In the study, Sandy uses several Hebraic terms such as "Elohim" which means "God" and the Hebrew name of God transliterated as YHVH that English Bible translations render as "The LORD" and "Yashua HaMoshiach" aka "Jesus Christ", the anointed Messiah.
I know you will benefit from reading this important Scripture study.
The Fear of YHVH
by Sandy Smith
יִרְ אָה yir’ah
Strong's H3374 יִרְ אָה 22/60 [yir’ah /yir·aw/] n f. From 3373; TWOT 907b; GK 3711; 45 occurrences; AV translates as “fear” 41 times, “exceedingly + 1419” twice, “dreadful” once, and “fearfulness” once. 1 fear, terror, fearing. 1a fear, terror. 1b awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear). 1c fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety. 1d revered.
Psalms 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Abba, in the Name of Yashua HaMoshiach, I pray that you would teach me how to fear You.
In the beginning, Elohim created a perfect world. There was no death, sin, disobedience, weeds, thorns, stickers, rattlesnakes – nothing that hurts. We know from the Scriptures that man did not fear before the fall. Adam, who was created in the image of Elohim with the very breath of life breathed into him, became a living soul. Man was created expressly to worship Elohim. We see this picture very clearly in Genesis:
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Gen 2:15
The Hebrew word for “put” paints the picture of rest and repose. The word “dress” ( עָ בַ ד abad in Hebrew) means to “serve as subjects” or to “serve as in the Levitical priesthood”. Finally, the word keep is שׁ מַָ ר shamar, which is to guard, watch and observe. A quick look at “garden” and “Eden” reveals “an enclosed garden of pleasure”. The picture in the Hebrew language is that of Adam serving The Almighty by keeping His Commandments (or commandment not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) and Adam and Elohim being in perfect fellowship and relationship with each other; the intent of creation – to worship and serve the Creator.
Enter the serpent: Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (Ge 3:1)
Eve: We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Ge 3:2-3)
Serpent: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Ge 3:4-5)
Action: Eve looks at the fruit, and decides that it looks really delicious. She takes a bite, then she hands the fruit to Adam, he takes a bite, and suddenly they see that they do not have on any clothes. They sewed together leaves and made themselves aprons. All of a sudden they hear Elohim….They quickly hide behind some trees…
Voice of Elohim 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? (Ge 3:9)
Adam: 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. (Ge 3:10)
Why was Adam afraid; because of disobedience. The first occurrence of “the fear of YHVH”, and I would bet the Redneck Ranch that what they were feeling was a bit more than just fear, try terror, dread or panic. Remember back to when you were a child, was there a time when your parents specifically told you not to do something… but you did it anyway… and you got caught red-handed? Fear, panic, dread and terror gripped you and you knew that you were in really big trouble. It is now time to face the consequences and receive your punishment, you were caught red-handed and there are no excuses; nothing will get you out of it. Adam and Eve were caught red-handed, but their parent was the Creator of the Universe, introducing us to the “Fear of YHVH”.
Not only do we now have fear, but, by partaking of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the mixed seed has been introduced into the world, so now there is not only the good, but there is also the evil. ha-satan deceived Eve, and presented a counterfeit picture of reality – “you will not die, you will be like gods, knowing good and evil”. Not only did they die (eventually), they were also driven out of the garden and now they have to learn how to overcome evil, rather than being ruled by it. We also have been deceived and we must be able to discern between the truth and the counterfeit otherwise, we are ruled by the enemy. He deceives us by mimicking and imitating the things of Elohim.
For example, we were given the Feasts of YHVH in the Torah, these were given so we could learn and understand the shadow pictures of the coming of Messiah. The imitator has given us xmas and easter as counterfeits. Just like imitation butter (it is actually more related to plastic than food) is unhealthy for us, so are the counterfeit feasts. He has deceived us into believing that Messiah was born on the day of the re-birth of the sun god, instead of the Feast of Tabernacles, that he was crucified and resurrected at easter (the resurrection of the reincarnated sun god) instead of Passover, and he has tricked the world into thinking that believers will be raptured out of this world before the tribulation instead of being resurrected at the Feast of Trumpets. He will even deceive the world into believing that he is actually the Messiah, in reality he will be the anti – (the instead of, the counterfeit) messiah.
I say that to say, there is even a counterfeit “fear”!
For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. Job 3:25
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Ti 1:7
“Why are you so fearful?”1 The reality is that some people live this way, all of their lives. The last time I checked, there were over 700 phobias. Fear of death, fear of heights, fear of left turns and the ultimate: fear of fear. Studies show that we have a built in flight or fight mechanism, which kicks in when we are in a fearful or stressful situation. The body reacts with a shot of adrenaline and unless we turn around and physically run away or we stand up and fight our enemy, the adrenaline has some very adverse effects on our body. To stay in situations where this mechanism is in a constant state of “on”; results in “fear, anxiety and stress” disorders. I am not an expert in this area, or know just exactly how they relate to our physical well being, but research indicates that “anxiety disorders” profoundly affect our health and affect some so severely that it impairs their ability to function normally. This means that some people are so full of fear; they cannot get out of bed or leave their house. So, what is the answer? The pharmaceutical companies have developed a whole new line of drugs to treat these anxiety disorders; Prozac and Zoloft just to name a couple.2 This is just another imitation to undermine the deliverance and healing available in Messiah.
