Fear יִרְאָה

We are in chapter twenty of Exodus with our word for today with both the verb and noun forms. The verb יָרֵא fear, be afraid, fear God. It is used 316 times in the Old Testament. Since we have already looked at the verb several times I want to focus on the noun today. The noun יִרְאָה fear, reverence, a feeling of profound respect for someone or something. It is used 44 times in the Old Testament. The noun is used in the sense of respect here is the only example that is not a direct reference to God himself. Isaiah 7:25 As for all the hills once cultivated by the hoe, you will no longer go there for יִרְאָה fear of the briers and thorns; they will become places where cattle are turned loose and where sheep run. This is a good example because people would respect the boundary and not go there because of the fear of the consequences of the thorny terrain. All the other 43 uses refer to respecting God because of who he is and what he can do. A good example is the sailors who found out that Jonah was running away from God. Jonah 1:9-10, 12-16 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” וַיִּֽירְא֤וּ This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)…Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. וַיִּֽירְא֧וּ [In the original our word is used twice the translators just have it once. So it is literally They feared the men feared greatly] At this the men greatly יִרְאָ֥ה feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. This is the sense of how our word is used in our chapter today. Exodus 20:18-21 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid וַיָּנֻ֔עוּ [this is the word for shaking, trembling that we have already looked at. The word afraid is supplied by the translators to help us understand why the people were shaking] and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not תִּירָאוּ֒fear, for God has come to test you, that the יִרְאָת֛וֹfear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.Most of the uses of our word have fearing the LORD or YHWH used 23 times. Here is a good example reminding us where true wisdom comes from. Proverbs 1:7 The יִרְאַ֣תfear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. This is true wisdom because we know to respect the great I AM reality God. Because his name reminds us that whatever God decides to do becomes reality. This is the one a wise person fears, respects and follows. The good news is that this is the best thing for us because God also loves us and has our best interest in mind. I’ll close with this great passage about having God’s respect in our hearts and his desire to always do good for us. Jeremiah 32:40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the יִרְאָתִי֙ fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.