What does it mean to “fear” God?

 It helps to have a concordance handy to look up the meaning of the word in the original Hebrew and Greek.  In many cases, that word “fear” actually is better translated as “reverence.”

For example, 1 Samuel (12:24, Berean Study Bible) tells us, “Above all, fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you.”

This Scripture isn’t saying we should be “afraid” of God, but instead that we should have deep reverence when we serve Him and always remember the blessings He has provided.

The word “reverence” means “deep respect,” which is exactly the attitude we should always have regarding God, His son Jesus, and the Bible.

In Exodus, when God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He spoke to him through a burning bush. (Exodus 3:5, NIV) “‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’” Doing this was an act of reverence for God and His message.

In the book of John (see John 2:13-16), It was deep reverence for God that caused Jesus to overturn the tables of the money changers in the temple. He knew they were cheating the people and not treating God’s house with the proper respect His father deserved.

Daniel (see Daniel 6:10) continued to pray to God even after it was declared against Persian law to do so. He knew the punishment was to be thrown into a hungry lion’s den, but his reverence for God was so great that he could not stop praising and honoring God. By God’s grace and protection, Daniel was saved.

If you have a specific scripture you want to cite for the fear/reverence issue, you can see its meaning and how it was translated here:   https://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html

To learn more about God listen to, “Who is God?”

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