so beautiful! Everyone in their right mind would want the best for their own children. As we can see from Psalm 112 and Psalm 25, we can be a blessing to our children and shows that the most important aspect of being a Godly parent is to have a healthy, real, passionate fear towards God.
God knows those who fear Him;
“The secret of the LORD is for those who fear Him” Psalm 25:14
God knows those who fear Him. What a blessing to be known by God, to have been set apart for God by himself!
God’s Goodness;
“How great is Your goodness, which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men! You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; you keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.” Psalm 31:19-20
God’s goodness never comes to an end. Those who fear God are able to partake of God’s goodness now and for the rest of eternity. What are some aspects of Gods goodness towards us? The goodness refers to the attributes of God, to name a few of them; 1)Gods faithfulness; Gods compassion, 3)Gods righteousness and 4)Gods mercy. We all deserve to face Gods wrath for all eternity as we have broken his commands every day of our life, we have sinned against Him! God has had mercy on our lives, He sent His son, Jesus Christ to bear the wrath stored up against us for our sin. Jesus paid the price for our sin, so that those who will believe in Him will be saved and will find Gods mercy. We know Gods faithfulness towards mankind as He has kept true to His covenants in scripture, He also never leaves us when we fall! God shows compassion upon us every time we read His word and discover that we fall short continuously. We also discover that God is righteous and just, we taste of Gods goodness and righteousness when He saves us and makes us righteous through the blood of Jesus Christ. What an awesome God who is to be feared and who blesses those who fear Him!
What is the fear of God?
We can see from scripture that it is good and essential to fear God! A healthy Godly fear should impact every aspect of our lives and our children will be blessed through it. We have looked at the blessings of a Godly fear, but what does the fear of God look like?
Trust;
“The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.”
Proverbs 29: 25
Trust and fear are used interchangeably in scripture. A woman who fears man is simply not trusting in God. A woman who trusts in God, will not fear man!
“If you are a God-fearing person, you are a person who believes that God’s Word is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true and righteous altogether (Psalm 19:7-11). You fear God, you trust God, and you know that what God says is trustworthy. You simply can’t fear God and not trust His Word. The two can not be separated.” Wayne Mack
Love;
We are taught through out scripture to fear God and to love God. These two can not be separated either! If you love God, you will fear Him and if you Fear God you will love Him. We have a holy fear towards God so that we may walk in His ways, so that ultimately we do not have to fear His wrath upon us. As we grow in knowledge and wisdom of God, will love the Lord more and more!
Obedience and Service
Those who fear the Lord, obey Him. As I mentioned, a Godly fear will cause you to want to obey the Lord. As you walk in obedience to God, you will be serving Him.
“What does the LORD your God require from your but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways…. And to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 10:12
Hope;
“Behold the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His loving-kindness. Our should waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him…Let Your loving-kindness…be upon us, according as we have hoped in You”
Psalm 33:18, 20-22
Those who fear the Lord will place all their hope in him and will wait for Him!
Awestruck:
A holy fear towards God leaves us Awestruck!
“Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.” Psalm 33:8
Pulling it all together by Wayne Mack
“The fear of God is a reflex, an attitudinal and emotional reaction to an accurate understanding and awareness of the glory and majesty of the God of the Bible that causes a person to trust God, love God, obey God, hope in God and be consumed with God - wanting to honor, magnify, glorify, please and serve Him in every area of life. This fear of God will involve your intellect, your emotions and your attitudes and actions.” Wayne Mack
THOUGHTS:
“People who fear God have big thoughts of God, His majesty and His glory. They think of Him as He is described in scripture. Their view of God is not based on their own opinion or the opinion of others, but rather on God’s self revelation of Himself in the Living Word (Jesus Christ) and in His written Word (the bible).” Wayne Mack
EMOTIONS:
“People who fear God don’t act in a flippant manner toward Him; they are not careless, irresponsible or casual before Him. They know the experience described in numerous passages of Scripture: “Worship the LORD in holy attire; tremble before Him, all the earth”(Psalm 96:9); “Tremble, O earth, before the LORD” (Psalm 114:7); “Worship the LORD with reverence and rejoice with trembling’(Psalm 2:11); “I will bow in reverence for You”(Psalm 5:7); “Tremble, and do not sin” (Psalm 4:4); “My flesh trembles for fear of You” (Psalm 119:120). According to these texts, people who fear God are affected emotionally in at least four ways:
1. They tremble before Him
2. They rejoice.
3. They experience a sense of reverence or awe.
4. They bow down, an outward evidence of something that is happening on the inside. Particularly in their emotions. Wayne Mack
ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS
“An accurate fear of God will motivate you to trust and hope in Him, obey and serve Him, love and admire Him, worship and praise Him, depend and rely on Him, submit and yield to Him and magnify and glorify Him.” Wayne Mack
Cultivating a Holy Fear
We have learnt the blessings of why holy fear is important and how it affects our lives. I have been so encouraged by learning the how’s and why’s. Wayne Mack is so complete in his biblical counselling that he helps us complete our study by teaching how to cultivate a holy fear. I will simply put in a few points how you are able to focus on fearing the LORD more and more in your daily life:
1. A change of heart. Holy fear is not natural, the LORD gives us a heart that will
fear Him reverently. We are to realise through the work of the spirit and through Gods Word, that we have sinned towards God. We are to cry out to the Lord for forgiveness and repentance. The Lord, through His son, Jesus Christ can forgive and change our hearts.
2. Devotion to prayer. Our hearts are to be united to God through prayer. Remember to read Psalm 51.
3. Study Gods Word. His Word teaches you more about who God is, you learn to fear the Lord. Obey Gods Word!
4. Meditate on Gods Word. Discover ways to remind yourself to meditate on Gods word as often as possible! I have discovered that I am in the kitchen a lot these days, so I have started writing out verses from my quiet time in the morning. I stick the cards on the wall above my work surface so that it stares me right in my face and I am able to meditate on Gods word more often.
I pray that you may understand just a little more about how important Holy fear is. I would encourage you to buy Dr Wayne Mack and Joshua Mack’s book, “The fear factor, what satan doesn’t want you to know”. It is a brilliant book which takes you through a thorough in-depth study of what I have summarised in this talk!
Proverbs 31 woman
A reminder of our verse:
“Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.”
Proverbs 31:30
Written by Natalie Rogers
Source: The Fear Factor by Wayne and Josh Mack
No comments:
Post a Comment