This kind of fear is from the enemy, NOT Elohim.
The imitator’s fear is designed to drive us away from Elohim and His ways. When we become consumed with the counterfeit fear, we have absolutely no faith. Yashua addresses this counterfeit fear with His disciples, when they were instructed to get into the boat and go over to the other side (Remember, as you read this, that several of the disciples are very seasoned fishermen.):
35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mk 4:35-41
The episode details that there was a great storm, the boat was full of water, about to sink and the disciples were terrified. They wake up Yashua, who is asleep in the back of the boat and exclaim, “Get up, don’t you care that we are all about to die?
Do something!
The Scriptures further detail that “He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still”. Yashua actually spoke to the circumstances, the wind and the waves. His response toward the disciples is unexpected, He is not sympathetic, He has no compassion or consolation for them; in fact, He actually rebukes them. “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Fearful, with no faith, is that how Messiah sees us?) There were at least four men on this boat that were seasoned fishermen, they knew the Sea of Galilee, they had been fishing on it all of their lives; their experience tells them that they are about to die. “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” What is Yashua trying to teach the disciples?
In order to understand this lesson, we have to go back to the Garden of Eden:
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Ge 1:26
Man was created to have dominion over the earth, but because the enemy has so deceived us, we now fear the very thing that we were created to rule. Yashua rebuked the disciples because they did not exercise their dominion over the wind, the waves and the storm; their circumstances. In order to overcome the circumstances that would “sink the ship” so to speak, we must know who we are in Yashua and we must have the faith to walk in our inheritance, so that we can take back our rightful rulership – dominion over all the earth.
Fear not only sinks the ship, fear utterly destroys it. It appeared to the disciples that they were about to die, their life experiences, their knowledge of the circumstances and their five senses confirmed it. They simply did not know that they had dominion over the storm. However, I suggest that when Messiah tells us to get into the boat and go to the other side, we must obey - in faith, regardless of the circumstances. When we have a clear command from Messiah, we know that nothing will prevent us from completing the task, but we must stand fast, in faith.
Does this mean that we cannot trust our life experiences, knowledge or senses? If they are fearful and unbelieving, then yes, they are not to be trusted.
Please note that leaning on our experience, knowledge and our senses is not the same as leaning on the Almighty. Experience is finding out life’s lessons the hard way, not necessarily the right way. Learning through experience is mostly learning through disobedience. Some disobedience carries a harsher consequence than others, some disobedience even leads to death. Why do we continue in the way of destruction, when we should be learning through obedience?
…Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. Jeremiah 16:19
“Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” I would suggest it is because, just like the disciples, we have been deceived, inherited lies and we neither know nor trust the Creator of the Universe; the one who has dominion over all creation. Let us take another look at the last verse of the passage in Mark: 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mk 4:41
“And they feared exceedingly…” Are these men big “scaredy cats”? First they are afraid of the storm, now they are afraid of Yashua… I think that they are afraid because they have just been personally introduced to the Creator of the Universe. “What manner of man is this?” We really need to meditate on that question. “What manner of man is this?” “What manner of man is this? “What manner of man is this?” I am not trying to be redundant; we really need to meditate on who Messiah is. We become very glib and cavalier about Yashua, because we do not know Him.
Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; Isa 44:24
He is our redeemer (Yashua), He formed us from the womb, and He makes all things! Are we getting a glimpse of the Creator yet? Can you understand why the disciples were fearful when they were in the boat? At this point, the storm and the near death experience would pale in the light of discovering that Yashua is the Creator.
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mk 4:41
Awe and amazement:
“What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Do you see the immediate change in attitude and how the disciples are looking at Yashua with awe and reverence? We might say: “Wow did ya’ll see that? He stopped storm – how did he do that? Who is this man, no I mean really, who is He? WOW!” 4 Yashua expects us to fear Him, to be in awe and respect Him and to revere Him.
Now that we have a little more understanding of what the true fear of YHVH is, how do we get rid of the imitation fear that we have nurtured all of our lives?
Let’s go to the Scriptures:
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 Jn 4:17-18
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear! He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” I know that He loves me, so why do I still have fear? I have struggled with that for a long time, but I think that we have had things backward. (Imagine that!) In order to understand how perfect love can cast out fear, we must know two things: 1) Who YHVH Messiah is and 2) Who we are in Messiah so that we may walk in our inheritance.
It is imperative that our view of The Almighty is not twisted or distorted. He is merciful, long-suffering, and gracious, but He also: 6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. Exodus 34:6-7
Don’t allow the distorted doctrine that YHVH is all hugs and kisses keep you from knowing and understanding His Reality. He is absolute perfection; that includes perfect mercy and perfect judgment. How would you react in the presence of His perfection? Would you react like the disciples did? Would you “fear exceedingly”? Remember how our fathers reacted? At the foot of Mt. Sinai after the Children of Israel had received the Ten Commandments, what did they tell Moses?
