Fear Factor!

By Brother Rabbi Dani’el Rendelman
Emet Ministries
ravemet@comcast.net

MEMBER OF BNAI YAHSHUA SYNAGOGUES WORLDWIDE

(All scripture verses are quoted from the Restoration Scriptures Version unless otherwise noted. Visit www.restorationscriptures.org to learn more.)

Imagine jumping out of a speeding helicopter into the Atlantic Ocean, being covered from head-to-toe with live rats and slithering snakes, or eating cow intestines, all for the hope of winning $50,000. Sound ridiculous? Well, this is the plot of one of television’s most popular programs.

It all started in June of 2001, when the “Fear Factor” debuted during NBC’s primetime lineup. This ‘sleeper’ show was only supposed to have nine episodes and air between re-runs and summertime specials. So much for corporate plans. The program was an instant hit, dominating the ratings and pioneering the reality show genre. Since then, the episodes of the outrageous have continued, pitting real people against each other, with extreme challenges for the hope of taking home that large cash prize.

During each show, three men and three women must have the guts and determination to conquer their most primal fears. At the start of each stunt they are given the opportunity to go along with the challenge and face their fears or give in to their fears and go home. A recent program had the contestants bobbing for pig tongues in vats of animal fat and dead fish. The stench of this feat was so bad, that during filming, the crew was forced to wear protective masks. Those competing weren’t given the same opportunity. They had to suffer through vats of foul smelling, putrid mixtures, in the hope of winning the money.

Fear is a scary concept. It can paralyze or it can inspire. And everyone is afraid of something. There is a difference though, in fearing stuff or fearing man and fearing the Almighty. The Messiah spoke of this when he said, “Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you shall fear: Fear Him, who after He has killed has power to throw into Gei-Hinnom; yes, I say to you, Fear Him.” – Luka / Luke 12: 4, 5.

One bright, beautiful Sunday morning, everyone in a tiny town wakes up early and goes to their local church. Before the service starts, the townspeople sit in their pews and talk about their lives and their families.

Suddenly, at the altar, the Devil appears!! Everyone starts screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in their determined efforts to get away from Evil Incarnate. Soon, everyone is evacuated from the church except for one man, who sits calmly in his pew, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the Almighty's ultimate enemy is in his presence. This confuses the Adversary a bit. He walks up to the man and says, "Hey, don't you know who I am?" The man says, "Yep, sure do."

The Devil says, "Well, aren't you afraid of me?" The man says, "Nope, sure ain't."

Devil, perturbed, says, "And why aren't you afraid of me?" The man says, "Well, I've been married to your sister for 25 years!"

From the devil to the dark, pretty much anything can bring fear to those faint of heart. Yet, what part should fear play in the life of the believer? What factor should fear be for the saint?

Well-known verses
We are familiar with many verses in the scriptures about fear:

“For YHWH has not given us the Ruach (spirit) of fear; but of power, and of ahava (love), and of a sound mind,” Timtheous Bet -- 2 Timothy 1: 7

“The fear of YHWH is the beginning of da’at (knowledge): but fools despise chochmah (wisdom) and discipline,” – Mishle / Proverbs 1: 7

“YHWH is my Light and my Yahshua (salvation); whom shall I fear? YHWH is the strength of my chayim (life); of whom shall I be afraid?” Tehillim / Psalm 27: 1.

We spout off these verses easily from memory, as if we all understand the fear of YHWH. However, this is subject is far from figured out and easily beyond the grasp of most people. This isn’t because the fear of YHWH is some deep esoteric concept. It is hard to understand because we, as believers, have chosen not to even consider the subject. Ever heard a sermon about the fear of YHWH? Ever read a book about being scared of the Creator? Probably not!!

Turn up the heat!
To fear YHWH is a direct command of the Scriptures, it is one of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) of the Torah, yet it is forgotten. “You shall fear YHWH your Elohim, and serve Him, and shall swear by His Name. You shall not go after other Elohim,” -- Devarim / Deuteronomy 6: 13, 14. We know a lot about many of the commandments in the Torah, now it is time to learn about fearing YHWH!

