To live in the fear of the Lord is truly a blessing.  He desires and causes our good, for He is the source of all good.  Unlike the world, He is without partiality and pure in His love and righteousness toward us.  As Christians we follow God's Word and are sensitive to the leadings of God's Holy Spirit.  In this, we remain in the fear of the Lord. 

2.  The Fear of the Lord - Goodness (1) 

Psa 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

Psa 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want (lack) to them that fear him.

Psa 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

Psa 67:7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

      David experienced the goodness of God and describes his experience as being blessed or "happy."  Happy is the person who experiences the goodness of God because he or she trusted in Him.

 Taste (perceive) and see (behold, enjoy, have experience )

3.  The Fear of the Lord - Intimacy and Instruction (1) 

Psa 25:8 Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.

Psa 25:9 The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.

Psa 25:12 What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.

Psa 25:14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.

       The Lord, out of His goodness and righteousness, always and earnestly seeks to show us the way of life.  When we are meek to Him, He will not only faithfully guide and instruct us, but we will also experience a very special relationship of intimacy and consultation, for the "secret of the Lord" is with them that fear him.

Teach (vv. 8 & 12)

Properly - To flow as water       

Figuratively - point out or aim the finger

Show (v 14)

To know or recognize

4.  The Fear of the Lord - A departure from evil (1) 

Psa 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Psa 34:12 What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?

Psa 34:13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile (deceit). 

Psa 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

       God is so amazingly clear on what it means to walk in the fear of the Lord.  As we know, if we spell the word "evil" backwards we get the word "live."  The Spirit of God within us empowers us to overcome the old nature, and to walk in the newness of life that is given to us in Christ.  We are no longer in bondage to sin, but we are free to live in the Spirit of life.

5.  The Fear of the Lord - Depart from evil and perfect holiness (2) 

Pro 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Pro 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

Exo 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

2Co 7:1 Having therefore *these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

*Paul's reference to *these promises is found in 2Co 6:15 -18

15 - And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

Belial - Of Hebrew origin; worthlessness; Belial - as an epithet of Satan:

Infidel - Disbelieving

The promises found in vv. 16-18 -  We are the temple of God; therefore He dwells and walks in us and He calls us "his people." If we sanctify ourselves in Him, He will "receive" us which means "to take into one's favor." He will be our Father and we His sons and daughters.

6.  The Fear of the Lord  (First-fruit of Knowledge) (1) 

Pro 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Pro 1:29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

Pro 1:32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

Pro 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

     The fear of the Lord is the firstfuit of knowledge, and by it we obtain wisdom and understanding, but in contrast, the perverse hate reproof, warning, instruction and restraint.  Those who are listening to the Lord will dwell in peace, but in contrast, the foolish will wallow in the destructive fruit of their ways.  When we repent of our foolishness, we will always find the mercy of the Lord.     

7.  The Fear of the Lord  (Knowledge - Wisdom - Understanding) (2) 

Psa 111:10 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.

Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Pro 2:3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;

Pro 2:4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;

Pro 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

       Earnestly seeking the true spiritual riches of fellowship with God through Christ, delivers to us a good spiritual understanding of the true and lasting.  The fear of the Lord develops "intelligence" and "skill," in which we find hidden treasures.  We behold, "as expressing surprise" at the wisdom of God. 

            (We seek in knowledge, we act in wisdom, we find in understanding)

8.  The Fear of the Lord - Answered Prayer (1) 

Psa 66:16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

Psa 66:17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Psa 66:19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

Psa 66:20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

        David always recounts God's goodness to him.  As in his other psalms, he invites his audience to behold the kindness of God toward those who regard Him.  David understands God's mercy in that he cried unto Him, but especially in that he also praised Him. 

9.  The Fear of the Lord - Delivers and safeguards (1) 

Psa 145:19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save (rescue) them.

Psa 85:9 Surely his salvation (liberty) is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

Pro 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe (inaccessible).

Psa 115:11 Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield (protector).

        The Words of the Lord are so easy to entreat, in that they readily find a place  in the seat of our hearts and sow the peace of God in our circumstances and lives.

10.  The Fear of the Lord - Delivers and safeguards (2) 

Pro 14:26 In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.

Isa 59:19 So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

2Ki 17:39 But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of the hand of all your enemies.

     We should never doubt that the Lord will perform everything that He has promised to do. We don't trust in the world, or in our flesh, or in the general good nature of humanity, or even our own good nature.  We believe in the Lord by following after Him, and expect God to take us through every situation, even the impossible.

11.  The Fear of the Lord - Prolongs the life of an individual (1) 

Deu 6:2 That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

Pro 10:27 The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

Pro 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Pro 19:23 The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.

       God not only promises to lengthen our days but also to fill them with good, Ps. 34:12.  Though our days be prolonged, we need not dwell on fears of the future, but remind ourselves that God will also sustain us with good.  

12. The Fear of the Lord - Keeps us from sin and the unhappiness it brings (1)

Pro 23:17 Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

Jer 2:19 Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Jer 5:24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

Jer 5:25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

Exo 20:20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

God is come to prove you; whether, being now freed by him from Egyptian bondage, they would take and own him for their King, and be subject to his laws and government (Gill).

       These verses remind us that God doesn't want to deprive us of any genuine good, but seeks to spare us the misery that sin will reap in our lives, when all we need to do is believe Him.   Howbeit, some of us may learn the hard way, but as children of God, "born of His seed," as we turn back to Him, we will find in Christ grace and mercy, as portrayed in the beautiful parable of the "Prodigal Son."

13. The Fear of the Lord - Keeps us from sin and the unhappiness it brings (2)

Ecc 8:12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:

Psa 85:9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land.

Pro 14:27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Pro 15:16 Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.

Salvation - "Liberty, deliverance and prosperity"

Glory - Properly "weight" and figuratively "splendor"

       Sometimes, because of circumstances, we may wonder where the Lord is in our situation; it is in these times that we can comfort ourselves with the psalmist's words, that the Lord's salvation is "nigh," in close proximity to those who fear Him.

14. The Fear of the Lord - A guarantee for mercy (1)

Luk 1:50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

Psa 103:11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
 

Psa 147:11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.

Psa 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

Psa 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Pitieth - Compassion, love  

   God's mercy "kindness" is boundless and will prevail in the lives of His saints throughout all of time.  He has removed our transgressions from us, and is pleased to respond to our expectations of favor, as we continue to hope in Him. 

15. The Fear of the Lord - In awe and praise for God's might (1)

Psa 33:8 Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Psa 22:23 Ye that fear the LORD, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel.

Jos 4:24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

Jer 5:22 Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

       Even though we are living in a chaotic world, as we patiently await God's righteous kingdom to rule the world, it is by God's might that the universe is held together till all things are accomplished.  It is also through the faith of God's people that the mighty hand of God is witnessed throughout the world. 

16. The Fear of the Lord - God's Will & His "Book of Remembrance"

Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

1Pe 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

Psa 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

      We are recorded in God's Book of Remembrance, and through His Word, we understand that God sees and knows everything about us.  At times, we may feel that our influence as Christians seems insignificant to those around us.  But, the Lord knows and takes great pleasure in those who acknowledge Him.  Imagine, that conversation the other day, that appeared to bear such little fruit, is now etched in God's eternal memory.  To God be the Glory!