Day 186 “Wise men fear Him, but the truly wise are not afraid of Him.”

Day 186 Matthew 22:41-46 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’? If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore. Jesus has determined that now is the time to silence His accusers. At least for now, He has answered their questions. He has played their games and, since finding truth was not their goal or objective, He turns things around. You see, they were OK trying to trip up the man Jesus; however, they knew they could never win a theological discussion with Him, especially when He is now referring to the Son of David as a God–this was more than they could or wanted to handle. You see, when Jesus asked them this question in verse 44, He was quoting Psalm 110:1, and the word “Lord” here means Adonay, a word used only to describe God. For example, in Job 28:28, God is speaking to Job and his cohorts and says the following: “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’” In order for the Pharisees to win this discussion, they would need to either deny the Word of God as true or openly say that Jesus was a liar and not the Messiah, which is exactly what they will later do. However, let's go back and look at this from a different perspective. There are two ways in which Jesus was viewed. By one group of people, He was viewed as a God in the form of a man, sent by God to set men free, a deity. By the other group of people, He was seen as a man–a rabble-rouser–a politically charged person who was seeking His own gain; someone who was uncomfortable with the status quo. In the first group, the believers held Him in high regard and respected Him for who He was. They did not treat Him as a man but rather as their Messiah. I would say in many ways they feared Him. I mean, wouldn't you, if you saw Him do the things He did and say the things He said? Therefore, according to Job 28:28 (and other various passages), they were acting in wisdom. However, those who viewed Him as a man did not fear Him, they loathed Him. They became familiar with Him; therefore, they lacked in wisdom, did they not? Now, can I muddy up the waters a little? I'm not saying that the disciples and the followers of Christ were afraid of Him; however, I would say they feared Him–big difference. I believe we are to reverently fear the power of God, and we are to understand that our God is one who will do as He pleases, when He pleases, and his judgment will fall upon those whom He chooses to judge; therefore, in His presence we will rightfully maintain respect. While we may and should know God, we must always remember that He is God, and familiarity can often lead to failure or sin on our part. Again, look at Job 28:28–while fear leads to wisdom, wisdom leads to departing from evil, which is understanding. You see, if we view God as a deity and fear His power, we understand that evil is not for us. The point I am trying to make is this: if we are familiar with God because we are often in His presence seeking His forgiveness, mercy, and grace, maybe we had better get a little more fear of Him in our hearts, for if we do fear Him, our tendency is to flee evil. I truly believe that there are many people in this world who are being wrongly influenced to have too comfortable of a relationship with God; they are being encouraged to bathe in His grace rather than bask in the glory of His presence. One is very self-serving, and the other, while it serves us well, serves the Lord much better, for He desires to be in fellowship with us. I believe our God wants more than a superficial relationship; after all, He does desire to spend eternity with us, does He not? Now, that’s cool. I don't understand why, but I'm sure glad He does! I pray that we would all be familiar with God, not just his grace and mercy, but familiar with all His attributes. How about you? Do you know Him well? The good news is His grace and mercy provides the way for all of us to know Him better. Daily Prayer: Father, I thank You that you are a God of mercy and grace and that You love me in spite of my failures and shortcomings. Give me the ability to have a healthy fear of You that I might depart and flee from the evil of this world. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. “Wise men fear Him, but the truly wise are not afraid of Him.” Gene Burroughs, Pastor