David Koberstein
Active member
Have you ever watched a sunrise or a sunset and stood in awe? Have you ever camped
under the Milky Way and been in awe of the night sky and the sheer number of stars?
If you are a parent, I bet you're still in awe of the miracle of childbirth.
The Hebrew word we translate as 'awe' is yirah, which means "respect, reverence, and
worship." But yirah also means "fear" It's the word used in Proverbs 9:10, which reads,
"The fear (yirah) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." I grew up thinking "fear the Lord"
meant to be afraid of Him----to be scared. I was never quite sure what I was supposed to
be afraid of, so I assumed it was because He could crush me at any moment (which is true,
I guess, but I had a feeling that was not it).
When you watch a sunset or stand on the shore of an ocean, you don't feel fear----you feel
awe and reference. You feel yirah. Having the type of awe and reference for God motivates
you to do His will is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. Do you feel the Lord that way?
Shalom aleichem שלום לך
under the Milky Way and been in awe of the night sky and the sheer number of stars?
If you are a parent, I bet you're still in awe of the miracle of childbirth.
The Hebrew word we translate as 'awe' is yirah, which means "respect, reverence, and
worship." But yirah also means "fear" It's the word used in Proverbs 9:10, which reads,
"The fear (yirah) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." I grew up thinking "fear the Lord"
meant to be afraid of Him----to be scared. I was never quite sure what I was supposed to
be afraid of, so I assumed it was because He could crush me at any moment (which is true,
I guess, but I had a feeling that was not it).
When you watch a sunset or stand on the shore of an ocean, you don't feel fear----you feel
awe and reference. You feel yirah. Having the type of awe and reference for God motivates
you to do His will is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. Do you feel the Lord that way?
Shalom aleichem שלום לך
