Fearing God To Avoid Reproach (Nehemiah 5:9)

 


Wednesday, October 30, 2024


Psalms 148; 149

Nehemiah 5:1-13

2 Peter 2:1-11


Fearing God To Avoid Reproach (Nehemiah 5:9)


Once upon a time it was quite the compliment for a Christian to be referred to as a “God-fearing” man or woman. Nowadays the term seems to have fallen out of favour – a tragic casualty in the unstoppable forward march of language. Yet there is something to this concept, and to lose it is to lose a great deal of the confidence and bravery we rightly deserve as the people of God.


Indeed, Jesus taught us to fear: to fear not the one who could destroy the body, but the One who could destroy both body and soul. (Matthew 10:28) Perhaps we have lost the idea of fearing God over misguided yet noble concerns that it would harm our witness; yet that approach loses sight of two basic facts. One is that to fear God is lauded in the Bible as a Christian virtue, and we should never pick and choose which bits of the Bible we like and which bits we don’t. Second is that everyone has a fear of something: fear is a reality of life.


Nehemiah scolds the greedy bankers for charging interest on the money they lend to their family members. He is lending money himself, but he is “giving without expecting anything in return”. (Luke 6:35) It is not the lending that is the problem, because God gives everyone different ways to bless others. Rather, it is where the greedy bankers have placed their fear which is the problem. Instead of fearing God, they are fearing that they might not have as much money as they might have otherwise. What do we fear more than God that causes us to take shortcuts in our pilgrimage? Is God not the God of heaven and earth, with all things in the palm of his hand? God forgive us when we fear losing our comfort more than losing him.


More than that, the Jews are under intense scrutiny. They have made a bold claim when they say that the God above all other gods is the One for whom they are rebuilding the city. What makes their God so great, that the people who follow him behave just as badly as everyone else? How can they fulfil their commission from the Lord, first given to Abraham, to be a blessing to the nations, when they won’t even bless their own families?


When we fear God, we are set free from every other fear. It is a good thing to fear the Lord; it is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 1:7) Godly wisdom sees everything in perspective, with God above all, his loving-kindness caring for his people, and his justice protecting them from harm. The fear of God is a supernatural strength given to us, and by fearing God, others sit up and take notice. What are your fears in life? Where is the fear of God on that list? What of the strength of God could remove those other fears?


Lord of wisdom, remove from my heart the fear that would lead to sin. Give me a godly fear, so that I may grow into the child of the kingdom which you have made me to be.

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