“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7
Dear Ones:
In the Swiss alps, there is a peak called the Schilthorn. It is reached by boarding three separate cable cars. Upon its summit, or close to it, there has been built an observation point where one can look out over the alps, as far as the eye can see. What is visible is the quiet, majestic, overwhelming beauty and magnificence of the snow covered alps. On a clear day, the sight is truly over-whelming. In one of the bordering, protective walls of the observatory, over which the visitor can safely take in the beauty of the sight, there has been embedded a plaque. Upon that plaque is the following verse of the Bible: “Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Revelation 14:7 Why would someone take the time, and make the effort, to place this plaque there? And why would they choose that specific verse? Certainly this plaque is a call to remember that, though there is a visible spectacle of unsurpassed beauty, majesty, wisdom and power, there is also Something invisible that is greater, infinitely more vast in every way. That Something is Someone, the Designer, Builder, and Sustainer of it all. He is that One who has created us, to whom we owe everything good and worthy of praise, for He IS infinitely good. God our Maker is the One who is worthy of our worship and devotion, His works testifying to the greatness and wonder of His person.
In Psalm 19, David writes: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows forth His handiwork.” (v.1) The Psalmist is declaring in part, that which can be seen today from the Schilthorn, the very manifest glory of God. He goes on to speak of the creation constantly “speaking”, as with a voice, proclaiming this glory…day and night, without ceasing. It is a “voice” that is speaking to all men everywhere, throughout the earth, by the glory of God seen in a single lily, to the majestic summit of snow covered peaks, to the raging waves of the sea. The whole earth indeed is FILLED with the glory of God.
There are two other ways by which the glory of God is revealed to man, the first of which is the “law of the Lord,” or the word of God. (19:7) David declares that God’s law, statutes, and judgments are perfect, sure, pure, and right. As the attributes of God’s wisdom and power are revealed by nature, so His moral attributes, the attributes of His perfect and holy nature, are revealed in and by His law. That law is revealed to us by His word. This word, either spoken and written down by prophets or apostles, is the declaration of the truth, the will and purpose of God. Therein is revealed in the most objective way, the truth about God, and the very path for man to KNOW God. However, there is a third way by which the glory of God is revealed, and this is in “flesh and blood,” the incarnate God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews wrote of the Lord Jesus: “…(God) hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, by whom He also made the worlds.” (1:2) The Lord Jesus was (is) the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person, and upholds all things with the word of His power.” (v.3) Is He not therefore worthy to be feared, reverenced, worshiped…as Creator, Redeemer, even our very Life?
Dear Father, enable us to pray like the hymn-writer: “Oh, how I fear Thee, living God, With deepest, tenderest fears, And worship Thee with trembling hope, and penitential tears. Yet, I may love Thee, too, O Lord, Almighty as Thou art, For Thou hast stooped to ask of me, The love of my poor heart.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad