Have you ever heard it said that someone has “no fear of God”? This type of person will recklessly break laws and pursue criminal activity. They seem to have no fear of authority and no regard for justice.
In the Bible, the “fear of the Lord” is closely connected with God’s justice. Psalm 64 opens with a prayer for protection from unjust enemies (vv. 1–6). The “conspiracy theory” in this case is in fact true—they’re plotting against the Psalmist (v. 2). His enemies’ words are turned against him like deadly weapons, sharp and cruel (v. 3). Their actions are similarly unfair and cowardly, as they “shoot from ambush at the innocent” (v. 4). They work together to refine their evil plans and to design and hide their wicked traps (vv. 5–6).
David’s prayer is answered in the second half of the psalm (vv. 7–10). The wicked may be “cunning,” but they’re not nearly clever enough to outsmart the Lord. He will act justly and punish them. They shoot the innocent from ambush, but God will shoot them with His arrows (v. 7). They use words as weapons, but God “will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin.” Everyone will see their downfall and understand that He has worked justice upon them (v. 8).
What is the final result? First: “All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done” (v. 9). Everyone will fear the Lord, in the sense of the opening illustration. Second: “The righteous will rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him; all the upright in heart will glory in him!” (v. 10). They, too, fear the Lord but have gone beyond simple respect to loving reverence and obedience.
Go Deeper
Have you ever thought about writing your own psalm? Using this psalm as an example, write a prayer for help in a tough situation. Then in faith express what will happen when God intervenes!
Pray with Us: Father God, thank You for the reminder in today’s reading that You are our protection and strength, that we can run to You and be safe. “The righteous will rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him” (Ps. 64:10).
BY Brad Baurain
Dr. Bradley Baurain is Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He is the author of On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.