Unfortunately our faith has taught us to become an awful lot like a gas oven, without the pilot light burning. What purpose can a non-working stove accomplish? See, we have some knowledge about the fear of YHWH, yet this information is rarely used and seldom considered. We have the oven, but the heating force is missing. The power that gives purpose to an oven and to our lives is unlit. Let’s turn up the heat, by searching the scriptures and applying what we learn. “Therefore receiving a Malchut (kingdom) that cannot be moved, let us have favor, by which we may serve YHWH acceptably with reverence and fear: For our Elohim is a consuming fire,” Ivrim / Hebrews 12: 28, 29.

Perhaps one reason this matter is not a motivating force within our daily walk is because of how it has been presented to us in the past. The mainstream church teaches the fear of the “l/rd” to be exclusively, a deep reverence and respect for the Almighty. The evangelist says that we are to be in awe of the Creator, not scared of Him. The church preaches that the fear of the YHWH is NOT to be understood as being related to judgment, punishment and sin. We are told to just confess our sins to a priest or that 'love is all that matters'. “Christians tend to de-emphasize the fear of g/d in the New Testament by placing the love of g/d above the fear of Him. There is indeed a greater emphasis on the love of Elohim in the New Testament. However, the element of fear was part of the proclamation of the early believers,” says the Holman Bible Dictionary, a Baptist publication. This begs the questions, ‘Are we really to reverence the power and majesty of YHWH and not expect His judgment and punishment in our lives?’

To reference the fear of YHWH only as awe though, is to present only part of the case. It is to portray a lion without its teeth; or a King without His scepter. We pacify the Almighty, to the point that we’ll accept anything. This idea presents a type of “god” on Prozac, one who doesn’t care about motives, ethics, or actions. We reason that there’s no need to fear the Creator because His Son died for us. Thinking like this betrays only being sorry when we are caught doing something wrong. Yet, this is all we really know. It is all that we have been taught, until now.

The emet, the truth is that reverence and awe of YHWH is part of fearing Him, but it is not the whole truth. What do the Scriptures teach about this issue? How are the Hebraic and Christian concepts of fear different? Could fear be a good, a 'tov' thing?

Fear: A good thing?
Most children have no concept of consequences nor cause and affect. Children just don’t understand that, if they play in the road, they might get run over by a car. They don’t see the dangers of standing on countertops, of climbing on furniture, or of sticking metal items into power outlets. Without a little restraint, without a little fear, kids have no boundaries; they do as they please. Youngsters show caution though, if they are frightened by a speeding vehicle. They are careful not to disobey, if they know they will get a swat on their bottom by a caring parent. For children, fear can be very beneficial. Part of this deterrent is the likelihood of getting caught. Believers know it is a certainty, that YHWH knows all and sees all. Just as, when we were kids, our Mom always knew what we had done. Well, YHWH is our Father and we are His children, therefore fear should be a natural part of our relationship. “Behold what manner of ahava (love) Abba (our father) has bestowed on us, that we should be called b’nai (children of) YHWH! Therefore the olam hazeh (world) does not know us, because it did not know Him,” -- Yochannan Alef / First John 3: 1. We, as children of Abba YHWH, need to learn a little bit about fearing daddy.

To begin our search let’s start “in the beginning” with the first man. After Adam originally sinned in the Gan Eden, Adam does something really strange. He does something very childish. He hides. “And YHWH Elohim called to Adam, and said to him, where are you? And he said, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the eytz (tree) that I commanded you that you should not eat?” Beresheeth / Genesis 3: 10, 11.

Just think about what happened to Adam for a minute. Here is a man, now hiding in the bushes that had “walked with YHWH in the cool of the day”. Why would he be hiding? Adam recognized that he did something wrong and that this, most-certainly-known disobedience brought about the emotion of fear. As a child who had been caught red-handed, Adam hides from His Father.

