The Fear of YHVH SH'MINI TORAH : LEVITICUS 9:1-11:47 PROPHETS : 2 SAM. 6:1-7:17 GOSPEL : MATTHEW 3:11-17
The Fear of YHVH What does it mean to Fear YHVH? When someone is called a God Fearer, what does that mean? We read in Exodus: Exodus 1: 8 The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, saying, "When you deliver the Hebrew women, look at the birthstool: if it is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live." The midwives, fearing God, did not do as the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. The term Fear of YHVH, actually is used in many different context we are going to look at three different incidents in scripture, and see if we can define what it means to Fear YHVH.
Aaron s Sons Leviticus 10:1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, This is what the LORD has said: Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. When we first read this the two sons of Aaron when offering the daily offerings of incense inside the Holy Place they brought in coals of fire that were not from the altar of YHVH. We read on, and find a little bit more information
Aaron s Sons Leviticus 10: 8 And the LORD spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 10 You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them by Moses. Now we find out that, during the daily service, Nadab, and Abihu, had gotten drunk from all the drink offerings and placed improper coals on the altar of incense. But was the drunkenness that got them killed or the lack of obedience to the commandments?
Aaron s Sons Leviticus 10: 6 Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned up! And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, saying, 17 Why have you not eaten the sin offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most holy and has been given to you that you may bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD? 18 Behold, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded. 19 And Aaron said to Moses, Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the LORD have approved? 20 And when Moses heard that, he approved.
Aaron s Sons The commandment was for them to ear any chattat, or shelamim offering that was laid on the Bronze Altar. If the blood of an animal is brought into the Tent of meeting, and offered on the other altars they could not eat is, since they were atoning for the Priests, or the Nation. Individual, or daily offerings where the blood was placed either on the horns of the altar, or the sides, must be eaten by the priests. So now we have Itamar and Eleazar not keeping the exact commandment. What was the difference between the two errors?
The Ark of the Covenant and the Priests 2 Samuel 6:1 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. 3 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, 4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark. The Ark a few months prior had been stolen by the Philistines, and as a result, many of them got cancer. When it was recovered the intention was to bring the Ark, and the Tent of Meeting to Jerusalem.
The Ark of the Covenant and the Priests 2 Samuel 6: 6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The Lord s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 Then David was angry because the Lord s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah. Just as Nadab, and Abihu were struck down so was Uzzah. Did Uzzah die, for being drunk, or carelessness? Did Uzzah have good intentions?
The Ark of the Covenant and the Priests 2 Samuel 6: 9 David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me? 10 He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household. After this incident, David Feared the death of other Priests so he it was left at Obed-Edom s house. But who was Obed-Edom?
The Ark of the Covenant and the Priests From I Chron. 26: 4-8, where Obed-edom is mentioned together with the Levites, it is concluded that he was himself a Levite. His name is interpreted thus: "Obed" = "the servant who honors God in the right way"; "Edom" (lit. "red")= "one who causes to blush." He made David blush for shame because the latter was at first afraid to receive the Ark, whereas Obed-edom took it into his house without hesitation (Num. R. iv. 21). During the time that the Ark was with him Obed-edom used to light a candle before it twice daily, early in the morning and again at evening (ib.).
The Ark of the Covenant and the Priests The blessing with which God blessed Obed-edom consisted in children. His wife and eight daughters-in-law bore children twice every month during the three months that the Ark remained with him (ib.). According to another version, each of them bore six children at once (Ber. 63b). Now whether, this is true or not a clear blessing came upon Obed- Edom s house in such a short time. What is telling, and may explain both incidents comes in the translation of his name: "the servant who honors God in the right way"; "Edom" (lit. "red")= "one who causes to blush."
Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5: 1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles feet. 3 Then Peter said, Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God. 5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.
Ananias and Sapphira Acts 5: 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land? Yes, she said, that is the price. 9 Peter said to her, How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also. 10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
Fear of YHVH We have three incidents in everyone of these cases, all where working in the service of YHVH. 1. Abihu and Nadab was ministering before YHVH in the Temple. 2. Uzzah, a Levite responsible for moving the Ark of the Covenant was doing his job. 3. Annanias and Sapphira were working with the poor, and had made a promise or oath to provide certain amount of money. Other than the last two, were all of them sincere in there efforts? Did each one of these issues cause great fear among the Congregation?
Fear of YHVH One thing is certain, all men will die but the way each one of these fell creates this myth that our Elohim can strike someone down with a lightning bolt any time. Let s drill down and see what it means to Fear YHVH: The first mention of the fear of God in the Hebrew Bible is in Genesis 22:12, where Abraham is commended for putting his trust in God. In Isaiah 11:1-3, the prophet describes the shoot that shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, "The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord." Proverbs 9:10 says that "fear of the Lord" is "the beginning of wisdom".
Jewish Understanding of Fear The Hebrew words (yir aṯ) and (p aḥaḏ) are most commonly used to describe fear of God/El/Yahweh. Bahya ibn Paquda characterized two types of fear as a lower "fear of punishment" and a higher "fear of [divine awe] glory." Abraham ibn Daud differentiated between "fear of harm" (analogous to fear of a snake bite or a king's punishment) and "fear of greatness," analogous to respect for an exalted person, who would do us no harm. Maimonides categorized the fear of God as a positive commandment, as the feeling of human insignificance deriving from contemplation of God's "great and wonderful actions and creations.
