Loving God is important. Fearing God is also important. Yet some do not understand. Whom you love, don’t we fear as well? Our parents, our spouses, for instance.
These verses make us understand the fear of God with greater clarity. Receiving the word of God and remembering the commandments of God, desperately crying for knowing God with a strong desire, as though wanting silver and gold and hidden treasures, then one will understand the fear of God. Proverbs 2:1-5 says: My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.
Fearing God leads us to knowledge, wisdom, and following God’s love. Fear of God thus keeps us away from being foolish. Proverbs 1:7 says: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 9:10 says: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
A person who fears God would walk in ways pleasing to God. The person would not go astray. Consequently, such a person would receive great blessings. Proverbs 22:4 says: By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life.
A woman who fears the Lord will be praised. Proverbs 31:30 says: Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
A person can be easily led into being confident in himself. Human reasoning can be deceptive. Thus its prudent not to consider oneself wise in ones own eyes, but rather trusting God and fearing God as a right basis to be away from evil. Proverbs 3:7 says: Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.
A person who fears God will hate evil, pride, arrogance, and evil ways. Such a person will hate a person who is habitually disobedient(froward). Proverbs 8:13 says: The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
When a person fears God, they depart from evil, they keep away from sin. The wages of sin is death. Thus fearing God, a person keeps way from traps of sin, rather leads the person to an abundant life. Proverbs 14:27 says: The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
