Today we are walking in: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WISE VIRGINS — PART 4!
Mishlei (Proverbs) 9:10
The fear of YAHUAH is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
The fear of YAHUAH is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
FEAR
Today we look to the word—FEAR—H3374—yir’ah—fear, terror, fearing; reverence, respect, piety. From the root word H3372—yare’—to fear, revere, be afraid.
The Torah Testifies……….
Devariym (Deuteronomy) 5:29
O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear H3372 me, and guard all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!
Devariym (Deuteronomy) 8:6
Therefore you shall guard the commandments of YAHUAH ELOHAYKA, to walk in his ways, and to fear H3372 him.
Devariym (Deuteronomy) 10:12
And now, Yashar’el, what does YAHUAH ELOHAYKA require of you, but to fear H3372 YAHUAH ELOHAYKA, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve YAHUAH ELOHAYKA with all your heart and with all your soul.
Devariym (Deuteronomy) 5:29
O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear H3372 me, and guard all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever!
Devariym (Deuteronomy) 8:6
Therefore you shall guard the commandments of YAHUAH ELOHAYKA, to walk in his ways, and to fear H3372 him.
Devariym (Deuteronomy) 10:12
And now, Yashar’el, what does YAHUAH ELOHAYKA require of you, but to fear H3372 YAHUAH ELOHAYKA, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve YAHUAH ELOHAYKA with all your heart and with all your soul.
The Prophets Proclaim………
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 11:2
And the RUACH YAHUAH shall rest upon him, the RUACH of wisdom and understanding, the RUACH of counsel and might, the RUACH of knowledge and of the fear H3374 of YAHUAH.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 33:6
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times, and strength of yeshu`ah: the fear H3374 of YAHUAH is his treasure.
Mal’akiy (Malachi) 1:6
A son honours his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is my honour? And if I be a master, where is my fear H4172? Says YAHUAH TSEVA’OTH unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised your name?
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 11:2
And the RUACH YAHUAH shall rest upon him, the RUACH of wisdom and understanding, the RUACH of counsel and might, the RUACH of knowledge and of the fear H3374 of YAHUAH.
Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 33:6
And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times, and strength of yeshu`ah: the fear H3374 of YAHUAH is his treasure.
Mal’akiy (Malachi) 1:6
A son honours his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is my honour? And if I be a master, where is my fear H4172? Says YAHUAH TSEVA’OTH unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised your name?
The Writings Witness………
Mishlei (Proverbs) 9:10
The fear H3374 of YAHUAH is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Tehilliym (Psalms) 112:1
HalleluYah. Blessed is the man that fears H3373 YAHUAH, that delights greatly in his commandments.
Tehilliym (Psalms) 128:1
Blessed is every one that fears H3373 YAHUAH; that walks in his ways.
We are beginning Part 4 in this series, focusing on those characteristics of wisdom that set the Wise Virgins apart from the Foolish Virgins. Let’s briefly recap what we have seen in the previous parts.
When YAHUSHA HA’MASHIACH taught the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, He spoke the following words:
“They that were ready went in with Him [the Bridegroom] to the marriage” (Mattithyahu 25:10)
In this passage from Mattithyahu 25, YAHUSHA was teaching His disciples the importance of being ready for a marriage. The marriage He was referring to was His own marriage — “the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (see Chizayon 19:7-9)
In the parable of the ten Virgins, we are given this vital key for being ready for the marriage to the Bridegroom:
… the Wise Virgins had wisdom, but the Foolish Virgins lacked wisdom!
It was the Wise Virgins in the parable who were ready to go in with the Bridegroom! And it is the same with us today. If we desire to BE ready, we too must have the same wisdom!
Walking in Wisdom
Very briefly, here is what we have seen in the previous parts of this series.
In Part 1, we saw that wisdom comes from the Words of YAHUAH’S mouth, as recorded in the written Scriptures. We discussed the wisdom of the Wise Virgins as being a daily walk, a ‘way’ or path to walk in. We saw that there is a prerequisite, a necessary requirement that we must meet, if we desire to enter, walk in, The Way of Wisdom. We also looked at the goal for learning the Scriptural characteristics of wisdom.
In Part 2, we looked in depth at the wisdom of one who hears and obeys the counsel and instruction of Scripture. We saw the great importance of using discernment for testing what our source of wisdom is! We learned that by the wisdom of our obedience to YAHUAH’S written Word [the Scriptures], YAHUAH enables us to be made ready.
