May 12th, 2025

Read: Deuteronomy 10:20-21 NRSV

You shall fear the Lord your God; him alone you shall worship; to him you shall hold fast, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise; he is your God, who has done for you these great and awesome things that your own eyes have seen.

So why are we always reading about “fearing” God? Isn’t he the good Father? The loving Creator? Does he really want us to treat him like a big spider who hasn’t killed us yet because we’re too insignificant to notice? The nearest I can come to conveying this particular kind of fear is a little boy standing at the edge of Niagara Falls. If he’s got an ounce of sense, he’ll probably feel fear, as well as a good amount of awe and reverence at the power, majesty, and beauty of what’s before him. If you know any little boys, you know it’s just as likely that the first thing he’ll want to do is stick his hand in the water or potentially throw himself into the rapids. That’s exactly the kind of flippancy that the prophets are always warning us about when we don’t approach God with the fear that he deserves. That’s why C.S. Lewis always makes sure to remind his readers that Aslan isn’t a tame lion. 

Yes, God is the good Father, the Shepherd, the Loving Creator, but he should also inspire the awe and wonder (and the tightening of our stomachs) that we feel at the edge of the ravines at Letchworth. Only a fool would dance on the ledge, not only because of the danger but also the beauty and majesty of what’s before him. 

Today’s passage from Deuteronomy is Moses speaking to the Israelites, reminding them of the golden calf they had built for themselves while he was away, receiving the law from God. In Moses’ absence, the Israelites were quick to turn away from God and run towards idols in their fear. 

What do you fear, and where is it taking you? Are you standing at the edge of the falls in admiration of the power of God? Or are you building a lifeboat-sized idol in the hope that you can overcome the rapids by your own strength?