Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. 14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom.
This passage of scripture teaches us what the fear of the Lord is, and as described above, it's not to be afraid of God in the sense of being scared, but rather to have a good understanding of spiritual things so that we can avoid evil. In order for us to be prepared to escape from the net of the fowler, we must first have a clear understanding of what constitutes evil, or else we will often put our feet inadvertently into some of the many snares that are laid for the feet of the unwary, and a knowledge of good and evil can only be received through a diligent study and application of the word of God. Let's read:
Hebrews 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
But in order for us to receive this critically important knowledge, we must come to the study of the word of God with a humble heart and a teachable spirit, that's why the passage in Proverbs continues by saying "Pride and arrogancy do I hate", in other words, if we cultivate a tendency to criticize or stand in judgment over the scriptures, we will never be able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Whenever we study the Bible, it's utterances should immediately take precedence over any preconceived ideas or biases we may have previously held, and when we submit to God, even in the things we may not fully understand, then the path of truth and righteousness becomes clearer and clearer to us everyday, to the point where God will enable us to detect and avoid evil before it comes knocking at our doors. Let's read:
Proverbs 27:12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.
For instance, one of the areas in which the fear of the Lord was manifestly lacking, was in the experience of the Hebrews when they were faced with the prospect of wandering in the desert for forty years, after the golden opportunity to capture the land of Canaan had slipped them by. At this time they were in a state of doubt, hesitation, and murmuring, and the devil took advantage of this fact by leading them into rebellion against God, using the influence of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, prominent leaders in Israel. Let's read:
Numbers 16:1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: 2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: 3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord?
The children of Israel immediately fell for this snare, for they had not the word of God abiding in their hearts. Rebellion against any of God's anointed leaders is something we should never do, even in cases where those leaders may make grave mistakes, as most of us do. This instruction had been recorded previously when Miriam and Aaron rose up against Moses because of his wife's ethnicity, at which time God sent a stern correction to Miriam, thus plainly showing what His will is in similar matters, and this experience should have been a beacon of warning to all who witnessed this singular occurrence. Let's read:
Numbers 12:1 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. 2 And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it. 5 And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. 6 And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. 7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. 8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed. 10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.
In our day, and in our own experiences, we sometimes fall into the snares of the evil one, either ignorantly, or because of a deliberate disregard for the instructions given in the scriptures, and when this is done, the devil shows up to be paid, for the workman is worthy of his hire. It behooves us then to study very carefully the laws, statutes, instructions, and experiences written in the scriptures so that we do not bring reproach upon the name of Christ, nor invite unnecessary suffering on ourselves and others on account of not knowing or understanding the fear of The Lord.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to make the most of the knowledge God has been pleased to give, so that His name may be glorified in our lives, and also that it may go well with us and our children. Let's read:
Deuteronomy 12:28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and doing of His every word. "Good night" and God bless!