In Part 3, we saw that the one who is wise, learns to choose humility as a Way of Life — choosing to follow the example of Mashiach, who humbled Himself by becoming obedient.
In order to fully understand what is presented here in Part 4, please refer to the previous articles, because they cover basic, foundational guidelines for entering into Scriptural wisdom.
And now, the next wisdom characteristic we will look at is:
One who is wise will walk in the Fear of YAHUAH!
The Fear of YAHUAH ELOHIYM
This characteristic of the Wise Virgins is found in Mishlei 9:
“The fear of YAHUAH is the beginning of wisdom.” (Mishlei 9:10a)
According to the above passage, if we want wisdom, we must begin with the Fear of YAHUAH. But what is the Fear of YAHUAH?
The English word ‘fear’ in this verse is the Hebrew word yir’ah (Strong’s #03374), which stems from the root word yar’ey (Strong’s #03372).
Yar’ey means “fearing, fearful, to be afraid exceedingly, honourable reverence, to be had in reverence.”
When we truly reverence someone, we are on the edge of fearing that person. When we are seriously afraid of something, “it seems that we can feel our insides flowing.”
This verse in Mishlei 9, reveals to us what the very Beginning of wisdom is: the Fear of YAHUAH. No one really comes close to having true wisdom unless they have a measure of the Fear of YAHUAH. So the Fear of YAHUAH is the First Step toward wisdom. However, there is something mysterious about this characteristic of wisdom.
We know we are to love YAHUAH with all our heart. This is the first and great commandment (Mattithyahu 22:37,38). And yet, many times, the Scriptures urge us to ‘Fear ELOHIYM!’ So how can we ‘Love ELOHIYM’ and also ‘Fear ELOHIYM’?
The answer is in finding out what the Fear of ELOHIYM is, as well as remembering the full Hebrew definition for the word ‘fear’ which includes honourable reverence.
Let us therefore look at only a few of the many Scripture passages that define the Fear of YAHUAH.
Blessed are They that Fear YAHUAH
The following verses show us, from a practical standpoint, exactly what the Fear of YAHUAH is — and how it can be seen in our lives:
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear Me [YAHUAH], and guard all My commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever! (Devariym 5:29)
And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear YAHUAH ELOHAYU, to guard all the words of this Torah and these statutes, to do them: (Devariym 17:19)
HalleluYah. Blessed is the man that fears YAHUAH, that delights greatly in His commandments. (Tehilliym 112:1)
Blessed is every one that fears YAHUAH; that walks in His ways. (Tehilliym 128:1)
Therefore you shall guard the commandments of YAHUAH ELOHAYKA, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him. (Devariym 8:6)
Now let’s list the practical steps that the above passages reveal about what it means to fear YAHUAH:
To fear YAHUAH ELOHIYM is to guard all His commandments, always;
To fear YAHUAH is to study and guard all the Words of the Torah, the statutes;
To fear YAHUAH is to delight greatly in His commandments;
To fear YAHUAH is to walk in YAHUAH’S ways.
These are clear, do-able steps to take to walk in the Fear of YAHUAH.
With one-step-at-a-time, with YAHUAH’S essential merciful grace, then the Fear of YAHUAH is achievable. With His help, we can do the simple steps of walking in His ways, guarding His Word!
All who truly desire to know YAHUAH ELOHIYM, to love Him, understand Him, then they will choose … to hearken to [hear and obey] YAHUAH’S ways, His statutes, and His commandments (Yochanon 14:15,21; 15:10; Yochanon Ri’shon 5:3). This is the evidence that we have [and are walking in], the Fear of YAHUAH.
Let’s see what the Scriptures say about learning the Fear of YAHUAH.
Learning the Fear of YAHUAH
From the Scriptures we find that YAHUAH wants us to learn the Fear of YAHUAH:
1.) That their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear YAHUAH ELOHAYKA … (Devariym 31:13a).
2.) Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of YAHUAH (Tehilliym 34:11).
Both of the above verses reveal the need for us to be teachable and learn the Fear of YAHUAH.
