Proverbs 14:26-27
In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,
and his children will have a refuge.
The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
that one may turn away from the snares of death.
Tag: Fear the Lord
It is obvious from the above text that Solomon thought the Fear of the Lord was a key to the believers life. In Proverbs 9:10 we read the the Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Solomon uses the phrase 15 times in Proverbs. It is used 102 in Scripture. There are typically "promises" connected to the Fear of the Lord (It should be noted that some commentaries do not believe the Proverbs are promises, but feather general principles to follow ... I do not share that thought). In the above proverb the Fear of the Lord is connected to several "outcomes." The first is that those who Fear the Lord will have "strong confidence." Because this is Hebrew poetry you can't interpret one line without the other. In the second line we have another promise: Our children will find refuge in our fearing the Lord. Both the first and second line speak of a confidence and refuge that is based NOT on our own efforts and/or skills, but on a faith in the awesomeness of God. The second verse adds two more outcomes to fearing the Lord: We find, in Him, a fountain of life and strength to turn away from the snares of life that lead to death. The key here is that when we put our faith and trust in God and when we fear Him, we see sin as the evil that it is and we have the strength to turn from it. Fearing the Lord has the aspect of seeing Him in the awesomeness He is, but also seeing His anger for sin. Both aspects of Fearing the Lord are necessary to experience the outcomes mentioned. The key in this is that when we Fear the Lord we can and do experience a different life from those who don't.
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