“Howdy!”

This is usually the first thing out of my mouth when I am asked to speak at one church or another. I also hold up my hands so that people can see my empty palms. My seminary preaching professor would not approve, most likely. Why begin in this manner?

Half the time when I speak, the sound system operator forgets to turn on my microphone until after my first sentence. Since my preaching professor drilled into us the importance of arresting attention with the first words out of our mouths, those words should be audible to everyone in the room. “Howdy” provides an opportunity for the sound operator to remember to turn up the volume.

Why the open palms? A study a few years ago explained what sets audiences at ease when listening to a speaker. Eye contact, as you might guess, is important. So also is it important for the audience to feel safe. If the speaker places his or her hands in pockets, people wonder like Gollum in The Hobbit, “What’s it got in its pocketeses?” Open hands remove a barrier of anxiety. 

Go thou and do likewise.

Here we have another text about a test. Pharaoh flunked all of his tests. How did that work out for him and for his nation? So far in this book, Israel has passed one test only to fail the next. Here we have a test leading to a phrase we read again and again throughout the remainder of the Old Testament. 

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” 

The overwhelming presence of God was much too much for the people. His voice was too loud. He shouted in their ears. The thunder, lightning, and smoke made them tremble with fear. 

Moses calls this a test. God in his perfect holiness is too pure, too intense, too overpowering for a sinful human to remain alive and unafraid in his presence. The nearer we draw into his presence, the clearer we see the sin spots and blemishes of our lives. The more we see God for who he is, the more we see ourselves for who we are. No wonder the Bible records people who have close encounters with God as shrinking back in fear and attempting to hide themselves from his presence. 

The Fear of the LORD motivates us to live on our best behavior. Yes, this term can indicate deepest reverence and absolute awe, but do not miss the idea of sheer terror associated with God’s perfect holiness and the sin in our lives building barriers between us. 

The Bible contains 366 commands to Fear Not. These commands come to those who have found favor with God. They are spoken to people who reacted naturally to the presence of our Holy God. Fear of God is a fitting motive for avoiding sinful behavior. 

We never understand how problematic our sins are until we draw closer to God at his initiation and invitation. We never pray for forgiveness like we do when we realize how holy he is. We never understand God’s mercy and grace until we experience freely and humbly confessing our sins and seeking his forgiveness. 

Fear is a powerful motivator. It keeps most people from jumping out of perfectly good airplanes, for example. How do we overcome the Fear of God? First John 4:18 helps us at this point:

The Apostle John who wrote these words also wrote Revelation 1:12-17. Notice his testimony in verse 17:

This is definitely the Fear of the LORD. But notice what happens next.

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