The first verse above, in Devariym, is one of at least fourteen verses in Devariym alone, where YAHUAH’S people are exhorted to learn the Fear of YAHUAH ELOHAYKA [your Mighty One] (see Devariym 4:10; 5:29; 6:2,13,24; 8:6; 10:12,20; 13:4; 14:23; 17:19; 28:58; 31:12,13).
Rather than list all these Scriptures here, we will point out one verse that clearly sums up the rest:
You shall walk after YAHUAH ELOHAYKA, and fear Him, and guard His commandments, and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him. (Devariym 13:4)
This verse, along with the others in Devariym, reveal the following practical steps we need to learn the Fear of YAHUAH:
Hearken to [hear and obey] YAHUAH’S Words;
Carefully obey the instructions of YAHUAH;
Have a copy of YAHUAH’S Torah [His instructions, teachings for His children] and read it all the days of our life;
Hear, observe to do, all the Words of this Torah.
Again we can see that YAHUAH is showing us the practical steps for learning the Fear of ELOHIYM.
Learning the Fear of YAHUAH begins when we start to cultivate a great reverence for, and obedience to, YAHUAH’S written WORD, the Scriptures. Over and over throughout the Scriptures, we find that learning the Fear of YAHUAH is revealed in passages that urge obedience to YAHUAH’S commandments, instructions, and teachings!
Now let’s look at Tehilliym 34:11. This passage reveals in context (Tehilliym 34:12-14) a few more ‘homework assignments’ that are given to those students who wish to learn the Fear of YAHUAH:
Guard our tongue from speaking evil, guard our lips from speaking deceit;
Depart from evil, and do good;
Seek peace, and pursue it.
Learning the Fear of YAHUAH begins the moment we take steps toward departing from all evil actions and words! This is confirmed in Mishlei 8:13: “The fear of YAHUAH is to hate evil!” When we have the genuine Fear of ELOHIYM, we will hate and avoid the evil-ness of pride, arrogance, selfishness, covetousness, falseness, and perversion. When we hate evil, we actively guard our mouth, choosing to speak words that bring forth life and edification.
As we saw in Out of the Abundance of the Heart, we can choose to use our tongue to speak words that build up others, bringing life. Or, we can choose to speak words that tear down others, bringing death. Guarding our words is how we can begin to learn the Fear of ELOHIYM.
And, we must be teachable and tender-hearted toward learning the written Word of YAHUAH. Tender-hearted-ness is necessary for us to be as a little child – humble in our attitude and obedient to the Word, if we are to learn to Fear ELOHIYM. Oh Thirsty Souls, let us be praying for hearts to be tender and teachable!
Walking in the Fear of YAHUAH
We have seen that the Scriptures describe in great detail, what it means to walk in the Fear of YAHUAH. When we are truly walking in the Fear of YAHUAH, then we will behave and speak with great reverence and loyalty about YAHUAH’S Truth, His Character, and His Word! Our heart’s desire will be to practice studying YAHUAH’S Word daily, and learning to obey YAHUAH’S Torah [His instructions and guidelines for His children] (Mishlei 29:18b). Also, we will seek to glorify YAHUAH in everything we do (Qorintiym Ri’shon 10:31)!
When we have the Fear of YAHUAH, then we will earnestly seek to avoid any sort of evil-doing. We will begin learning to avoid the things that YAHUAH hates, seeking to love the things that delights our heavenly Father. We will delight in guarding all of Mashiach’s commandments, including those He gave to Mosheh (Yochanon 14:15,21; 15:10; Yochanon Ri’shon 5:3)! With the Fear of YAHUAH, we will know how exceptional and immense the love of YAHUAH for His children is! And, we will find it much easier to trust Him with all our heart!
Why is this true?
Because we will be regularly studying His written Word, continually being reminded of His loving and intimate care for His children! (Tehilliym 91:14; Mishlei 8:17; Shiyr HaShiriym 1:2b; Yeshayahu 38:17; Yirmeyahu 31:3; Yochanon 14:21). We will be experiencing very personal events that confirm Father’s love and direction for us. And, we will begin to understand the importance of speaking respectfully to, and about, our heavenly Father.
And, because we are hiding YAHUAH’S Word in our heart, spending time with Him in our prayer closet, seeking His help in all we do, then we will be more sensitive to the RUACH HA’QODESH’S leading, being careful to not sin against Him. And, the genuine Fear of YAHUAH will deliver us from the dangerous trap of the fear of man! (Tehilliym 119:11; Tehilliym 17:3; Mishlei 29:25).
