Robin Smit
Fear of the Lord
Proverbs 19:10: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom
The word fear is yarah in Hebrew. And Strong's defines it as fear, dread, and moral reverence. We in our western way of thinking see it as a "churchy" word or something religious.
But I love this word yarah. It literally means flowing.
In the verses that talk about the fear of the Lord it is two nouns following each other, meaning they are combined to form one concept. The "hey" at the end of the word yarah is changed to a "tav" making it yarat. Which means that the first noun belongs to the second noun.... in other words, the fear is the Lord's. It's not our fear. It's His.... it's His flowing (yarah).
What flows from Him is love. And His love is the beginning of wisdom right? Once we experience His love our eyes and ears, our hearts, are open to understand who He is and who we are IN Him. The awe or reverence that we feel is not feeling insignificant but rather being overwhelmed in the presence, in the flow, of Love IN us.
Proverbs 14:27 says.... The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, To turn one away from the snares of death.
The flow of Love IN us awakens us to His Life, the Christ Life, IN us! Sounds like Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives IN me.
IT IS FINISHED!!