Now get this, Adam wasn’t afraid of snakes. He wasn’t even scared of a talking snake that had tempted him to sin. But, Adam was terrified of the consequences of his actions. Adam hid because he recognized his fall from his exalted state and knew that a holy and awesome Mighty One would most-certainly know about the situation. Additionally, he recognized that YHWH would be displeased, for he and the woman had done precisely what they'd been forbidden! To Adam, fear was more than just reverence and awe; Adam was hiding because he had a reason to be scared to death! He was terrified! Adam, who had a perfect, unhindered, relationship with YHWH, was now hiding because of his sin! Likewise, even as children of our earthly parents, we know that doing what our earthly Dad says we are not to do causes his displeasure and warrants his wrath! Like Adam, we, as children of Abba YHWH, know that we are caught. We ought to fear our heavenly Father! Perhaps there is more to this issue than we have been taught. Perhaps we should do a little more hiding.

Friend, to fear YHWH is to possess an emotional trait equal to a leash on a dog. The fear of YHWH allows us to go and do as our Master allows. Then, our leash will be tugged if we go a little too far on our own. Our leash is pulled back when we don’t see the impending danger of our actions or if we cross a dangerous line. It’s the idea of “yirah YHWH.” Scary Hebrew terminology? Not really. The phrase “yirah YHWH” is pretty simple to grasp. It literally means to be, “terrified, exceedingly dreadful, morally reverent, terribly frightened.” We need the restraint that the yirah YHWH provides.

A True Story
On a cold day in 1969, the Montreal, Canadia, police force went on strike. Because of what resulted, the day has been called Black Tuesday. A burglar and a policeman were slain. Forty-nine persons were wounded or injured in rioting. Nine bank holdups were committed, almost a tenth of the total number of holdups the previous year along with 17 robberies at gunpoint. Usually disciplined, peaceful citizens joined the riffraff and went wild, smashing some 1,000 plate glass windows in a stretch of 21 business blocks in the heart of the city, hauling away stereo units, radios, TVs and apparel. While looters stripped windows of valuable merchandise, professional burglars entered stores by doors and made off with truckloads of goods. Without police around, anarchy took over. Like our lives, without the fear of YHWH sin runs rampant and confusion sets in. We need the fear of YHWH to be a fence around our actions, prompting us to think about the consequences of what we do.

We need to understand that to yirah YHWH is to respect the results of life’s decisions. It is directly connected to our acts of service, to the devotion of our heart, and to our love of the Saint. When we yirah YHWH we are, in essence, acknowledging the laws that He has set in place to govern the universe. We are seeing Him as the Melek, the king of the universe. We are seeing the power of sin to displease Him, to warrant His punishment upon us. In understanding exactly what yirah YHWH means, let’s consider a few pasuks (verses) on the subject:

“The fear of YHWH, that is chochmah (wisdom); and to depart from evil is binah (understanding),” – Iyov / Job 28: 28

“The fear of YHWH is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil halakha (way to walk) a, and the perverted mouth,” – Mishle / Proverbs 8: 13

“The fear of YHWH is the beginning of chochmah (wisdom): a tov binah (understanding) have all those that do His mitzvoth (commandments),” – Tehillim / Psalms 111: 10

“By the fear of YHWH men depart from evil,” – Mishle / Proverbs 16: 6

“Be not wise in your own eyes: fear YHWH, and depart from evil,” -- Mishle / Proverbs 3: 8

“Should you not fear me?" declares YHWH. "Should you not tremble in my presence?" -- Yermi’yahu / Jeremiah 5: 22 (NIV)

After reading these verses, let’s summarize some main points made by these Biblical authors:

It is wise to fear YHWH

The beginning of wisdom is found in fearing YHWH

To fear YHWH is to hate evil

To fear YHWH is to run and depart from evil

From these scriptures, it is easy to see that the function of the fear of YHWH is to actually bring wisdom. The yisar of YHWH is the means by which we turn away from evil. As we turn to YHWH and from evil we are made wise.