The Rewards
We must add one more detail in our look at this characteristic of the Wise Virgins. We must mention the rewards! According to Scripture, there are great rewards for walking in the Fear of YAHUAH. A brief list of these rewards is great motivation for us to pursue the Fear of YAHUAH!
Notice these promises offered to those who walk in the Fear of YAHUAH:
The angel of YAHUAH encamps round about them that fear Him, and delivers them. (Tehilliym 34:7)
O fear YAHUAH, ye His saints: for there is no lack to them that fear Him. (Tehilliym 34:9)
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. (Tehilliym 103:11)
He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them. (Tehilliym 145:19)
YAHUAH takes pleasure [‘delights’] in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy. (Tehilliym 147:11)
From the above Scriptures, there are wonderful rewards for those who Fear ELOHIYM:
The angel of YAHUAH surrounds them;
They have no lack;
They have YAHUAH’S great mercy;
YAHUAH fulfills their desire;
YAHUAH hears their cry;
YAHUAH will save them;
YAHUAH delights in them!
What amazing love our heavenly Father has for His children!!
Let us remember however, that the Fear of YAHUAH is the Beginning of wisdom! When we have the Fear of YAHUAH, then we have the ‘key‘ that opens the vault to the treasures of wisdom! And wisdom, whose price is above rubies, is truly a treasure!! [See Iyov 28:12-28.]
Learning the Fear of YAHUAH is not only a key characteristic of the Wise Virgins, but it is also a key ingredient to our well-being (Qoheleth 8:12b).
YAHUAH ELOHIYM created us, loves us immensely, and knows the beginning and the ending of all things! He knows therefore, that it is For Our Good, that we learn to Fear Him!
When King David prayed, “Teach me Your way, O YAHUAH, … unite my heart to fear (yar’ey) Your name,” (Tehilliym 86:11), David was exhibiting his desire to learn and walk in the Fear of YAHUAH. May this be our desire — to have an undivided heart to honour YAHUAH, learn to Fear Him, and reverence (yar’ey) His holy Name (Tehilliym 111:9; Mal’akiy 1:6).
The Greatest Reward
Let us remember: our exceeding great reward is Mashiach Himself (Bereshiyth 15:1), who is the Bridegroom! So the greatest reward or incentive for our gaining wisdom, is so that we will want to become ready — ready to go in to the marriage with the Bridegroom! And the way we acquire that readiness is to do what YAHUAH exhorts: ‘Get Wisdom!‘
But none of our readiness would be possible without the grace and mercy of our Father YAHUAH! Our own efforts are not enough! We NEED the help of the RUACH HA’QODESH!! Only by the RUACH YAHUAH imparting His wisdom and His help in maintaining obedience to His written Word, one-step-at-a-time, only then, can we hope to be enabled to Be Ready for our Bridegroom. Let us pray to stay near Him always, seeking His grace, that we so desperately need in all things!!
The one who is wise will be seeking and walking in the Fear of YAHUAH! This is a vital and important characteristic of the Wise Virgins! The Fear of YAHUAH is the one wisdom characteristic that initiates, supports, and cultivates all the other wisdom characteristics!
If we seek to cultivate this amazing quality, then we are on the road to gaining wisdom and, by His mercy, becoming ready to be among the company of the Wise Virgins!!
Mishlei (Proverbs) 9:10
The fear H3374 of YAHUAH is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Tehilliym (Psalms) 112:1
HalleluYah. Blessed is the man that fears H3373 YAHUAH, that delights greatly in his commandments.
Tehilliym (Psalms) 128:1
Blessed is every one that fears H3373 YAHUAH; that walks in his ways.
We are beginning Part 4 in this series, focusing on those characteristics of wisdom that set the Wise Virgins apart from the Foolish Virgins. Let’s briefly recap what we have seen in the previous parts.
When YAHUSHA HA’MASHIACH taught the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, He spoke the following words:
“They that were ready went in with Him [the Bridegroom] to the marriage” (Mattithyahu 25:10)
In this passage from Mattithyahu 25, YAHUSHA was teaching His disciples the importance of being ready for a marriage. The marriage He was referring to was His own marriage — “the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (see Chizayon 19:7-9)
In the parable of the ten Virgins, we are given this vital key for being ready for the marriage to the Bridegroom:
… the Wise Virgins had wisdom, but the Foolish Virgins lacked wisdom!
