FEAR OF GOD IN THE LIFE OF AN ISRAELITE

Israel's attitude toward God—and even more so, God's attitude toward Israel – shape the religious tradition and way of thinking about the One Who Is (cf. Ex 3:14). The history of the great Patriarchs and Kings, recalled in the synagogue ceremonies or temple ceremonies abound in the events in which Jehovah's service and fear of Jehovah play a significant role. The author of Deuteronomy gives commands to determine the special attitude of the Israelite: " The LORD, your God, shall you fear; him shall you serve, and by his name shall you swear " (Dt 6:13). Fear (Hebrew: yare'), service and reverence are essential elements of the life of a man who, with piety turns to God. The Old Testament contains many formulas concerning fear before God, and the same number of them brings to mind the question of value of love for Jehovah.

Did the devout Jew fear God more than he love Him? The answer to this question is not easy. The attitude of the pious Israelite is between love and fear, and these realities complement each other. The fear of God is not just a fear of well-deserved punishment, but also an expression of man's recognition of his smallness, sinfulness and insignificance. Man's behavior is not always in accordance with God's commands, and serving God is more than just avoiding evil and keeping certain regulations. The Israelite has his life and his whole being to express faith and serve God, who is above all other deities, and all is goodness, holiness, love, power and omnipotence. The great one and the mighty God, so fascinating and so terrifying, comes to Abraham, he speaks with Moses, he makes a covenant with the chosen people. He does everything because He loves man and wants to give him His graces. Contact with God frightens, arouses fear and anxiety, and at the same time provides, His support becomes a source of security. One must love God, but one must also fear him.

The faith of the Israelite is expressed in a concrete attitude of life. To believe in God it is not only to know Him, but also to subordinate to Him all the things that make up human existence. Any event, good or evil, indicates man's relationship to God, and at the same time every difficulty or evil becomes an opportunity to recognize the power of God at work. The Israelite believes in the power of God as Creator and Lord of all things but believes with a sense of fear (hbr. yre' at Yahweh). Faith is expressed in praise, adoration, and prostration, as evidenced by the words spoken by Job: " I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. “Who is this who obscures counsel with ignorance?” I have spoken but did not understand; things too marvelous for me, which I did not know. “Listen, and I will speak; I will question you, and you tell me the answers.” By hearsay I had heard of you, but now my eye has seen you. Therefore, I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes. " (Job 42:1-6).

The All-Powerful and Omniscient God comes to man as Holy. This attribute of Jehovah most emphasizes His inaccessibility and remoteness from creation. God is holy, and His holiness is revealed in the things that they belong to Him, especially in the Tabernacle - the Dwelling Place of God (cf. Exodus 36:8-39:43). The encounter with such a God gives birth in man the sense of his own unworthiness, reveals the secret of the human weakness and sin. If God is holy, thrice holy (cf. Is 6:3), then man it does not resemble Him in any way. He feels like a sinner and at the same time carries within himself longing for true purity. In this inner rift, it is revealed the authentic fear of God that stimulates man to recognize who he is himself and who is he before whom he stands. At the same time, it constantly shows the strength of God as the One who comes out to man with an invitation, draws him to himself, purifies and sanctifies him. The Holy God sanctifies man and the environment in which he lives, through the gift of the law and the making of the covenant.

Growing up in holiness, resulting from respect and reverence for God, it carries another hidden message: the Saint of Israel (cf. Is 5:24) is also the judge of all men, who judges not only the visible, but also the deepest desires of the human heart. Yahweh examines the heart of man and knows what is hidden in it – therefore the knowledge of God is fearful and intensifies the fear of His judgment. Only one who remains faithful can survive judgment and receive a reward from the Lord, whose word abides " firm as the heavens "(Ps 119:89) and a light for my path. (cf. Ps 119:105). Yahweh is a jealous God and punishes for the transgressions of those who have distanced themselves from Him, abandoning His commands. Punishment falls on man and his offspring until the fourth generations (cf. Ex 32:10; Deuteronomy 20:3), for all peoples and nations. The Judgment of the Lord is widespread, and fear of judgment day force one to practice religion. The fear of God leads directly to obedience, to discovery and to doing Jehovah's will every day. To fear Jehovah means to fulfill His commandments – but not as a slave does. Although the Old Testament speaks of God's wrath in the hour of judgment, but it also points to the source that anger is love.

God does not expect man that he fulfilled the regulations in the name of obedience to the law itself. The rules have him to induce to greater love and to behave in such a way, that everything he does, followed from it. For God loves man and wants him to respond with the same love. The Eschatological Judge is the same God who in history reveals himself as " gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity, continuing his love for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin" (Ex 34:6-7). And even if His entry into the history of the chosen people was accompanied by a formidable thunder and lightning, it was ultimately the fear of God (Greek: fóvos tou Theoú) had to preserve the people's memory of His closeness and to avoid sin.

In the Old Testament, God's wrath is repeatedly replaced by His kindness, and where there is a foreshadowing of punishment, it is also revealed blessing. Man's attitude and his desire to remain close to God are decisive here: to those who depart from him, God appears as a cruel Judge, and as a merciful father to those who convert. Fear of God is not just fear of one's own limitations of man, but also an expression of attachment, gratitude and trust. God is All for man, and all man should be for God. Obedience before Him does not consist in blindly doing His will, but in doing it, which pleases God. The right attitude bears fruit: "By steadfast loyalty guilt is expiated, and by the fear of the LORD evil is avoided" (Prov 16:6).

Until Tomorrow

fr. george