Suggested Scripture reading Exodus 20
FEAR NOT: FOR GOD IS COME . . . THAT YE SIN NOT
Exodus 20:20
The story is told of a young boy who went to a Sunday school where on the wall of his class there was a picture of an eye looking at the students. Under the picture was a caption that said, “Thou God seest me.” The scriptural quote is true. Surely, God does see us at all times. We are never anywhere that He cannot see us. The problem was that the picture scared the boy. He got the idea that God was only watching him to see when he slipped up. When he did God would “get him.”
That is how the Children of Israel felt that day beside Mt. Sinai as God gave Moses the Law. They told Moses, “Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” (vs. 19b) They were afraid that God would destroy them if they stepped out of line or made a mistake. Moses reassured them,” Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.” (vs. 20) He said that it was good to have a proper reverence for God and that the Father sought to impress them so that they would stay away from sin. In Scripture we will often find passages where God will promise punishment for disobedience. However, in almost every instance of warning, in the passage just before or just after, is a promise of blessing for obedience.
Today you may have the idea that we should not sin because as soon as we do God “will get us.” We want to avoid His punishment. God deserves our reverence and in giving it to Him it will help us despise our sinfulness. Obedience because we love our Heavenly Father and want to please Him is a much better reason for godly living than fear of punishment. He wants us to stay away from sin but He also wants us to love Him. “We love Him, because He first loved us.” (I John 4:19) Fear and reverence God because you love Him, not because you fear His punishment. We love Him too much and do not want to disappoint Him.
“Fear not, for God is come to prove you . . . that ye sin not.”
[podcast]https://lifeabovefear.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Fear-Not-That-Ye-Sin-Not-Life-Above-Fear.mp3[/podcast]