It was the Wise Virgins in the parable who were ready to go in with the Bridegroom! And it is the same with us today. If we desire to BE ready, we too must have the same wisdom!
Walking in Wisdom
Very briefly, here is what we have seen in the previous parts of this series.
In Part 1, we saw that wisdom comes from the Words of YAHUAH’S mouth, as recorded in the written Scriptures. We discussed the wisdom of the Wise Virgins as being a daily walk, a ‘way’ or path to walk in. We saw that there is a prerequisite, a necessary requirement that we must meet, if we desire to enter, walk in, The Way of Wisdom. We also looked at the goal for learning the Scriptural characteristics of wisdom.
In Part 2, we looked in depth at the wisdom of one who hears and obeys the counsel and instruction of Scripture. We saw the great importance of using discernment for testing what our source of wisdom is! We learned that by the wisdom of our obedience to YAHUAH’S written Word [the Scriptures], YAHUAH enables us to be made ready.
In Part 3, we saw that the one who is wise, learns to choose humility as a Way of Life — choosing to follow the example of Mashiach, who humbled Himself by becoming obedient.
In order to fully understand what is presented here in Part 4, please refer to the previous articles, because they cover basic, foundational guidelines for entering into Scriptural wisdom.
And now, the next wisdom characteristic we will look at is:
One who is wise will walk in the Fear of YAHUAH!
The Fear of YAHUAH ELOHIYM
This characteristic of the Wise Virgins is found in Mishlei 9:
“The fear of YAHUAH is the beginning of wisdom.” (Mishlei 9:10a)
According to the above passage, if we want wisdom, we must begin with the Fear of YAHUAH. But what is the Fear of YAHUAH?
The English word ‘fear’ in this verse is the Hebrew word yir’ah (Strong’s #03374), which stems from the root word yar’ey (Strong’s #03372).
Yar’ey means “fearing, fearful, to be afraid exceedingly, honourable reverence, to be had in reverence.”
When we truly reverence someone, we are on the edge of fearing that person. When we are seriously afraid of something, “it seems that we can feel our insides flowing.”
This verse in Mishlei 9, reveals to us what the very Beginning of wisdom is: the Fear of YAHUAH. No one really comes close to having true wisdom unless they have a measure of the Fear of YAHUAH. So the Fear of YAHUAH is the First Step toward wisdom. However, there is something mysterious about this characteristic of wisdom.
We know we are to love YAHUAH with all our heart. This is the first and great commandment (Mattithyahu 22:37,38). And yet, many times, the Scriptures urge us to ‘Fear ELOHIYM!’ So how can we ‘Love ELOHIYM’ and also ‘Fear ELOHIYM’?
The answer is in finding out what the Fear of ELOHIYM is, as well as remembering the full Hebrew definition for the word ‘fear’ which includes honourable reverence.
Let us therefore look at only a few of the many Scripture passages that define the Fear of YAHUAH.
Blessed are They that Fear YAHUAH
The following verses show us, from a practical standpoint, exactly what the Fear of YAHUAH is — and how it can be seen in our lives:
O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear Me [YAHUAH], and guard all My commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever! (Devariym 5:29)
And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear YAHUAH ELOHAYU, to guard all the words of this Torah and these statutes, to do them: (Devariym 17:19)
HalleluYah. Blessed is the man that fears YAHUAH, that delights greatly in His commandments. (Tehilliym 112:1)
Blessed is every one that fears YAHUAH; that walks in His ways. (Tehilliym 128:1)
Therefore you shall guard the commandments of YAHUAH ELOHAYKA, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him. (Devariym 8:6)
Now let’s list the practical steps that the above passages reveal about what it means to fear YAHUAH:
To fear YAHUAH ELOHIYM is to guard all His commandments, always;
To fear YAHUAH is to study and guard all the Words of the Torah, the statutes;
To fear YAHUAH is to delight greatly in His commandments;
To fear YAHUAH is to walk in YAHUAH’S ways.
These are clear, do-able steps to take to walk in the Fear of YAHUAH.
With one-step-at-a-time, with YAHUAH’S essential merciful grace, then the Fear of YAHUAH is achievable. With His help, we can do the simple steps of walking in His ways, guarding His Word!
