Fear God and Be Humble
To effectively receive and benefit from the Word of God, believers must adopt a specific posture characterized by humility, reverence, and a sense of awe. The sources, particularly drawing from Isaiah 66 and Psalm 25, outline the necessary spiritual requirements for God to accept someone as His pupil and share His intimate plans.
This response summarizes the requirements for receiving God’s Word, emphasizing the importance of humility, reverence, and repentance in the believer’s life.
1. The Necessary Attitude: Poverty of Spirit and Contrition
God reveals in Isaiah 66:1-2 that He is not impressed by elaborate structures like temples or cathedrals, noting that Heaven is His throne and Earth is His footstool. Instead, God declares, “On this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit and who trembles at my word”.
There are three foundational requirements for God to focus His attention on an individual:
A. Being Poor in Spirit (Humility)
Being “poor in spirit” does not imply cowardice or timidity. It means recognizing how poor we are in ourselves and acknowledging a desperate need for God. Jesus stated, “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
B. Contrite Spirit (Repentance)
The requirement to be “contrite” means being genuinely sorry for everything said and done that has grieved God, kept Him out of our lives, or made it impossible for Him to truly make His dwelling with us. This directly relates to the concept of repentance, which involves turning away from everything that is unpleasing and unacceptable to God, including “all filthiness and overflow of wickedness”.
C. Trembling at God’s Word (Awe and Reverence)
The third requirement is to tremble at God’s word. Trembling expresses fear and awe. This requirement stems from the fact that the Word of God is God in person entering the life of the believer, echoing Jesus’ promise that if one keeps His word, the Father and Son will come and make their home with them.
While God does not want believers to be frightened, He does require reverence and a sense of awe.
2. The Fear of the Lord: The Source of Blessings and Intimacy
The concept of “the fear of the Lord” is frequently used throughout the Bible, particularly in the Psalms and Proverbs. This fear does not mean being afraid of punishment; rather, it signifies a tremendous sense of awe.
The fear of the Lord carries greater promises of blessing than almost anything else in the entire Bible.
Promises of Blessing
The Bible assures that the fear of the Lord:
- Tends to life.
- Ensures that he who has it will abide satisfied.
- Guarantees that the individual will not be visited with evil.
Intimacy with God
Cultivating this attitude is essential because it determines who God chooses to teach and with whom He shares His intimate plans.
Psalm 25 outlines who God selects as His pupil, emphasizing character over intellectual attainment or degrees held:
- God teaches the humble: “The humble he guides in justice and the humble he teaches His way”. The old translation sometimes uses the word meekness, which is preferred by some, as it accurately reflects the attitude required for receiving the implanted Word of God.
- God teaches those who fear Him: “Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall he teach in the way He chooses”.
- God shares His counsel: “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear him and He will show them His covenant”. The “secret” here means the secret counsel of the Lord; God shares His intimate plans with those who fear Him.
The Bible instructs that people must choose the fear of the Lord; if they do not choose it, they will not possess it. Disaster is promised to those who neglect this choice.
3. The Relationship Between Attitude to the Word and Attitude to God
The ultimate test of a person’s attitude toward God is their attitude toward His Word. The Word is the primary way God enters our lives.
A person’s relationship with God is directly proportional to their relationship with the Bible:
- “You do not love God more than you love His word”.
- “You do not obey God more than you obey His word”.
- “You do not have more room in your life for God than you have for His word”.
To know how much God means to a person, they must discover how much His Word means to them.