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. Ex 20:18-20
The Children of Israel were in the presence of the “thunderings”, “lightnings”, the noise of the trumpets (which were exceeding loud) and they were standing at the bottom of a mountain that was on fire: “You go Moses, don’t let Elohim speak to us anymore, or we will die”5 I am beginning to see a pattern here; fear, terror, panic and dread, they too were terrified of being in His presence, just like Adam and Eve and just like the disciples in the boat. I pause here, because, as I think this through, we too would be terrified to stand in His presence because we know that our disobedience, our sinful nature cannot stand in His Kadosh Presence of Perfection.
Remember the disciples in the boat? Remember they feared exceedingly?
Why? Because, just like the Children of Israel, they too have just been introduced to the Creator of the Universe; the One who has dominion over the wind and the waves. Have you had that introduction? We must meditate on who He is. What does it mean to be THE Creator; the one, the only Elohim; the One True El Elyon? I would suggest that if you don’t know the Creator you don’t really love Him. It is one thing to know of or about someone. It is entirely different to know them. That word “know” in the Hebrew actually infers a very intimate knowledge as in “Adam knew Eve and she conceived”. We must go back all the way to the Garden of Eden, to learn how to love Him. We need to walk with Elohim in the cool of the evening or in the quiet of the morning; talk to Him and listen as He speaks with us; we have to spend time with Him, to be in fellowship and relationship which means spending time in the Scriptures.
We should seek Him as we would for gold or precious diamonds.
This stuff is not just lying on the ground, waiting for you to casually stroll by and pick it up. You must mine for them for a reason – they are buried. You must also mine through the Scriptures to meet the Creator. If you don’t know where to search, try the Psalms, Job chapters 36 – 42, Exodus and all of the gospels. He is there; you just have to take the time to find Him. Once you realize who He is, you are going to be just like the disciples in the boat:
What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Jn 40:41
Remember the “greatest commandment”?
The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mk 12:29-30
There are times when we completely overlook the obvious. Someone had to point this out to me, so I am going to reciprocate. I had always started this verse out with “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God”… That is not what Yashua said. He said the first of all the commandments is “Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord.” Yashua quoted the “Shema”6. This has been spoken every Shabbat in every Tabernacle, Temple and synagogue service since the commandments were shouted down. There is a reason why it is spoken, the Shema declares YHVH as the one True Elohim AND that we are to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. He presents His credentials and then commands us to love only Him. There is no other option.
So, now that we know who He is and that we are to love Him with our whole being, is it possible to have any unbelief? Perfect love casts out fear. Not only does He love us, we love Him. When you love so completely you become filled with hope, faith and trust; there is no more room for the imitation fear. We are so in love and in awe of Messiah, we cannot even imagine being afraid anymore.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mk 9:23-24)
At least we are at a starting place!
Now that we have been introduced to YHVH, this brings up the second point: who are we in Messiah, how do we walk in our inheritance? In the Garden, when Elohim was punishing Adam and Eve, the curse on the serpent was that the seed of the woman would crush his head. The seed of the woman is a direct reference to the Messiah. Since the serpent stole the earth (or rulership of it) away from Adam, Messiah has to come and take it back. Seems a little too farfetched?
What happened when Yashua was tempted of Satan?
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Mt 4:8-10
Yashua didn’t argue the point with ha-satan that the kingdoms of the world were not his to give away. He could have just as easily said “The earth is YHVH’s and the fullness thereof.”7 But He didn’t, because ha-satan has a claim on the earth, even though he received it through deceit. Messiah came to take it back legally. By coming to the earth legitimately as the seed of the woman, and being a man without sin, the rulership is taken away from ha-satan and given back to Messiah: the second Adam.
This means that our inheritance in Messiah, gives us back the dominion over the earth that was forfeited back in the Garden.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Jn 14:12
Greater works are our inheritance. We now have the authority to speak to the storm.
Another aspect of inheritance, we share the same lineage with Messiah:
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal 3:29
If you are a believer in Messiah, then by definition, you are of the seed of Abraham. What exactly does it mean to be an “heir according to the promise”?
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. Ge 17:7
Since this is not a study of the covenants, I am not going to elaborate here, but basically, the covenant was established with Abraham and his seed for an everlasting covenant (this means it never goes away!). The promise that we are most interested in here is the promise of a son; through which the physical nation of Israel was born and through that same nation Messiah descended. This means that we are family; sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. Yashua further defined who His family is:
And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. Mt 12:49-50
Whosoever shall do the will of my Father… is my family! As family members, when we live under our Father’s roof, we are expected to keep the rules of His house. My daddy always expected that I obeyed his rules, why would our Heavenly Father be any different?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Mt 22:37-40
Basically Yashua is saying that all of the commandments in Scriptures (the Torah and the Prophets – there was not a “new testament” at this time, it had not been written) can be summed up into two sections: 1) Love only YHVH with all of your being. If you love Him, then the commandments about idolatry, Shabbat and taking His Name in vain are not difficult to keep. 2) Love your neighbor as you love yourself. If you love your neighbor, you are not going to commit adultery with his wife, steal from him, murder him, or covet what he owns. All those commandments roll up into loving your neighbor.