All who truly desire to know YAHUAH ELOHIYM, to love Him, understand Him, then they will choose … to hearken to [hear and obey] YAHUAH’S ways, His statutes, and His commandments (Yochanon 14:15,21; 15:10; Yochanon Ri’shon 5:3). This is the evidence that we have [and are walking in], the Fear of YAHUAH.
Let’s see what the Scriptures say about learning the Fear of YAHUAH.
Learning the Fear of YAHUAH
From the Scriptures we find that YAHUAH wants us to learn the Fear of YAHUAH:
1.) That their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear YAHUAH ELOHAYKA … (Devariym 31:13a).
2.) Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of YAHUAH (Tehilliym 34:11).
Both of the above verses reveal the need for us to be teachable and learn the Fear of YAHUAH.
The first verse above, in Devariym, is one of at least fourteen verses in Devariym alone, where YAHUAH’S people are exhorted to learn the Fear of YAHUAH ELOHAYKA [your Mighty One] (see Devariym 4:10; 5:29; 6:2,13,24; 8:6; 10:12,20; 13:4; 14:23; 17:19; 28:58; 31:12,13).
Rather than list all these Scriptures here, we will point out one verse that clearly sums up the rest:
You shall walk after YAHUAH ELOHAYKA, and fear Him, and guard His commandments, and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him, and cleave unto Him. (Devariym 13:4)
This verse, along with the others in Devariym, reveal the following practical steps we need to learn the Fear of YAHUAH:
Hearken to [hear and obey] YAHUAH’S Words;
Carefully obey the instructions of YAHUAH;
Have a copy of YAHUAH’S Torah [His instructions, teachings for His children] and read it all the days of our life;
Hear, observe to do, all the Words of this Torah.
Again we can see that YAHUAH is showing us the practical steps for learning the Fear of ELOHIYM.
Learning the Fear of YAHUAH begins when we start to cultivate a great reverence for, and obedience to, YAHUAH’S written WORD, the Scriptures. Over and over throughout the Scriptures, we find that learning the Fear of YAHUAH is revealed in passages that urge obedience to YAHUAH’S commandments, instructions, and teachings!
Now let’s look at Tehilliym 34:11. This passage reveals in context (Tehilliym 34:12-14) a few more ‘homework assignments’ that are given to those students who wish to learn the Fear of YAHUAH:
Guard our tongue from speaking evil, guard our lips from speaking deceit;
Depart from evil, and do good;
Seek peace, and pursue it.
Learning the Fear of YAHUAH begins the moment we take steps toward departing from all evil actions and words! This is confirmed in Mishlei 8:13: “The fear of YAHUAH is to hate evil!” When we have the genuine Fear of ELOHIYM, we will hate and avoid the evil-ness of pride, arrogance, selfishness, covetousness, falseness, and perversion. When we hate evil, we actively guard our mouth, choosing to speak words that bring forth life and edification.
As we saw in Out of the Abundance of the Heart, we can choose to use our tongue to speak words that build up others, bringing life. Or, we can choose to speak words that tear down others, bringing death. Guarding our words is how we can begin to learn the Fear of ELOHIYM.
And, we must be teachable and tender-hearted toward learning the written Word of YAHUAH. Tender-hearted-ness is necessary for us to be as a little child – humble in our attitude and obedient to the Word, if we are to learn to Fear ELOHIYM. Oh Thirsty Souls, let us be praying for hearts to be tender and teachable!
Walking in the Fear of YAHUAH
We have seen that the Scriptures describe in great detail, what it means to walk in the Fear of YAHUAH. When we are truly walking in the Fear of YAHUAH, then we will behave and speak with great reverence and loyalty about YAHUAH’S Truth, His Character, and His Word! Our heart’s desire will be to practice studying YAHUAH’S Word daily, and learning to obey YAHUAH’S Torah [His instructions and guidelines for His children] (Mishlei 29:18b). Also, we will seek to glorify YAHUAH in everything we do (Qorintiym Ri’shon 10:31)!
When we have the Fear of YAHUAH, then we will earnestly seek to avoid any sort of evil-doing. We will begin learning to avoid the things that YAHUAH hates, seeking to love the things that delights our heavenly Father. We will delight in guarding all of Mashiach’s commandments, including those He gave to Mosheh (Yochanon 14:15,21; 15:10; Yochanon Ri’shon 5:3)! With the Fear of YAHUAH, we will know how exceptional and immense the love of YAHUAH for His children is! And, we will find it much easier to trust Him with all our heart!