Christianity Understanding of Fear According to Jerry Bridges, "There was a time when committed Christians were known as God-fearing people. This was a badge of honor." [4] From a theological perspective "fear of the Lord" encompasses more than simple fear. Robert B. Strimple says, "There is the convergence of awe, reverence, adoration, honor, worship, confidence, thankfulness, love, and, yes, fear." [5] In the Magnificat (Luke 1:50) Mary declaims, "His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him." The Parable of the Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1-8) finds Yeshua describing the judge as one who "...neither feared God nor cared for man." Some translations of the Bible, such as the New International Version, sometimes replace the word "fear" with "reverence". It can also mean fear of God's judgment.
Fear of YHVH The Fear of God is felt because one understands the "fearful expectation of judgement". Still, this is not a fear that leads one to despair, rather it must be coupled with trust, and most importantly, love. In Psalms 130:3-4, it is said, "If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
Fear of YHVH We often hear people explain the fear of the Lord as a mere respect or reverence. But, scripture uses the word fear at least 300 times in reference to God, so we make a mistake when we downplay it. The subject becomes even more mysterious when we read something like: 1 John 4: 18 that says that "perfect love expels all fear." So how do we marry this dichotomy? How can we fear God while he expels all fear? Let s take a look at some scriptures, and see if we can discern exactly what this means:
Fear of YHVH Genesis 42: 18 Then Joseph said to them on the third day, Do this and you will live. I fear God Exodus 1: 17 Yet the midwives feared God, so they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the boys live. Exodus 18: 21 But you should seek out capable men out of all the people men who fear God, men of truth, who hate bribery. Appoint them to be rulers over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Matthew 10: 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
Fear of YHVH Luke 12: 4 I say to you, My friends, you should not be afraid of those who kill the body, since after this they have nothing more they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear the One who, after the killing, has authority to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear this One! You can see in many of these verses, Fear of YHVH is connected to two paths: Fear YHVH or Fear Man
Fear of YHVH Holiness or Kedushah: When you draw near the Father, and you are involved in His service You must separate yourself from operating in the world the word used in Leviticus is Consecration. Webster's Definition of consecrate: dedicated to a sacred purpose. Abihu, and Nadab, allowed themselves to get drunk. During the entire day, as they were receiving the sacrifices brought by the people. Conducting the Tamid offerings, - they became loose in their conduct.
Fear of YHVH Captain of the Army: Over and over there is a reference to do what is commanded of you. One of the Names of YHVH, that came to become known to all of Israel began at Shiloh. - Adonai Tzavaot 1 Samuel 1: 3 Now this man used to go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to Adonai-Tzva ot in Shiloh. [a] (The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were kohanim of Adonai there.) Translated as Lord of Host or Captain of the Host. Clearly we see a reference to our King being the Head of an Army. This means there is discipline involved in the Service/Avodah.
Fear of YHVH Poles where placed on the sides of the Ark of the Covenant for lifting and carrying. This was built so the Levites would not touch the Mobile Throne of the King. Uzzah meant well to protect something dedicated to YHVH but this wasn t just any piece of furniture in the Temple this was where the very presence of our Creator symbolically ruled over Israel. There are three aspects of the Fear of YHVH: 1. Keeping the Commandments as the two midwives loyalty (love) toward their King. - They were guards over Israel. 2. Be aware of being in His Presence Holiness/Kedushah 3. Understand that both your life and soul are in His hands
Conclusion Romans 3: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. [c] 19 Now we know that whatever the Torah says, it says to those within the Torah, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become accountable to God. 20 For no human, on the basis of Torah observance, will be set right in His sight for through the Torah comes awareness of sin. Torah teaches the whole world an accountability to YHVH. For only He is judge over mankind. When you come into an observance and begin to work in His Kingdom Annanias and Sapphira knew that they couldn t neither break their oath, or lie to their King. They learned this accountability in the Torah, and the Holy Spirit kept them and us accountable.
Conclusion Romans 3: 21 But now God s righteousness apart from the Torah has been revealed, to which the Torah and the Prophets bear witness 22 namely, the righteousness of God through putting trust in Messiah Yeshua, to all who keep on trusting. For there is no distinction, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 They are set right as a gift of His grace, through the redemption that is in Messiah Yeshua. [f] 25 God set forth Yeshua as an atonement, [g] through faith in His blood, to show His righteousness in passing over sins already committed. 26 Through God s forbearance, He demonstrates His righteousness at the present time that He Himself is just and also the justifier of the one who puts his trust in Yeshua. [h]
Conclusion A person is not struck dead because he sins, for as Paul writes in Romans every one of us would be dead, since we all have sinned. Abihu and Nadab knew the instruction of how to conduct themselves in the Tabernacle, but their lack of judgment in His presence got them killed. Uzzah knew exactly how to conduct himself in the presence of YHVH, but his lack of judgement in the presence of our King got him killed. Annanias and Sapphira, were given instructions on how to help the poor, and their lack of judgment in the presence of our King got them killed.