THE BLESSED MAN FEARS GOD
“Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.” Psalm 112:1, 2
This is an essential quality for the person who desires to see God’s hand of blessing. He must learn to fear the Lord. “Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD.” One cannot expect to see the blessing of the Lord who does not sincerely and consistently fear Him. We have witnessed a sad decline in the fear of God in our lifetime. This absence of fear has made its way into the churches as well. Worship is becoming more and more man-centered instead of God-centered. Casualness and worldliness are welcomed in many places of worship. Unless there is great repentance in our society, we can assume this trend will continue.
There are many who now believe and teach that it is unhealthy for a person to fear God. Somehow, it is considered a thing to be shunned. Of course, the Bible teaches contrary to that. Proverbs 19:23 tells us, “The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied.” The fear of God brings life and satisfaction. Blessing comes to those who fear the Lord. The fear of the Lord helps us to be mindful of God’s presence. Because we fear Him, we will want to please Him. The fear of God helps us depart from evil. The fear of the Lord teaches us that He sees our every deed, knows our thoughts, hears our words, and is aware of our motives. Fearing God keeps us aware that we will give an account to Him one day at the Judgment.
Our text also states that THE BLESSED MAN “delighteth greatly in his commandments.” God is looking for, and promises to bless, those who will take His Word seriously. The commandments of the Scriptures are not man’s commands, but they are “his commandments.” Obedience and the fear of the Lord go hand in hand. We are to hide His commandments in our hearts and teach ourselves to love His Word.
Let’s ask ourselves, “Do I enjoy the Bible? Do I delight greatly in the truths of Scripture? Do I look forward to and make the most out of times of Bible study or the preaching services of the church?” Our attitudes about these things will help to determine the reality of God’s blessing in our lives. God wants to bless as we follow His ways.