Who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. Lk 10:29-37
Our neighbor is one who is in need. I learned this story from my grandmother in Sunday school and that is how I considered it for years – a story. This is one of the places where we can get to know YHVH. His attributes are revealed through the actions of the Samaritan. He had compassion on the stranger; he dressed the wounds, and anointed him with oil and wine. He put the stranger on his own donkey and he walked, took him to the hotel, paid for his room, gave the manager more money for his care and then said if there were more charges he would catch them on his next trip through. Believe it or not, Yashua has done the same thing for us. He picks us up dead in our sins and iniquities and “by His stripes we are healed”.
Another aspect to walking in our inheritance is in Proverbs. (By the way, this is
another place where you can mine for diamonds) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Prov 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Prov 9:10
How can the fear of YHVH give us wisdom and knowledge?
When the children of Israel were at the foot of Mt. Sinai, Moses tells the Children of Israel: “Fear not: for Elohim is come to prove you, and that HIS FEAR MAY BE BEFORE YOUR FACES, THAT YOU SIN NOT.” The Hebrew word “before” is פָּ נֶה paniym which literally means – in the face of. “Do not be afraid (this “being afraid” is the imitation), you are not about to die, THIS IS A TEST. This is an unforgettable experience so that His fear (the reverence, awe, terror and dread) may always be in your face, to keep you from sinning.”9 This is our example to reveal to us the purpose of the Fear of YHVH, to keep our relationship with the Father so pure that we can truly love Him and worship Him walk in His commandments so that we may be kept as His set-apart people.
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! Deuteronomy 5:29
“And keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them.” We have already seen that by loving him and keeping His commandments (yes, the loving Him, the idolatry, the Shabbat, the taking His Name in vain and all the rest) we can cast out fear, but this verse implies consequences to not keeping the commandments:
Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. Da 9:14
You mean the Scriptures are saying that YHVH (translated as the LORD) brought evil upon us for not being obedient? The Lord brings evil upon us? That just can’t be right! Or can it?
The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. Dt 28:20
“That His Fear may be before your face that you sin not!” The consequence to sin is to be cursed, vexed (could this be fear of fear?), rebuked in all that you set your hand to do – ultimately destroyed. YHVH is not speaking to some heathen nation that does not know Him. He is speaking to His chosen people, the people He has called and made a covenant with.
We wonder why we are sick, financially broke, why our families are falling apart. Could it possibly be that we need to connect the dots in our lives and reveal the hidden picture? Could it be that because we refuse to fear and obey YHVH, that our lives are full of the consequences of our disobedience? Could it be that we have a twisted, perverted picture of who Messiah is? We are taught and we want to believe that He is a big santa clause, ready to do our bidding. We approach His throne xpecting to sit on His lap, give Him our “wish list” and then He pats us on the head and gives us a candy cane and we go our merry way. Then we wait expectantly for the “big day” when we receive everything we asked for!
Have we forgotten that the reason we were created was to worship and serve Him?
He is not here to serve us!
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. Josh 24:14
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Jn 4:23-24
Yashua is looking for those that will put away their gods, love and fear Him and worship Him. He shed His blood for us so that we might be restored.
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Mt 26:26-28
Remission: forgiveness or pardon; of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed). Letting them go as if they had never been committed! That would put us back in the Garden of Eden. The work of the Messiah restores that perfect fellowship and relationship. When we walk the way we are supposed to, in obedience and reverence, through Yashua, we can rightfully take back our inheritance; the dominion of the whole earth (Gen 1:26). We must embed in the deepest recesses of our being that the Creator of the Universe, the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the World is truly worthy of our love, awe, respect and reverence.
It is imperative that we reconcile (since I am an accountant, this word has significance – this is work, not just a mental acknowledgment) our relationship as the seed of Abraham, joint heirs with Yashua, sons and daughters of the Living Creator. This reconciliation involves understanding that:
We have to know that we were created to serve and worship the Creator.
We must place ourselves back in the Garden, exercising our dominion
over all the earth.
We have to take back our inheritance that ha-satan stole from us.
We must learn to love Him with all that we are and walk in His
commandments.
We must realize that we are sons and daughters of El Elyon (the Most
High)
Then when we get into the boat we will not be afraid, no matter how hard the wind blows, how big the waves get, how full of water the boat is, no matter how… We are not terrified, we are in perfect fellowship and relationship and we say:
“Peace be still.”
I challenge you today to get to know the Creator, so that you can love Him with all of your being. When you do, you will desire to please Him and to serve Him. Having a fearful soul will be thing of the past. Then at the end, when He returns, we will hear “Well done, thou good and faithful servant:”10 rather than “Why are you so fearful, how is it you have no faith”. 10 Matt. 25:21
1 Mark 4:40b
2 There was an Aug, 2009 article on Yahoo News that said there were now twenty seven million people using antidepressants in the US and the ones that have been taking them are now taking more!
