The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring for ever.
Psalm 19. 9a
This morning just some brief reflections on the three great themes of this verse – ‘The fear of the Lord’, ‘Pure’ and ‘Enduring for ever’
The fear of the LORD is easily misinterpreted because of our understanding of the word fear. This ‘fear’ of the Lord is not a craven trembling, ‘I must run away’ thing but rather a glorious understanding of the glory, majesty, and greatness of our God.
It is of course notably described as ‘the beginning of wisdom’ by the writer of the Book of Proverbs, so the fear of the LORD is something to long for and seek after. At the same time there must be a sense of awe, not a cringing awesome terror but an acknowledgement that the one we approach is the Sovereign Lord.
Then this fear of the LORD is ‘pure’. The prophet Habakkuk says to God, chapter 1 and verse 13 ‘Your eyes are too pure to look on evil’ such is his purity. And yet how glorious this is, in a world where there is so much evil and darkness, when we know there is one, Jesus, who stands pure and unmarked by this darkness apart from the nail prints in his hands which are there because he made it possible for sinners to stand in God’s awesome presence.
This is not something in the past, or just for now, but is
enduring for ever.
In everyday living we are challenged by our verse today to lift our eyes heavenward and ‘see him there’. We can be assured that we are accepted in his presence if the Lord Jesus is our Saviour and although our physical lifespan is limited we have an eternal future assured.
My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!