The Fear of the Lord

 Scripture:

“The residents of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”” ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭6‬:‭20‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

The ark of God had been captured by the Philistines. It was taken to several Philistine cities. In each place the people broke out with sores and mice invaded that land. They sent it back to the Israelites because they couldn’t handle being under the punishment of the Lord. It came back to Beth Shemesh where 50,000 were struck dead for looking into the ark. They asked the question, “who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”

Application:

Beth Shemesh was judged by God for not honoring the Ark, which was the place of God’s presence in their day. They were afraid because of the presence of the Lord. They clearly understood that God expected holiness if they were going to house His presence. In our lives, we should honor the Lord. We are now the Temple of the Holy Spirit. We should live in the fear of the Lord at all times. He is with us and in us. Therefore, we should be careful about allowing sin into our lives. We should walk in obedience to the Lord at all times because He is all-powerful. 

Prayer:

Father, let my life be lived in great fear and respect for You and Your presence. Teach me how to live with You as my Father, yet as the HOly One of Israel. Teach me the balance between crawling up into Your lap and walking fearfully before You. I want to serve You well and live in such a way that You can bless my life. Show me the balance.