Volume 2                                                                                           © 2015 – D.v.D.                                              Vol2Blog#10                             #25

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  Thought for the Weekend of Adar 22 & 23, 5775   .

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By Rev. Dirk J. van Dalen, Ph.D.                                          [March 13 & 14, 2015]                                                      – Dr.vandalen@gmail.com

The “Fear factor”

When thinking of the “fear” we are alleged to have for Avinu Malkenu - our Father, our King – we must do so within relationship to His awesomeness. Then when we grasp the enormity of our relationship as a Believer to the position of Adonai Eloheinu as our Creator, in the light of His Glory and the reality of eternity, we will be able to transform our feelings of perceived angst into a surge of awe-inspiring conviction or extreme profound respect without falling into the trap of emotionalism.

“The fear of the LORD is clean (pure), enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.” –Psalms 19: 9

Some of us are familiar with some of the different aspects of worship and some of us have seen that in some places some people can get carried away somewhat as they lose some of their spiritual sense of balance and forget about the awesomeness of Adonai that demands some measure of dignity, reverence, and decorum. (Did you count the ‘some’s?)

“Now that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and all His commandments which I command you,…” -- Deut. 6: 2a, b.

The ‘fear’ in Psalm 19: 9 and Deut. 6: 2a, & b, does not equate to ‘fright’ as in being in fear of, or being fearful as in being genuinely afraid of something such as that which could cause an adrenaline surge or cardiac arrest.

The word fear has no less than fifty synonyms in modern English, not counting the colloquialisms. Unfortunately, King James’ translators must have had a hard time coming up with the best translation of teknogonew (tĕknôgônĕō). Considering that the first English language dictionary did not come into existence until 110 years later^1/, they must have tossed a six-pence or something like that and decided on the word “fear” to describe the emotion of the Believers of the early Church. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible takes us via five different references to ultimately arrive at: “Esteem of the highest degree” (5092). In other words, someone or something we regard with the deepest or highest respect. It is not a condition that can be described in one word. A better description of that “fear” is that the congregation came under an awe-inspiring conviction.

Fear or fright is an emotion that is directed inward. Esteem and awe are emotions that go outward and toward the object of the emotion, in this case the object is:        

-- Avinu Malkenu, Adonai Eloheinu. –

Our Father our King, the LORD our God.

“So great fear came upon all the Church and upon all who heard those things.” -- Acts 5: 11

A Different Fear.

The new Believers were serious about their new spiritual status as they quickly learned that they were dealing with a serious God. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was newly revealed to them through His Son and Messiah Yeshua of Nazareth. We see here a rather detailed episode of instantaneous divine retribution with a fatal ending for the perpetrators of breaking the ninth Commandment. Seeing that, “Messiah Yeshua is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13: 8), our God is still a serious God putting fear in this context in a slightly different light.

In current Evangelic/Apostolic congregations, by some erroneously referred to as the New Testament Church, -- which is wishful thinking -- the worship services do not seem to excite those in attendance sufficiently to turn them from being the audience into worshippers and see them come under awe-inspiring conviction. And even the alleged “fear factor” that may be preached doesn’t seem to “scare” the congregants into a spiritually healthy awe for our heavenly Father.

The generally lukewarm condition of today’s average Believer’s Community is often equated to the condition of the church of Laodicea (Rev. 3: 15). But the awe-inspiring conviction of the Believer, even in a serious congregation, is not the only thing that is lacking. Could it be that there isn’t enough well-directed discipline in the Church today? Could it be that the reason is because many of us do not know whom we are dealing with. You Believe in “God” but, you do not know Him as most of you don’t even know His name(s). His name is not “God”, that is a generic for any divine entity. Capitalizing the word god when we write or print it does not make it more divine. Knowing that we are speaking or writing about the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob makes it divine.

And then, realizing the awesomeness of Adonai, remember that He said: ”…if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6: 15) And you do need forgiving, at least as much as I do. Remember, withholding forgiveness is to be feared as it will make you ill, don’t live with it!

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Think About It, Shabbat Shalom