One Torah for All
One Torah shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. Exodus 12:49
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Walking in the Fear of Elohim
Ma’aseh (Acts) 13:16
And Shaul stood up, and beckoning with the hand said, “Men of Israel, and you that fear Elohim, shema.”
What does it mean to fear Elohim? I mean really now, we hear this talked about now and again. We even read about it in Scripture, but what does it mean to fear Elohim? There are three different Hebrew words that are translated as “fear.” The most common one is יָרָא – yara. Browns Driver and Briggs gives the definition of this word as to fear, revere or to be afraid. However, we gain a deeper understanding of this word when we look in the Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew by Matityahu Clark, in which he gives the meaning of this root as fear or to call to constant attention. It is the latter definition that really catches our attention, for this is exactly the attitude a servant would have towards his master. It is at this point that our understanding is greatly enhanced beyond the common rhetoric of fear and respect. It is this definition that actually helps us and gives us direction in which to walk. It gives us something tangible to do in our relationship with YHWH. So, it would follow according to this definition, that the more attention that we give to YHWH in following Him and obeying Him, the more we fear Him. This we can do!
The other Hebrew word is פָּחַד – pachad. Brown Driver and Briggs gives the definition of this word as to fear, tremble, revere, dread, be in awe. Once again our understanding is enhanced from the Etymological Dictionary, for it gives the definition of this root word as fear impending danger. We find this word used in the following passage.
Hoshea 3:5
Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek YHWH their Elohim, and David their king, and shall come with fear to YHWH and to His goodness in the latter days.
This prophecy is speaking to us today and that we will return to Him in פָּחַד pachad, in fear. Why? Perhaps this is true because we have been separated from Him and His house for so many generations that we do not want it to happen again. May this fear of impending danger ever be upon us all!
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 29:23
“But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My name; yes, they shall sanctify the Holy One of Ya’aqov, and shall stand in awe of the Elohim of Israel.”
In the above verse we find the Hebrew word עָרַץ – ‘aratz, which primarily means “to tremble or to dread.” In this verse we find this word in the hiphil imperfect third person masculine plural stem. So the meaning in this verse would be that the descendants of Ya’aqov will be inspired with awe of YHWH, the Elohim of Israel. The good news here, is that because this word is in the imperfect state, that means that the inspiration of awe will never come to an end, which means that we will serve YHWH back in the land forever keeping and obeying His Torah the way that He desires for us to keep it.
Surely, those who are returning to YHWH our Elohim in these latter days understand the song sung by David.
Tehillim (Psalm) 40:1-4
1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
I waited patiently for YHWH;
And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay;
And He set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3 And He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise to our Elohim;
Many shall see it, and fear,
And shall trust in YHWH.
4 Blessed is the man that makes YHWH his trust,
And respects not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
When we walk uprightly before YHWH our Elohim it will be a testimony to many who will see it and come to fear Him as well. It is the testimony of a righteous life. We must make YHWH our trust, not man. Man has a tendency to be puffed up with pride and when that happens he turns aside to follow after lies for he no longer fears YHWH our Elohim. It is important to keep the fear of Elohim before our own eyes continually and consistently that we might walk in the fullness of that fear at all times so that we do not follow after the dictates of our own heart.
Tehillim (Psalm) 36:1-4
1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of YHWH.
Transgression speaks to the wicked within his heart,
There is no fear of Elohim before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes,
That his iniquity will not be found out and be hated.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit;
He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He devises iniquity upon his bed;
He sets himself in a way that is not good;
He abhors not evil.
When there is no fear of Elohim or the fear of Elohim is lacking, then sin and iniquity enter in and a man turns away from serving YHWH to serving the wretchedness of his own dark heart.
Matithyah (Matthew) 24:45-49
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his master when he comes shall find him doing so.
47 Amein, I say to you, that he will set him over all that he has.
48 But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, ‘My master tarries’;
49 and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;”
Let us carefully and prayerfully examine what happens in a person’s life if there is no fear of Elohim. As we see in the above passage, because this servant of his master did not fear him, he began to mistreat his fellow servants. We see this all too often in the believing community today, where one who has been elevated begins to mistreat his fellow servants. Why does this happen? It happens because the fear of Elohim has been lost or greatly diminished.
When the fear of Elohim is absent or diminished in a person’s life, then it allows all sorts of evil to enter in and take up residence in a person’s life. One of the most important aspects of serving YHWH our Elohim with a whole heart and a whole life is having the proper fear of Him; for the proper fear of Him brings all sorts of blessings with it that cannot otherwise be attained.
Here is an acrostic for us to read and prayerfully consider.
There is one other aspect of the fear of YHWH our Elohim that we need to consider. It is found in the following passage.
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 11:2
And the Spirit of YHWH shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of YHWH.
Please note that as this passage teaches us about the seven manifold Spirit of YHWH our Elohim, one of those Spirits is the Spirit of the fear of YHWH. What this teaches us that if a person is not filled with His Spirit, then he cannot have the fear of YHWH our Elohim. We need to be filled with His Spirit in order to walk uprightly before YHWH.
ABBA YHWH, please fill us with the Spirit of the fear of YHWH our Elohim that we might do and say all things to please You at all times, every day and every moment of every day; in the name of Yeshua our Mashiach.
Amein and Amein.
Zerubbabel ben Emunah
www.onetorahforall.com
zerubbabel@onetorahforall.com
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