Learn Godly Fear at the Feast

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” Jesus’ words in Luke 12:32 have comforted Christians since the first century.

Being unafraid is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. Matthew 10:31 states, “Fear you not therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.” In Isaiah, God says, “Fear not: for I am with you” (Isa. 43:5) and “Be strong, fear not” (35:4). Joshua told ancient Israel, “Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage” (Josh. 10:25).

Yet in a dangerous world gripped by fear and anxiety, it can be hard to apply this command. Many millions of dollars are spent on psychologists, psychiatrists, gurus and self-help books—much in the name of lessening fear. Yet, ironically, the only true antidote is embracing a different kind of fear.

Proverbs 14:26 explains, “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge.” Examining the original Hebrew reveals God provides “strong refuge, security and assurance” to those who correctly fear the only thing God wants us to truly fear: Him!

Consider the impact godly fear can have on our lives…

Leads to salvation: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).

Produces blessings and joy: “Blessed is every one that fears the Lord; that walks in His ways. For you shall eat the labor of your hands: happy shall you be, and it shall be well with you” (Psa. 128:1-2).

Shows us how to correctly serve God: “Wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28).

Keeps us out of trouble: “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil” (Prov. 16:6).

Leads to growth of all kinds, including Church growth: “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, were multiplied” (Acts 9:31).

Truly, the need for this right kind of fear is all-encompassing. It is central to a Christian’s existence, and a loving God has given us a very special time to learn and practice it: the Feast of Tabernacles.

In Deuteronomy, after Moses explained the need to keep second tithe to finance our trip to the Feast, he went on to reveal a primary reason for keeping the Feast of Tabernacles: “And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place which He shall choose to place His name there, the tithe of your corn, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks; that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always” (14:23).

At the Feast, we learn to fear God always, meaning we continue to do so even after we return home.

Joyful Fear?

If you have kept the Feast of Tabernacles before, you know it is the most anticipated time of a Christian’s year. While not more important than the Spring Holy Days—each season has its own integral role in God’s Plan—traveling to where our Creator places His name for more than a week of messages, fellowship, food and fun must be experienced to be understood!

If this is your first Feast, you will hear talk of having or making it the “best Feast ever.” The longer you are in God’s Way, the more challenging a task this becomes, but it regularly seems to happen! Yet the path to the best Feast ever is counterintuitive to the human mind. By now, you have probably guessed it involves fear.

The apostle Paul warned, “To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6). To the carnal mind, fear has no place in a great feast.

Rather than the fall festival being a time of anxiety and dread, it should be filled with great happiness. Notice Deuteronomy 14: “And you shall bestow that money for whatsoever your soul lusts after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever your soul desires: and you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you, and your household” (vs. 26). The word “rejoice” in Hebrew means “to brighten up, be blithe or gleesome.”

A loving God wants us to associate obeying Him with happiness. Psalm 2:11 could easily have been included in the list at the outset of this article. The psalmist wrote, “Serve the Lord with fear,” and concluded the verse with the result of doing this: “and rejoice with trembling.”

Never Changing

Some deride the God who commanded this as the “God of the Old Testament”—calling Him a God of wrath and anger, with Jesus doing away with His commands and bringing mercy. But God says, “I am the Lord, I change not” (Mal. 3:6). His Son is the same: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8).

If there was ever any doubt that this unchanging God desires His people still keep the Feast of Tabernacles to learn the fear of the Lord, Leviticus 23 eliminates it: “Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

“And you shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And you shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations: you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. You shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths” (vs. 39-42).

This eight-day Feast was instituted forever!

Two Sides, Two Lessons

The next verse sheds more light on how the Feast is tied to fear. By staying in temporary dwellings—usually fine hotel rooms in our time—we rehearse how “I [God] made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 23:43).

Take time to read about the terrifying plagues that God inflicted upon Egypt in the early chapters of Exodus leading up to Israel’s deliverance. God demonstrated clearly that persistent disobedience—like Pharaoh’s refusal to release Israel from captivity—resulted in severe punishment. On the other hand, relying on God brought deliverance and freedom.

God has two very different sides used to teach human beings: “Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness: otherwise you also shall be cut off” (Rom. 11:22).

When we keep the Feast, we experience the pinnacle of God’s “goodness” toward us in this life, recognizing Him as the all-powerful Source of our blessings. But we also reflect on the nature of the Being who anciently brought the most powerful nation at the time, Egypt, to its knees for disobedience.

Recall that Moses said we “learn” the fear of the Lord at the Feast of Tabernacles. For eight days straight, we gather to hear messages prepared by God’s servants that guide us in living according to His way of life. This biblical instruction is vital to deepening our understanding and reverence for God.

Moses emphasized the importance of hearing God’s Word in Deuteronomy 31: “Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and your stranger that is within your gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the words of this law: and that their children, which have not known anything, may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land whither you go over Jordan to possess it” (vs. 12-13).

In simplest terms, we learn that obeying God produces untold blessings, while disobedience produces the opposite.

This Bible passage flows directly from the previous chapter, where God explains the choice inherent to being presented with His Law: “See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil; in that I command you this day to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply: and the Lord your God shall bless you in the land whither you go to possess it.

“But if your heart turn away, so that you will not hear, but shall be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; I denounce unto you this day, that you shall surely perish, and that you shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither you pass over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live” (30:15-19).

God does not want us in constant fear of Him in a cowering, unhealthy manner. After all, He explained correct understanding would actually lead to godly confidence! But He does want us to develop and maintain a healthy respect for the ever-present reality that a pattern of disobedience will ultimately lead to great wrath and punishment.

Proper Mindset

As you approach the Feast, take time to study the value of learning the fear of the Lord and all it unlocks. Many times in the Bible, God uses the phrase “the fear of the Lord is…” followed by a definition (see inset). These verses are an excellent place to begin meditating on developing the fear of the Lord at the Feast of Tabernacles.

Human fear not only feels bad, it is actually wrong. While difficult, we should strive to overcome it at all costs: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love” (I John 4:18). Proverbs explains the wrong form of fear is a paralyzing trap: “The fear of man brings a snare: but whoso puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe” (29:25).

There is only one kind of fear we should have, and the Feast of Tabernacles is the perfect place to learn it. As you rejoice in reaping the physical blessings afforded by a year’s second tithe and obedience to God, be sure to focus on and take hold of the central lesson offered at the Feast: learning the fear of God!