Passage Read: Job 29-32
Meditation Verse: 31:23
Thought
The fear of God was so great and so real to Job, that's what kept him from doing evil of any sort. He dreaded the destruction God could bring, and the ultimate destruction of eternal torment. He knew enough of the splendor of God that He feared to rouse the Lord against himself. The greatness and glory of God struck Job with fear and dread that kept him from doing evil and drove him to do what was right. And today we consider that bad! That's how you gain compliance but not faith. Yet obviously in Job fear of God did not keep him from honoring the Lord, seeking, knowing and loving the Lord. Fear and love are not in conflict, especially when they come from recognizing and knowing who the Lord truly is.
Application
The more highly exalted the Lord is in my own understanding, the more I rightly fear Him and love Him. The more I see Him in all His glory, the more I am overwhelmed by His greatness and the more I want to keep myself from ways that are not good and do those things that please Him. I need a vision of God in all His splendor, exalted high above me, so that I would never dare to do wrong but be compelled to do what is right. That's not wrong, because it embodies a love and an honor of God that delights Him. The fear of the Lord is just the beginning of wisdom, and it leads to greater knowledge of Him that brings true understanding. Rather, it is lowering God to our level that brings a cavalier attitude towards righteousness and godliness that is actually destructive to the individual.