There Is No Fear Of God Before Their Eyes
In the early chapters of the book of Romans, the apostle Paul went about establishing that both Jew and Gentile had sinned. As such, each was guilty in the sight of God. He wrote, “What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God” (Rom. 3:9-11). He further stated, “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known” (Rom. 3:12-17). One might wonder how things could get so bad that these people would behave so terribly. The next verse sheds some light as to why. “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:18).
Throughout history, different men have acted as if they did not fear God. Take for instance the ones who lived right before the flood. It is recorded, “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). Then, how about Pharaoh of ancient Egypt? Time after time, and plague after plague, we see the Pharaoh show a lack of godly fear. He was even so brazen as to say, “…Who is the LORD, that I should obey is voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go” (Exo. 5:2). Then there was Herod. Luke wrote, “And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man” (Acts 12:21-22). Instead of rebuking the people, and exalting God, Herod took the glory. In either of these instances, where is the fear of God? It is not to be found. As a result of such haughtiness, each of the three mentioned suffered for their lack of godly fear. The antediluvians died in a worldwide flood. Pharaoh saw Egypt punished, even to the death of their firstborns. For Herod, “And the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost” (Acts 12:23). God takes a lack of godly fear very seriously!
Years ago, Solomon asked the question, “What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun” (Eccl. 1:3)? He added, “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit” (Eccl. 1:14). At first, one might read those verses and conclude that there is no point in life. However, Solomon was not finished. After much experimentation, he wrote, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:13). Out of all that this world offers, nothing comes before fearing God. This fear is not cowardice. Instead, godly fear is healthy respect, admiration, and reverence toward God.
The Bible includes much more about why fearing God is so vital. Consider the following: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever” (Psm. 111:10). “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil” (Prov. 3:7). “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7). “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate” (Prov. 8:13). “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” (Psm. 33:8). “And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation” (Luke 1:50). “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28).
The reason that sin flourishes in the lives of so many is due to a lack of godly fear. If we truly fear God, then we will want to honor Him and obey Him. For those who refuse to fear God, there is a strong statement about what awaits. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).
~ Corey Barnette