3 Sandy’s revised version
4 SRV
5 SRV – again!
6 Deuteronomy 6:4
7 Psalms 24:1
8 Isaiah 53:5
9 ibid
I know you will benefit from reading this important Scripture study.
The Fear of YHVH
by Sandy Smith
יִרְ אָה yir’ah
Strong's H3374 יִרְ אָה 22/60 [yir’ah /yir·aw/] n f. From 3373; TWOT 907b; GK 3711; 45 occurrences; AV translates as “fear” 41 times, “exceedingly + 1419” twice, “dreadful” once, and “fearfulness” once. 1 fear, terror, fearing. 1a fear, terror. 1b awesome or terrifying thing (object causing fear). 1c fear (of God), respect, reverence, piety. 1d revered.
Psalms 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Abba, in the Name of Yashua HaMoshiach, I pray that you would teach me how to fear You.
In the beginning, Elohim created a perfect world. There was no death, sin, disobedience, weeds, thorns, stickers, rattlesnakes – nothing that hurts. We know from the Scriptures that man did not fear before the fall. Adam, who was created in the image of Elohim with the very breath of life breathed into him, became a living soul. Man was created expressly to worship Elohim. We see this picture very clearly in Genesis:
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Gen 2:15
The Hebrew word for “put” paints the picture of rest and repose. The word “dress” ( עָ בַ ד abad in Hebrew) means to “serve as subjects” or to “serve as in the Levitical priesthood”. Finally, the word keep is שׁ מַָ ר shamar, which is to guard, watch and observe. A quick look at “garden” and “Eden” reveals “an enclosed garden of pleasure”. The picture in the Hebrew language is that of Adam serving The Almighty by keeping His Commandments (or commandment not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) and Adam and Elohim being in perfect fellowship and relationship with each other; the intent of creation – to worship and serve the Creator.
Enter the serpent: Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (Ge 3:1)
Eve: We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (Ge 3:2-3)
Serpent: And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Ge 3:4-5)
Action: Eve looks at the fruit, and decides that it looks really delicious. She takes a bite, then she hands the fruit to Adam, he takes a bite, and suddenly they see that they do not have on any clothes. They sewed together leaves and made themselves aprons. All of a sudden they hear Elohim….They quickly hide behind some trees…
Voice of Elohim 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? (Ge 3:9)
Adam: 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. (Ge 3:10)
Why was Adam afraid; because of disobedience. The first occurrence of “the fear of YHVH”, and I would bet the Redneck Ranch that what they were feeling was a bit more than just fear, try terror, dread or panic. Remember back to when you were a child, was there a time when your parents specifically told you not to do something… but you did it anyway… and you got caught red-handed? Fear, panic, dread and terror gripped you and you knew that you were in really big trouble. It is now time to face the consequences and receive your punishment, you were caught red-handed and there are no excuses; nothing will get you out of it. Adam and Eve were caught red-handed, but their parent was the Creator of the Universe, introducing us to the “Fear of YHVH”.
Not only do we now have fear, but, by partaking of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the mixed seed has been introduced into the world, so now there is not only the good, but there is also the evil. ha-satan deceived Eve, and presented a counterfeit picture of reality – “you will not die, you will be like gods, knowing good and evil”. Not only did they die (eventually), they were also driven out of the garden and now they have to learn how to overcome evil, rather than being ruled by it. We also have been deceived and we must be able to discern between the truth and the counterfeit otherwise, we are ruled by the enemy. He deceives us by mimicking and imitating the things of Elohim.
For example, we were given the Feasts of YHVH in the Torah, these were given so we could learn and understand the shadow pictures of the coming of Messiah. The imitator has given us xmas and easter as counterfeits. Just like imitation butter (it is actually more related to plastic than food) is unhealthy for us, so are the counterfeit feasts. He has deceived us into believing that Messiah was born on the day of the re-birth of the sun god, instead of the Feast of Tabernacles, that he was crucified and resurrected at easter (the resurrection of the reincarnated sun god) instead of Passover, and he has tricked the world into thinking that believers will be raptured out of this world before the tribulation instead of being resurrected at the Feast of Trumpets. He will even deceive the world into believing that he is actually the Messiah, in reality he will be the anti – (the instead of, the counterfeit) messiah.
I say that to say, there is even a counterfeit “fear”!
For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. Job 3:25
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Ti 1:7
“Why are you so fearful?”1 The reality is that some people live this way, all of their lives. The last time I checked, there were over 700 phobias. Fear of death, fear of heights, fear of left turns and the ultimate: fear of fear. Studies show that we have a built in flight or fight mechanism, which kicks in when we are in a fearful or stressful situation. The body reacts with a shot of adrenaline and unless we turn around and physically run away or we stand up and fight our enemy, the adrenaline has some very adverse effects on our body. To stay in situations where this mechanism is in a constant state of “on”; results in “fear, anxiety and stress” disorders. I am not an expert in this area, or know just exactly how they relate to our physical well being, but research indicates that “anxiety disorders” profoundly affect our health and affect some so severely that it impairs their ability to function normally. This means that some people are so full of fear; they cannot get out of bed or leave their house. So, what is the answer? The pharmaceutical companies have developed a whole new line of drugs to treat these anxiety disorders; Prozac and Zoloft just to name a couple.2 This is just another imitation to undermine the deliverance and healing available in Messiah.
