Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25.

The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. Psalm 28:7.

And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 48: Shall be an anointed King to the Lord. 1 Samuel 2:10: Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered; against them He will thunder in the heavens, the LORD will judge the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to His king, and will exalt the horn of His anointed. And, Matthew 28:18; John 12:15: And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.

Last night at our Home Group Bible study, we talked about Samuel, a judge and the first prophet of ancient Israel who warned Israel when she wanted a king like the pagan nations, that that was idolatry and turning away from God. God told Samuel to listen to the people because they weren’t rejecting him, but rejecting God. They were forsaking God just as they had rejecting Him when He brought them out of Egyptian slavery. But Samuel was to warn them of the consequences that would occur if they and the king turned away from God (1 Samuel 8). And Peter reminded the people so many generations later, “And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and his successors onward, also announced these days.” (Acts 3:24). The same thing, in those days then and in these days, rejecting God Himself. I asked in the title of this blog what is the fear of the Lord because that question came up during our discussion. I don’t have a pat answer. I know it is respect, awe, reverence and knowing we are not God and we cannot sustain even one breath without Him who is actively sustaining this life. I know Scripture is given for a reason and tells us that those who contend with the LORD will be shattered; against them He will thunder in the heavens. I can’t do that. No human being can. And neither can me or any human being love in the way that Creator God who IS love loves; and His love IS wisdom and understanding. In the early church of necessity was the question of Gentiles being added to the assembly of those who worshiped the one true God. Peter again addressed the people gathered and said, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the LORD Jesus, in the same way as they also are.” All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, so that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, and all the Gentiles who are called by My Name,’ says the LORD, who makes these things known from long ago.” Acts 15:7-18. The fear of the Lord is not putting God to the test. It is not rejecting Him. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10. We can’t see without His help. We are all of us, Jew and Gentile, bound up in a plan not of our making that has been unfolding from the very beginning and will continue until Jesus returns; and then will continue beyond with Him – and we have no idea how that will transpire because thankfully, we are not God. We have the whole history of us showing us the mess we have made individually and collectively. And Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, has been right there in the midst of every mess. Could you do that? I can’t. Creator God IS. The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart! The beginning of wisdom and understanding.