Responding To God - Fear (Part 2)

Continued from Part 1


Fear as Command


Check out Isaiah 29:13
"And the Lord said:Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men..."

Often we speak in christianese, praising and declaring truths etc, but, as God here declares, often our hearts are far from Him. Hearts that do not know Him.
Perhaps we say things because we acknowledge the truth with our minds, perhaps because we want acceptance with others. Perhaps because we want to look like the good christian, to please parents, or perhaps we say them as a type of mantra in hope of winning favour with God.

So too fear can be put on, as makeup and as a ceremony by which we hope to please God, gaining browny points with Him and other churchy people etc . . .

As Isaiah declares the lip service unacceptable, so too fear, done merely from a command is unaccepted by God.


(Continued in part 3)