This kind of fear is from the enemy, NOT Elohim.
The imitator’s fear is designed to drive us away from Elohim and His ways. When we become consumed with the counterfeit fear, we have absolutely no faith. Yashua addresses this counterfeit fear with His disciples, when they were instructed to get into the boat and go over to the other side (Remember, as you read this, that several of the disciples are very seasoned fishermen.):
35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mk 4:35-41
The episode details that there was a great storm, the boat was full of water, about to sink and the disciples were terrified. They wake up Yashua, who is asleep in the back of the boat and exclaim, “Get up, don’t you care that we are all about to die?
Do something!
The Scriptures further detail that “He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace be still”. Yashua actually spoke to the circumstances, the wind and the waves. His response toward the disciples is unexpected, He is not sympathetic, He has no compassion or consolation for them; in fact, He actually rebukes them. “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Fearful, with no faith, is that how Messiah sees us?) There were at least four men on this boat that were seasoned fishermen, they knew the Sea of Galilee, they had been fishing on it all of their lives; their experience tells them that they are about to die. “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” What is Yashua trying to teach the disciples?
In order to understand this lesson, we have to go back to the Garden of Eden:
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Ge 1:26
Man was created to have dominion over the earth, but because the enemy has so deceived us, we now fear the very thing that we were created to rule. Yashua rebuked the disciples because they did not exercise their dominion over the wind, the waves and the storm; their circumstances. In order to overcome the circumstances that would “sink the ship” so to speak, we must know who we are in Yashua and we must have the faith to walk in our inheritance, so that we can take back our rightful rulership – dominion over all the earth.
Fear not only sinks the ship, fear utterly destroys it. It appeared to the disciples that they were about to die, their life experiences, their knowledge of the circumstances and their five senses confirmed it. They simply did not know that they had dominion over the storm. However, I suggest that when Messiah tells us to get into the boat and go to the other side, we must obey - in faith, regardless of the circumstances. When we have a clear command from Messiah, we know that nothing will prevent us from completing the task, but we must stand fast, in faith.
Does this mean that we cannot trust our life experiences, knowledge or senses? If they are fearful and unbelieving, then yes, they are not to be trusted.
Please note that leaning on our experience, knowledge and our senses is not the same as leaning on the Almighty. Experience is finding out life’s lessons the hard way, not necessarily the right way. Learning through experience is mostly learning through disobedience. Some disobedience carries a harsher consequence than others, some disobedience even leads to death. Why do we continue in the way of destruction, when we should be learning through obedience?
…Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit. Jeremiah 16:19
“Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” I would suggest it is because, just like the disciples, we have been deceived, inherited lies and we neither know nor trust the Creator of the Universe; the one who has dominion over all creation. Let us take another look at the last verse of the passage in Mark: 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mk 4:41
“And they feared exceedingly…” Are these men big “scaredy cats”? First they are afraid of the storm, now they are afraid of Yashua… I think that they are afraid because they have just been personally introduced to the Creator of the Universe. “What manner of man is this?” We really need to meditate on that question. “What manner of man is this?” “What manner of man is this? “What manner of man is this?” I am not trying to be redundant; we really need to meditate on who Messiah is. We become very glib and cavalier about Yashua, because we do not know Him.
Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; Isa 44:24
He is our redeemer (Yashua), He formed us from the womb, and He makes all things! Are we getting a glimpse of the Creator yet? Can you understand why the disciples were fearful when they were in the boat? At this point, the storm and the near death experience would pale in the light of discovering that Yashua is the Creator.
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Mk 4:41
Awe and amazement:
“What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” Do you see the immediate change in attitude and how the disciples are looking at Yashua with awe and reverence? We might say: “Wow did ya’ll see that? He stopped storm – how did he do that? Who is this man, no I mean really, who is He? WOW!” 4 Yashua expects us to fear Him, to be in awe and respect Him and to revere Him.
Now that we have a little more understanding of what the true fear of YHVH is, how do we get rid of the imitation fear that we have nurtured all of our lives?
Let’s go to the Scriptures:
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 1 Jn 4:17-18
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear! He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” I know that He loves me, so why do I still have fear? I have struggled with that for a long time, but I think that we have had things backward. (Imagine that!) In order to understand how perfect love can cast out fear, we must know two things: 1) Who YHVH Messiah is and 2) Who we are in Messiah so that we may walk in our inheritance.
It is imperative that our view of The Almighty is not twisted or distorted. He is merciful, long-suffering, and gracious, but He also: 6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. Exodus 34:6-7
Don’t allow the distorted doctrine that YHVH is all hugs and kisses keep you from knowing and understanding His Reality. He is absolute perfection; that includes perfect mercy and perfect judgment. How would you react in the presence of His perfection? Would you react like the disciples did? Would you “fear exceedingly”? Remember how our fathers reacted? At the foot of Mt. Sinai after the Children of Israel had received the Ten Commandments, what did they tell Moses?
