The Goodness of the Fear of the Lord

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by: Pastor Joey Vazquez

04/21/2022

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Nehemiah 5:15 (NLT) The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way.

We, as human beings, all have a huge problem. It's called our sinful nature. We are wired towards doing wrong versus doing right. We don't have to try hard to do the wrong thing. Doing the wrong thing is easy. It's doing the right things that is difficult. That's why we need laws to govern us. If we didn't have laws, then everyone would just do what they felt like doing, and that would spell big trouble for everyone.

Who would stop their car at an intersection just to let traffic going in the other direction through? We need traffic lights and stop signs to make that happen. And what if there were no penalty or punishment for not stopping at a red light or a stop sign? If we could get away with it, we would never stop for anything or anyone. We would take what is not ours, cheat on our taxes, take other people's property and a host of other things if we thought that we could get away with it. Even though we know it would be morally wrong to do such things, the temptation would be too great for most people if there were no consequences for doing them.

Even with laws and constraints in place, people still try to get away with things. That's why we need something more to be able to live honest and upright lives. Nehemiah was a man who was a leader among his people but who was part of the people of Judah that were exiled. Having gotten permission from the king of Persia to return to his homeland to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, Nehemiah not only encountered the ruins of the wall, but also encountered wrongdoing on the part of the former governors of Judah. They had been taking advantage of the people by demanding a lot of food and money from them to enrich themselves. Nehemiah, who arrived with authority from the king of Persia and who became governor, didn't do that. Even though he had the power and authority to do the same thing, he didn't. The one thing that kept him from doing what everyone else was doing was the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord, which is a deep reverence and respect for the God who made us, keeps you from doing wrong. It even keeps you from doing wrong when no one is looking. It causes you to do the right thing even if there is no penalty for doing the wrong thing. As one Kosher food producer put it, "We answer to a higher authority." When you have a healthy dose of the fear of the Lord, you tend towards good. That fear (reverence) is born out of a relationship with God. It's not a fear of punishment, it's a fear out of love and respect, and it keeps you on the right side of things. There is a lot of good that comes from fearing God. It is the goodness of the fear of the Lord that keeps us doing the things that lead to blessings for us and for those around us. Nehemiah wouldn't take advantage of the people because of it, and we will treat people the right way as well when we fear the God of our salvation. Let's fear Him and do good to all.

Pastor Joey Vazquez

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Nehemiah 5:15 (NLT) The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way.

We, as human beings, all have a huge problem. It's called our sinful nature. We are wired towards doing wrong versus doing right. We don't have to try hard to do the wrong thing. Doing the wrong thing is easy. It's doing the right things that is difficult. That's why we need laws to govern us. If we didn't have laws, then everyone would just do what they felt like doing, and that would spell big trouble for everyone.

Who would stop their car at an intersection just to let traffic going in the other direction through? We need traffic lights and stop signs to make that happen. And what if there were no penalty or punishment for not stopping at a red light or a stop sign? If we could get away with it, we would never stop for anything or anyone. We would take what is not ours, cheat on our taxes, take other people's property and a host of other things if we thought that we could get away with it. Even though we know it would be morally wrong to do such things, the temptation would be too great for most people if there were no consequences for doing them.

Even with laws and constraints in place, people still try to get away with things. That's why we need something more to be able to live honest and upright lives. Nehemiah was a man who was a leader among his people but who was part of the people of Judah that were exiled. Having gotten permission from the king of Persia to return to his homeland to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem, Nehemiah not only encountered the ruins of the wall, but also encountered wrongdoing on the part of the former governors of Judah. They had been taking advantage of the people by demanding a lot of food and money from them to enrich themselves. Nehemiah, who arrived with authority from the king of Persia and who became governor, didn't do that. Even though he had the power and authority to do the same thing, he didn't. The one thing that kept him from doing what everyone else was doing was the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord, which is a deep reverence and respect for the God who made us, keeps you from doing wrong. It even keeps you from doing wrong when no one is looking. It causes you to do the right thing even if there is no penalty for doing the wrong thing. As one Kosher food producer put it, "We answer to a higher authority." When you have a healthy dose of the fear of the Lord, you tend towards good. That fear (reverence) is born out of a relationship with God. It's not a fear of punishment, it's a fear out of love and respect, and it keeps you on the right side of things. There is a lot of good that comes from fearing God. It is the goodness of the fear of the Lord that keeps us doing the things that lead to blessings for us and for those around us. Nehemiah wouldn't take advantage of the people because of it, and we will treat people the right way as well when we fear the God of our salvation. Let's fear Him and do good to all.

Pastor Joey Vazquez

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