Who are they that live in the holy fear of Yahweh? You will show them the right path to take. Psalm 25:12 TPT
My Dad, Clint, taught me to fear God. Over the course of our years together, he spoke of loving and fearing God – that both are needed to follow Jesus. My father was a used car salesman, which provided ample opportunity for compromise.
Below is a composite of his teaching in a single paragraph…
Grant, don’t think it strange that God wants us to fear Him. Following Jesus is a narrow path with thorns, snakes, and even cliffs on each side. You stay on the path because you fear the danger off the path. Unfortunately, fear isn’t enough. If you don’t learn to love God and be content with your path – you will wander. I’ve witnessed believers wander, and even blame God when they encounter divorce, bankruptcy, or sickness.
From my father to Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a Russian Nobel prize winner, commenting on the Communist Russian Revolution…
Over a half century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of old people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.” Since then, I have spent well-nigh fifty years working on the history of our revolution; in the process, I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some sixty million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.”
Freedom from ensnaring troubles and the blessings received by living a life of fearing and loving God are taught in the Psalms.
Who are they that live in the holy fear of Yahweh?
You will show them the right path to take.
Then prosperity and favor will be their portion,
and their descendants will inherit the earth.
There’s a private place reserved for the devoted lovers of Yahweh,
where they sit near him and receive
the revelation-secrets of his promises.
Rescue me, Yahweh, for you free my feet from every trap. Psalm 25:12-15 TPT
My Dad, the car salesman, would conclude this blog by saying something like:
When I sell a car, I tell people what is wrong with it even if it costs me the sale. I don’t want to offend God and I still want to have a friend after I sell them a car.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Laureate, would say:
Amen!
Clint and Aleksandr – I bet they are discussing this blog in heaven.