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not. Ex 20:18-20
The Children of Israel were in the presence of the “thunderings”, “lightnings”, the noise of the trumpets (which were exceeding loud) and they were standing at the bottom of a mountain that was on fire: “You go Moses, don’t let Elohim speak to us anymore, or we will die”5 I am beginning to see a pattern here; fear, terror, panic and dread, they too were terrified of being in His presence, just like Adam and Eve and just like the disciples in the boat. I pause here, because, as I think this through, we too would be terrified to stand in His presence because we know that our disobedience, our sinful nature cannot stand in His Kadosh Presence of Perfection.
Remember the disciples in the boat? Remember they feared exceedingly?
Why? Because, just like the Children of Israel, they too have just been introduced to the Creator of the Universe; the One who has dominion over the wind and the waves. Have you had that introduction? We must meditate on who He is. What does it mean to be THE Creator; the one, the only Elohim; the One True El Elyon? I would suggest that if you don’t know the Creator you don’t really love Him. It is one thing to know of or about someone. It is entirely different to know them. That word “know” in the Hebrew actually infers a very intimate knowledge as in “Adam knew Eve and she conceived”. We must go back all the way to the Garden of Eden, to learn how to love Him. We need to walk with Elohim in the cool of the evening or in the quiet of the morning; talk to Him and listen as He speaks with us; we have to spend time with Him, to be in fellowship and relationship which means spending time in the Scriptures.
We should seek Him as we would for gold or precious diamonds.
This stuff is not just lying on the ground, waiting for you to casually stroll by and pick it up. You must mine for them for a reason – they are buried. You must also mine through the Scriptures to meet the Creator. If you don’t know where to search, try the Psalms, Job chapters 36 – 42, Exodus and all of the gospels. He is there; you just have to take the time to find Him. Once you realize who He is, you are going to be just like the disciples in the boat:
What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Jn 40:41
Remember the “greatest commandment”?
The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. Mk 12:29-30
There are times when we completely overlook the obvious. Someone had to point this out to me, so I am going to reciprocate. I had always started this verse out with “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God”… That is not what Yashua said. He said the first of all the commandments is “Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord.” Yashua quoted the “Shema”6. This has been spoken every Shabbat in every Tabernacle, Temple and synagogue service since the commandments were shouted down. There is a reason why it is spoken, the Shema declares YHVH as the one True Elohim AND that we are to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. He presents His credentials and then commands us to love only Him. There is no other option.
So, now that we know who He is and that we are to love Him with our whole being, is it possible to have any unbelief? Perfect love casts out fear. Not only does He love us, we love Him. When you love so completely you become filled with hope, faith and trust; there is no more room for the imitation fear. We are so in love and in awe of Messiah, we cannot even imagine being afraid anymore.
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mk 9:23-24)
At least we are at a starting place!
Now that we have been introduced to YHVH, this brings up the second point: who are we in Messiah, how do we walk in our inheritance? In the Garden, when Elohim was punishing Adam and Eve, the curse on the serpent was that the seed of the woman would crush his head. The seed of the woman is a direct reference to the Messiah. Since the serpent stole the earth (or rulership of it) away from Adam, Messiah has to come and take it back. Seems a little too farfetched?
What happened when Yashua was tempted of Satan?
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Mt 4:8-10
Yashua didn’t argue the point with ha-satan that the kingdoms of the world were not his to give away. He could have just as easily said “The earth is YHVH’s and the fullness thereof.”7 But He didn’t, because ha-satan has a claim on the earth, even though he received it through deceit. Messiah came to take it back legally. By coming to the earth legitimately as the seed of the woman, and being a man without sin, the rulership is taken away from ha-satan and given back to Messiah: the second Adam.
This means that our inheritance in Messiah, gives us back the dominion over the earth that was forfeited back in the Garden.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Jn 14:12
Greater works are our inheritance. We now have the authority to speak to the storm.
Another aspect of inheritance, we share the same lineage with Messiah:
And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Gal 3:29
If you are a believer in Messiah, then by definition, you are of the seed of Abraham. What exactly does it mean to be an “heir according to the promise”?
And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. Ge 17:7
Since this is not a study of the covenants, I am not going to elaborate here, but basically, the covenant was established with Abraham and his seed for an everlasting covenant (this means it never goes away!). The promise that we are most interested in here is the promise of a son; through which the physical nation of Israel was born and through that same nation Messiah descended. This means that we are family; sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. Yashua further defined who His family is:
And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. Mt 12:49-50
Whosoever shall do the will of my Father… is my family! As family members, when we live under our Father’s roof, we are expected to keep the rules of His house. My daddy always expected that I obeyed his rules, why would our Heavenly Father be any different?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Mt 22:37-40
Basically Yashua is saying that all of the commandments in Scriptures (the Torah and the Prophets – there was not a “new testament” at this time, it had not been written) can be summed up into two sections: 1) Love only YHVH with all of your being. If you love Him, then the commandments about idolatry, Shabbat and taking His Name in vain are not difficult to keep. 2) Love your neighbor as you love yourself. If you love your neighbor, you are not going to commit adultery with his wife, steal from him, murder him, or covet what he owns. All those commandments roll up into loving your neighbor.
