The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, ESV)
It was great to see Johnny Miller again. Invited back to Oakmont to celebrate his historic final round 63 in the 1973 U.S. Open, Johnny re-entered the NBC booth after retiring in 2019.
For three decades, Johnny never hesitated to give straightforward analyses of a player’s flawed swing, poor decisions, or when a player choked.
If a player was leaking oil, Johnny did not avoid using a word like “gagging” when he saw the pressure getting to a player.
What causes anyone to choke? Why do we get nervous over a four-footer? What causes us to get out of our comfort zone? Why do we lose our tempo when surrounded by a gallery at the first tee?
Psychological explanations are above my pay grade, but it seems to me that it’s just plain fear—fear of failure, fear of embarrassment. I want to understand the fear that paralyzes!
I am eager to understand “fear(s);” the kind of fears that cripple the best golfers in the world and my own fears. I am also eager to get my mind around the concept of fear in Scripture.
“Fearing God” appears frequently throughout Scripture. In helpful ways, Biblical scholars explain that words have a “semantic range”—meaning that how an author uses a word in a sentence determines its meaning.
For example, the word “trunk” can refer to the back of my car, a large piece of luggage in the attic, or the long snout of an elephant. Similarly, “fear” in Scripture has different meanings depending on how it is used in a sentence and its context.
Sometimes the word “fear” is used to mean reverence. When Scripture talks about “the fear of God” this way, it means this: the best way to relate to God is to live with a deep awareness of his unmatched majesty— to revere him!
Yet, like Johnny, we cannot pull a punch because it might offend someone’s sensibilities. There are times when the “fear of God” means precisely what we think it means. The “fear of God” can mean being afraid of God.
For instance, anyone living in stubborn rebellion against God and his commandments would be utterly foolish to think they can escape the justice of God.
If a Copperhead crawls into your golf cart, you’d be a world-class fool not to run. Paradoxically, if you’re breaking God’s law, don’t run from Him. Run to Him and ask for mercy and grace.
After Solomon covered a wide range of topics on living the good life, he finally reaches the essential point— “fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
The fundamental question we should keep asking ourselves is this: How can I live my life wisely for the glory of God? In his commentary on Ecclesiastes, Craig Bartholomew expands on Solomon’s conclusion:
“Fear here refers to a holy reverence before God and aligns with Proverbs, which makes the fear of God the beginning of wisdom. Thus, as T. S. Eliot notes, the end of the journey is to find oneself at the beginning again, only this time one understands it more fully.”
Coming to grips with the reality of who God is as he has presented himself to us in Christ, and then finding that portrayal in Scripture should lead us all to bow on bended knee before the GREAT I AM!
Prayer: Lord! Teach me to fear you!