Why is this true?
Because we will be regularly studying His written Word, continually being reminded of His loving and intimate care for His children! (Tehilliym 91:14; Mishlei 8:17; Shiyr HaShiriym 1:2b; Yeshayahu 38:17; Yirmeyahu 31:3; Yochanon 14:21). We will be experiencing very personal events that confirm Father’s love and direction for us. And, we will begin to understand the importance of speaking respectfully to, and about, our heavenly Father.
And, because we are hiding YAHUAH’S Word in our heart, spending time with Him in our prayer closet, seeking His help in all we do, then we will be more sensitive to the RUACH HA’QODESH’S leading, being careful to not sin against Him. And, the genuine Fear of YAHUAH will deliver us from the dangerous trap of the fear of man! (Tehilliym 119:11; Tehilliym 17:3; Mishlei 29:25).
The Rewards
We must add one more detail in our look at this characteristic of the Wise Virgins. We must mention the rewards! According to Scripture, there are great rewards for walking in the Fear of YAHUAH. A brief list of these rewards is great motivation for us to pursue the Fear of YAHUAH!
Notice these promises offered to those who walk in the Fear of YAHUAH:
The angel of YAHUAH encamps round about them that fear Him, and delivers them. (Tehilliym 34:7)
O fear YAHUAH, ye His saints: for there is no lack to them that fear Him. (Tehilliym 34:9)
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. (Tehilliym 103:11)
He will fulfill the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their cry, and will save them. (Tehilliym 145:19)
YAHUAH takes pleasure [‘delights’] in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy. (Tehilliym 147:11)
From the above Scriptures, there are wonderful rewards for those who Fear ELOHIYM:
The angel of YAHUAH surrounds them;
They have no lack;
They have YAHUAH’S great mercy;
YAHUAH fulfills their desire;
YAHUAH hears their cry;
YAHUAH will save them;
YAHUAH delights in them!
What amazing love our heavenly Father has for His children!!
Let us remember however, that the Fear of YAHUAH is the Beginning of wisdom! When we have the Fear of YAHUAH, then we have the ‘key‘ that opens the vault to the treasures of wisdom! And wisdom, whose price is above rubies, is truly a treasure!! [See Iyov 28:12-28.]
Learning the Fear of YAHUAH is not only a key characteristic of the Wise Virgins, but it is also a key ingredient to our well-being (Qoheleth 8:12b).
YAHUAH ELOHIYM created us, loves us immensely, and knows the beginning and the ending of all things! He knows therefore, that it is For Our Good, that we learn to Fear Him!
When King David prayed, “Teach me Your way, O YAHUAH, … unite my heart to fear (yar’ey) Your name,” (Tehilliym 86:11), David was exhibiting his desire to learn and walk in the Fear of YAHUAH. May this be our desire — to have an undivided heart to honour YAHUAH, learn to Fear Him, and reverence (yar’ey) His holy Name (Tehilliym 111:9; Mal’akiy 1:6).
The Greatest Reward
Let us remember: our exceeding great reward is Mashiach Himself (Bereshiyth 15:1), who is the Bridegroom! So the greatest reward or incentive for our gaining wisdom, is so that we will want to become ready — ready to go in to the marriage with the Bridegroom! And the way we acquire that readiness is to do what YAHUAH exhorts: ‘Get Wisdom!‘
But none of our readiness would be possible without the grace and mercy of our Father YAHUAH! Our own efforts are not enough! We NEED the help of the RUACH HA’QODESH!! Only by the RUACH YAHUAH imparting His wisdom and His help in maintaining obedience to His written Word, one-step-at-a-time, only then, can we hope to be enabled to Be Ready for our Bridegroom. Let us pray to stay near Him always, seeking His grace, that we so desperately need in all things!!
The one who is wise will be seeking and walking in the Fear of YAHUAH! This is a vital and important characteristic of the Wise Virgins! The Fear of YAHUAH is the one wisdom characteristic that initiates, supports, and cultivates all the other wisdom characteristics!
If we seek to cultivate this amazing quality, then we are on the road to gaining wisdom and, by His mercy, becoming ready to be among the company of the Wise Virgins!!
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