Who is my neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. Lk 10:29-37
Our neighbor is one who is in need. I learned this story from my grandmother in Sunday school and that is how I considered it for years – a story. This is one of the places where we can get to know YHVH. His attributes are revealed through the actions of the Samaritan. He had compassion on the stranger; he dressed the wounds, and anointed him with oil and wine. He put the stranger on his own donkey and he walked, took him to the hotel, paid for his room, gave the manager more money for his care and then said if there were more charges he would catch them on his next trip through. Believe it or not, Yashua has done the same thing for us. He picks us up dead in our sins and iniquities and “by His stripes we are healed”.
Another aspect to walking in our inheritance is in Proverbs. (By the way, this is
another place where you can mine for diamonds) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Prov 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Prov 9:10
How can the fear of YHVH give us wisdom and knowledge?
When the children of Israel were at the foot of Mt. Sinai, Moses tells the Children of Israel: “Fear not: for Elohim is come to prove you, and that HIS FEAR MAY BE BEFORE YOUR FACES, THAT YOU SIN NOT.” The Hebrew word “before” is פָּ נֶה paniym which literally means – in the face of. “Do not be afraid (this “being afraid” is the imitation), you are not about to die, THIS IS A TEST. This is an unforgettable experience so that His fear (the reverence, awe, terror and dread) may always be in your face, to keep you from sinning.”9 This is our example to reveal to us the purpose of the Fear of YHVH, to keep our relationship with the Father so pure that we can truly love Him and worship Him walk in His commandments so that we may be kept as His set-apart people.
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! Deuteronomy 5:29
“And keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them.” We have already seen that by loving him and keeping His commandments (yes, the loving Him, the idolatry, the Shabbat, the taking His Name in vain and all the rest) we can cast out fear, but this verse implies consequences to not keeping the commandments:
Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice. Da 9:14
You mean the Scriptures are saying that YHVH (translated as the LORD) brought evil upon us for not being obedient? The Lord brings evil upon us? That just can’t be right! Or can it?
The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me. Dt 28:20
“That His Fear may be before your face that you sin not!” The consequence to sin is to be cursed, vexed (could this be fear of fear?), rebuked in all that you set your hand to do – ultimately destroyed. YHVH is not speaking to some heathen nation that does not know Him. He is speaking to His chosen people, the people He has called and made a covenant with.
We wonder why we are sick, financially broke, why our families are falling apart. Could it possibly be that we need to connect the dots in our lives and reveal the hidden picture? Could it be that because we refuse to fear and obey YHVH, that our lives are full of the consequences of our disobedience? Could it be that we have a twisted, perverted picture of who Messiah is? We are taught and we want to believe that He is a big santa clause, ready to do our bidding. We approach His throne xpecting to sit on His lap, give Him our “wish list” and then He pats us on the head and gives us a candy cane and we go our merry way. Then we wait expectantly for the “big day” when we receive everything we asked for!
Have we forgotten that the reason we were created was to worship and serve Him?
He is not here to serve us!
Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. Josh 24:14
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Jn 4:23-24
Yashua is looking for those that will put away their gods, love and fear Him and worship Him. He shed His blood for us so that we might be restored.
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Mt 26:26-28
Remission: forgiveness or pardon; of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed). Letting them go as if they had never been committed! That would put us back in the Garden of Eden. The work of the Messiah restores that perfect fellowship and relationship. When we walk the way we are supposed to, in obedience and reverence, through Yashua, we can rightfully take back our inheritance; the dominion of the whole earth (Gen 1:26). We must embed in the deepest recesses of our being that the Creator of the Universe, the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of the World is truly worthy of our love, awe, respect and reverence.
It is imperative that we reconcile (since I am an accountant, this word has significance – this is work, not just a mental acknowledgment) our relationship as the seed of Abraham, joint heirs with Yashua, sons and daughters of the Living Creator. This reconciliation involves understanding that:
We have to know that we were created to serve and worship the Creator.
We must place ourselves back in the Garden, exercising our dominion
over all the earth.
We have to take back our inheritance that ha-satan stole from us.
We must learn to love Him with all that we are and walk in His
commandments.
We must realize that we are sons and daughters of El Elyon (the Most
High)
Then when we get into the boat we will not be afraid, no matter how hard the wind blows, how big the waves get, how full of water the boat is, no matter how… We are not terrified, we are in perfect fellowship and relationship and we say:
“Peace be still.”
I challenge you today to get to know the Creator, so that you can love Him with all of your being. When you do, you will desire to please Him and to serve Him. Having a fearful soul will be thing of the past. Then at the end, when He returns, we will hear “Well done, thou good and faithful servant:”10 rather than “Why are you so fearful, how is it you have no faith”. 10 Matt. 25:21
1 Mark 4:40b
2 There was an Aug, 2009 article on Yahoo News that said there were now twenty seven million people using antidepressants in the US and the ones that have been taking them are now taking more!
3 Sandy’s revised version
4 SRV
5 SRV – again!
6 Deuteronomy 6:4
7 Psalms 24:1
8 Isaiah 53:5
9 ibid
