Fear? Don’t Be Crazy!: Practical Steps to the Fear of the Lord
Most people who know me have heard me mention that I was raised in the Pentecostal tradition. Pentecostals believe strongly in the gifts of the Spirit, and two of the gifts often found in a Pentecostal worship service are the gift of speaking in tongues and the gift of interpretation. One person would speak an unknown language, and another would interpret it. The interpretation is typically taken as the Lord directly speaking to the congregation.
I have often seen these gifts used mightily, but I have also witnessed times when people became overzealous and attempted to use the gifts of the Spirit in ignorance. In one of my recent books, I wrote about a time when someone gave a message in tongues in a large worship setting. But when a man stood to give the interpretation, there was confusion. The man was from a place where people pronounced “scared" as “askeered.” And his interpretation of the message in tongues began, "Behold, saith the Lord. Be not askeered! For behold, I too have been askeered.”
It was comical because of his pronunciation of the word "scared" and because God has never been askeered! I have heard of the fear of the Lord, but I can assure you this is not what it is.
While reading Psalm 34, I recently found a passage in which David invites people to learn to fear the Lord. We talk a lot about fearing the Lord in church, but most people have difficulty describing what it looks like to fear the Lord. So, I was intrigued to discover a place in Scripture that laid out four practical steps to learn to fear the Lord.
Before you dismiss this article as a mundane explanation of a Biblical concept, I want to encourage you to pay attention to this teaching because I believe you will desperately need to understand these practical steps at some point in your life. David does not just explain the fear of the Lord; he explains that the fear of the Lord is the solution for fearing anything else.
The Backstory of Psalm 34
Psalm 34 comes with a backstory. And even the backstory is unusual.
So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath. But the officers of Achish were unhappy about his being there. “Isn’t this David, the king of the land?” they asked. “Isn’t he the one the people honor with dances, singing, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him. So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard. Finally, King Achish said to his men, “Must you bring me a madman? We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?” (1 Samuel 21:10–15, NLT)
Try to picture this scenario. Fear is a rare experience for David. It is not that he had never been afraid, but rather that the Bible typically describes David as being surrounded by other people who were afraid. Often, David is described as the cause of other people’s fear. In this text, David is fleeing from King Saul, who wants to kill David. He has run to the city of Gath, one of the five cities of the Philistines. David went to Gath to seek shelter with the king. However, after he arrived, the officers of Achish were uncomfortable because David had a reputation as a man of war. I imagine they felt like letting David into the city was dangerous. So, they reported his identity and reputation to King Achish.
After David overhears what the men of Gath are saying about him, he becomes afraid. In what seems to be a sudden decision made in panic, David is brought before the king and decides to act like a crazy person. He begins scribbling on doors and letting his slobber run down his beard. The ruse works. The king does not believe he is David but thinks that he is a person suffering from mental health problems. David is dismissed and leaves the city without any issues.
According to the heading of Psalm 34, this episode is the historical context behind this psalm. The psalm describes how David cried out to God and was delivered. While scribbling on doors and slobbering, David prayed to God for help. God graciously answered that prayer and delivered David from danger.
But Psalm 34 is much more than a testimony about God answering David's prayer. The poem is a teaching more than a testimony. Amid David's experience in Gath, he learned something about fear—not the fear of man, but the fear of God.
How are we supposed to respond when we are afraid? David will explain that, in times of fear, we are to fear the Lord.
King Abimelech or King Achish?
An interesting note about the heading of Psalm 34 is that it mentions David's experience in front of a king named Abimelech. Yet, 1 Samuel is clear that the name of the king of Gath at that time was Achish. So why was the king referred to as Abimelech in the heading?
Abimelech was the name of a former king who had ruled in the same area during the time of Abraham. Abimelech is mentioned in Genesis 20 and Genesis 26. Both Abraham and his son Isaac had encounters with King Abimelech. While they were passing through that territory, Abraham and, later on, Isaac thought King Abimelech would attempt to take their wives from them by force. Abraham and Isaac decided to lie and tell the king that their wives were their sisters. They were willing to allow their wives to be taken into the king's harem to avoid conflict with Abimelech. In both cases, God intervened and revealed to Abimelech that the women were their wives, not their sisters.
Fear is a common denominator in the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and David's encounters with the king of this territory. Using the ancient king's name instead of Achish in the heading of Psalm 34 brings all three of these stories to the reader’s mind.
When Abraham was afraid, he lied. When Isaac was afraid, he lied. When David was afraid, he acted like a crazy person. From a human perspective, these behaviors make perfect sense. But from God's perspective, these were foolish attempts of men to trust in their wit rather than trusting in God.
David has learned his lesson. So now he extends an invitation for people to learn to fear the Lord.
Gather Around for a Lesson
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:8-10, NLT)
David invites people to discover what it is like to "take refuge" in the Lord. He extends this invitation with a sensory image of “tasting,” but that idea means that God’s people should experience what it is like to trust in the goodness of the Lord. It becomes evident in this verse and throughout the psalm that David equates "trusting God" with "fearing God."
David outlines an incredible portrait of the benefits of trusting God's goodness. In v. 4, he claims he has been “freed from all of his fears.” In v. 5, he states those who fear and trust in the Lord will radiate with joy and will be free from shame. In v. 6, he testifies how he was “saved from all of his troubles.” In v. 7, he declares those who fear the Lord are "surrounded" and "defended" by God. In v. 8, he describes the experience of fearing the Lord as experiencing “joys.” In v. 9, those who fear the Lord have all they need. In v. 10, those who fear the Lord lack no good thing.
