Are you thinking that since Jesus came, fear is out, love is in? Surely God loves His Son. But was their relationship only about love?
"And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and strength,
The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And He will delight in the fear of the Lord."
Isaiah 11:2, 3
Isaiah tells us the fear of the Lord is a treasure.
"The Lord is exalted for He dwells on high;
He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
And He shall be the stability (or faithfulness) of your times,
A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;
The fear of the Lord is his treasure."
Isaiah 33:5, 6
God made a covenant of life and peace with His priests because they feared Him and stood in awe of His name.
"My covenant with him (Levi) was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as a object of fear; so he feared Me, and stood in awe of My name."
Malachi 2:5
The Psalms speak often of the fear of the Lord:
"How blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in His commandments..."
Psalm 112:1
"How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways."
Psalm 128:1
"Taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
O fear the Lord, you His saints...
But they who seek the Lord shall not be in want of any good thing.
Come, you children, listen to me:
I will teach you the fear of the Lord."
Psalm 34:8-11
"The Lord looks down from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth.
He who fashions the hearts of them all,
He who understands all their works...
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who wait for His loving-kindness
To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine."
Psalm 33:13-19
The fear of the Lord in the New Testament:
"So the church... enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of Holy Spirit, it continued to increase."
Acts 9:31
"And opening his mouth, Peter said, 'I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and works righteousness is welcome to Him.'"
Acts 10:34, 35
"...and Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand, he said, 'Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen ... Brethren, sons of sons of Abraham's family, and those among you who fear God, to us salvation is sent out.'"
Acts 13:16, 26
"We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done whether good or bad. Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade men..."
2 Corinthians 5:10
"It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
Hebrews 10:31
And is the fear of the Lord relevant to us in this generation. This Scripture is the last word in the Revelation in Handbook 2.
"Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire."
Hebrews 12;28, 29
How the fear of the Lord works for us:
"They shall be My people, and I will be their God; and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them... and I will put the fear of Me in their heart so that they will not turn away from me."
Jeremiah 32:38-40
"So then... work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12, 13
"...let us cleanse ourselves from all defilements of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
2 Corinthians 7:1
And for the first time as I was working on this subject I heard these words of wisdom.
"Wisdom shouts in the street,
She lifts her voice in the square...
'Because I called and you refused;
I stretched out my hand and you paid no attention;
And you neglected all my counsel,
And did not want my reproof;
When your dread comes like a storm,
And your calamity comes on like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come on you.
Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me,
Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.'"
Proverbs 1:20, 24-29
Wisdom speaking again:
"For if you cry for discernment,
Lift your voice for understanding;
If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will discern the fear of the Lord,
And discover the knowledge of God."
Proverbs 2:3-5
And suddenly I knew why Isaiah speaks of the fear of the Lord as a treasure.
"For thus the Lord spoke to me with strength of His hand and instructed me not to walk in the way of the people, saying:
'You are not to say, "It is a conspiracy!"
In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy,
And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.
It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy.
And He shall be your fear
And He shall be your dread.
Then He shall become a sanctuary...'"
Isaiah 8:11-18
"And these words I am commanding you today shall be on your heart... you shall fear only the Lord your God."
Deuteronomy 6:6, 13
God -- my only fear? God -- my only dread? That will take some doing on my part. But the thought of the result is staggering -- He shall become a sanctuary... Could this be the "secret place" of Psalm 91? That would surely be a "treasure" beyond compare.
"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be wiser,
Teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Proverbs 9:9, 10
* * * * *
"Then those who feared the Lord talked often one to another; and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name.
'And they shall be Mine,' says the Lord of host, 'on that day that I prepare My own special treasure, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.'"
Malachi 3:16, 17