The yisar of YHWH is to be coupled with ahava (love) and service of the Almighty. It is actually “required” for all who want to follow YHWH seriously. “And now, Yisrael, what does YHWH your Elohim require of you, but to fear YHWH your Elohim, to have your halakha in all His halachot, and to love Him, and to serve YHWH your Elohim with all your lev and with all your being,” – Devarim / Deuteronomy 10: 12.

A different idea
With all of this in mind, let’s now consider something radical. Let’s brace ourselves; let's think about something scary. Let’s ponder the preposterous; let's imagine an idea unorthodox to our comfort zones of thinking. Let’s consider the ridiculous suggestion that the fear of YHWH is not…is not being scared of Him.

Let’s consider the remote possibility that the fear of YHWH is actually something different. Perhaps the fear of YHWH is, in fact, the things He is afraid of. Perhaps the fear of YHWH is having His fears in mind all of the time. Just imagine YHWH being scared…

If YHWH could be afraid of anything, what would it be?

What would cause the Creator of the universe to shrink back and shiver?

What makes Elohim scared? What are YHWH’s fears?

If YHWH could be scared of anything, it wouldn’t be heights, as He is higher than the highest mountain. It wouldn’t be spiders or snakes, as He created all the animals. He couldn’t be fearful of the dark, death, or dirt, as He is greater than all these.

If YHWH could be afraid of anything, it would be separation caused by sin. The one thing that could make YHWH recoil in shock, is the idea of the Creator being separated from the creation. With this in mind, let’s understand that to have the fear of YHWH is to actually have His fears – to personally fear what He fears.

Yes, it is conceivable and quite probable that to have the fear of YHWH is to actually be concerned about what concerns Him. It is to dread what He dreads and run from what He runs from. It is to be upset over the same things that He gets mad at. Friend, to have the fear of YHWH is actually to have the fear of sin. YHWH is scared of the only power in the universe that separates Him from His creation, the power of sin, and He wants us to have that same fear.

The Talmud says, "He who fears YHWH may be likened to the wise artisan who keeps his tools always ready for work," Ab. R. N. xii..

Now, let’s recall the verse from the Proverbs, “The fear of YHWH is to hate evil: pride, and arrogance, and the evil halakha (way to walk), and the perverted mouth,” – Mishle / Proverbs 8: 13.

To yisar YHWH is to fear sin, because it separates us from Elohim. What does it mean to fear sin? What does it mean, Hebraically, to sin? To fear sin we must first understand exactly what sin is and how it affects mankind. “But your iniquities have separated between you and your Elohim, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear,” -- Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 59:2, NIV.

That’s all folks
The yisar YHWH is a subject that has been practically ignored by saints for many years. We have placed the love of Elohim above the fear of Elohim and downgraded His judgment and power. With this teaching and the others that are to follow, let’s begin though, to consider this subject and open our lives to this channel of YHWH’s presence. As children of Father YHWH let’s fear daddy a little bit. Consider the fear of YHWH to be more than just reverence and awe of the Creator. It is to have His fears, to be scared of what frightens Him, which is separation caused by sin. The fear of YHWH should be a factor in all of our lives, causing us to sin less and walk in the Spirit more. For indeed, it is because of a lack of fear that we sin.

The fear of YHWH needs to become part of our everyday life. We need to revisit this subject with open minds and make the changes that are necessary. To start here are four easy idea that can help this message become part of us:

1) Memorize the verses found in this teaching about the fear of YHWH. Also, write the verses on index cards or post it notes and place them around the house. We all need reminders and this is an easy way to keep this message before us.

2) Pray and ask YHWH to grow the fear of sin in your life. Answer your own prayers and take caution during life.

3) Share this teaching with someone. Tell a friend about the “Fear Factor,” or forward this to those in your address book who might be open to YHWH’s word. Use this article as an outline for a Bible study or write your own Bible study about yirah YHWH. Contact the author at ravemet@comcast.net to receive an expanded cd audio version of the “Fear Factor” that includes more helpful insights.

4) Look for more articles and teachings about the fear soon to be released of YHWH from Emet Ministries.