Who would want something other than such an experience? Like a great persuader, David asks his audience, “Who wants to live a long and prosperous life?” (v. 12). I can assure you that David has my attention now. I think every person would love to know what it is like to be completely free from fear and to live long and prosper.
"Gather around," David invites (v. 11), “and I will teach you to fear the Lord!” In this central section of the psalm, David gives four simple steps to fearing the Lord that each relate to and expand on one another. Each of these practical steps is deeper in meaning than they seem at first glance.
Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord. Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. (Psalm 34:11-14, NLT)
Don't Rely on Your Own Devices
David first instructs us to "keep your tongue from speaking evil.” Evil carries the connotation of something morally wrong, unpleasant, or catastrophic. We might say, “Watch your language!” Don’t use your words in an evil way.
Even though it might seem this instruction is only about speaking, there is more to its meaning. Because of the name “King Abimelech” in the heading, this instruction would bring to mind Abraham’s lie, Isaac’s lie, and perhaps even David's act of deception as he pretended to be crazy. To some degree, these actions of deception were examples of men trying to get themselves out of trouble by any means necessary.
The opposite of fearing and trusting the Lord is trusting in one's abilities. It is true that when people get in trouble, they typically look first to themselves to get out of trouble. So often, people will use immoral actions to get out of trouble and justify themselves because they are in extreme circumstances. David's instruction is that the first step to getting out of trouble is to determine not to use evil methods. And though he puts this in terms of “speaking evil,” the implication is that no action of human deceit or manipulation is the way out of trouble.
Be Real Before God
The second step David instructs us to fear the Lord is to "keep your lips from telling lies.” This is not a restatement of the first step but an expansion of it. While step one was a warning not to use evil methods to get ourselves out of trouble, the second step concerns our attitude toward God.
In the Bible, the idea of deceit is usually aimed at other people. However, because the context of Psalm 34 is about one's attitude of trust and fear toward God, there is an implied meaning that “keeping your lips from telling lies” is directed toward God rather than toward people. In other words, one should be honest before God in times of trouble. David is admonishing us to be authentic before God.
It is a spiritual principle that honesty and authenticity before God precede honesty and authenticity before others. A time of trouble is no time for hypocrisy before God. So, to avoid using deceitful methods to get out of trouble, we must first become real before God.
A time of trouble is not a time to make empty promises and vows or attempt to bargain with God. Authentic honesty before God is the only solution. If we are going to trust in God and fear the Lord, we must get real with God.
Choose to Trust God
David's third instruction is to "turn from evil and do good." The word "evil" comes up a second time. This time, it is even more apparent that David is instructing us not only to not speak evil but also to avoid every evil action. For further clarification, David places this instruction in the positive as well as the negative: Don't merely "turn from evil," but also "do good.”
Don't confuse "doing good" with a mere encouragement to live a good moral life or to do some good works of kindness or charity. This psalm is about trusting and fearing God. Trusting God is a choice that one makes. To do the “good thing” in this passage is to actively and repeatedly trust God.
If you are like me, a statement like "trust God" or "fear God" seems generic. Thankfully, David's fourth instruction teaches us what it looks like to "do good.”
Chase God’s Peace
David uses the phrase “search for peace and work to maintain it.” The original Hebrew language provides a picture of someone chasing after something. Literal translations of this verse read, "Seek peace and pursue it.” David is encouraging us to put our energy into pursuing peace. He has clarified that peace is only found in fearing and trusting God.
So, how do we throw our energy into fearing God and trusting God in difficult times? In other words, what do we do? Perhaps the answer to that is found in David's description of what unbelievers do during times of trouble. Psalm 34 makes it clear that the wicked have the opposite experience of peace. We understand what actions the wicked take because we can derive them from the instructions David gives to the righteous. In other words, we know what the wicked are doing based on what David tells the righteous to do. When the wicked get in trouble, their energies are given to lying, deceiving, cheating, manipulating, and trying to outwit the problem. But the actions of the righteous are just the opposite.
Here is what trusting God and fearing God look like. In v. 5, it looks like “looking to God for help.” This picture is of one who steadily gazes at God's face. Their attention is on God alone. Not that they see God literally, but that they are expecting a response from Him and actively watch for it at every turn. And somehow, by gazing at God, the expression on the believer’s face is affected to radiate joy. If you have ever been in the presence of a believer who truly trusts God in the midst of trouble, you might be struck by the expression of joy and peace on their face despite the problems they are walking through.
Trusting and fearing God is also described as praying (v. 6), crying to the Lord (v. 15), and calling on Him (v. 17). Don't overlook these actions as if they are oversimplifications or spiritual clichés. Praying in times of trouble means calling out and crying. This is not a description of a dignified prayer where someone puts together poetic words and flowery expressions. This is a trouble-kind of praying. The trouble-kind of praying is a broken voice, a call for help, a cry, a wail, or a moan. The trouble-kind of praying might even be done in times of panic under one's breath or while you scribble on a door and drool on your chin like David. In times of trouble, hit your knees and cry out to God. That is what it looks like to fear and trust in God.
The remainder of Psalm 34 contrasts the righteous, who cry out to God, and the wicked, who are without defense and are destroyed by calamity. Fearing the Lord is the answer to every other kind of fear. Determine not to rely on your own devices. Decide to get real before God. Choose to trust Him. And then pray, cry, and call on Him. That's what it looks like to fear God.
