Reverent Fear of God 对上帝神圣的敬畏
Dexu Xia
Fear the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 10:12
Today's Scripture Deuteronomy 10:12-15
Today's Insights “Moses summoned all Israel” (Deuteronomy 5:1), and he began to publicly review the covenant God had made with His people. They were about to cross the Jordan River (Joshua 3), and Moses would soon step across a “metaphorical” Jordan into eternity (Deuteronomy 34:7). Much of his speech recounts Israel’s rebellion during their meandering forty-year journey out of Egypt (9:7-24). Even as he assured them of their future success in inhabiting the promised land, Moses warned, “It is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess” (v. 6). It was because God had chosen them, in spite of their failure: “They are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm” (v. 29). Because God was their God, Israel was to follow Him. Although His holiness can’t tolerate sin, His Spirit enables believers in Jesus today to “fear” Him, “[obey]” Him, and worship Him (10:12)
Today's Devotion “I killed people in the past,” Tanitan said, “but ever since I chose to believe in Jesus Christ, He will not allow me to commit such practices anymore.” Tanitan, a member of the Ilongot tribe from the Sierra Madre mountains in the Philippines, came from a culture of head-hunting—the practice of hunting humans and severing their heads. In comparing his life before he knew God to his life now, Tanitan said, “Before, I was afraid to die but not afraid to kill. Now, I am afraid to kill but not afraid to die.”
As I read Tanitan’s story in the book To the Headhunters of Sierra Madre by Florentino Santos, I am deeply impressed how his newfound fear of or reverence toward God developed his desire to obey Him. I remembered Moses’ words to the Israelites before they entered the land God promised them: “What does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 10:2). Reverence toward God was to be reflected in obedience to Him. God’s people were to “walk in obedience to Him, to love Him . . . and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees” (vv. 12-13).
As believers in Jesus, our deep respect for God’s holiness compels us to hate evil and do what pleases Him (Proverbs 8:13). Let’s ask Him to help us make reverence toward God a way of life.
Reflect & Pray
From today’s Scripture, how would you describe the “fear [of] the Lord”? Where do you find obeying God difficult, and how can the command to fear Him help you?
Holy God, please help me to live a life with reverent fear in Your presence.
By Karen Huang
以色列啊，现在耶和华你的上帝向你要的是什么？只要你敬畏耶和华你的上帝，遵行祂的道，爱他，尽心尽性侍奉祂。（申命记 10:12）
今日经文：申命记 10章12-15 节
今日洞见： “摩西召集了以色列众人”（申命记 5:1），由此公开重申上帝与祂子民所立的约。当时，以色列人即将渡过约旦河（约书亚记 3章），而摩西也即将跨越一条“象征性”的约旦河，进入永恒（申命记 34:7）。他在讲话中用了很大篇幅，回顾了以色列人在出埃及后那漫长曲折的四十年旅程中所犯的悖逆之罪（9:7-24）。尽管摩西确信他们未来必能成功占据应许之地，但他仍告诫道：“耶和华，你的神将这美地赐你为业，并不是因你的公义”（6节）。这完全是因为神拣选了他们，尽管他们曾屡次失败：“他们是你的百姓，你的产业，就是你用大能和伸出来的膀臂领出来的”（29节）。既然神是他们的神，以色列人就当跟随祂。虽然神的圣洁容不下罪恶，但祂的灵能使今日信靠耶稣的人“敬畏”祂、“顺服”祂并敬拜祂（10:12）。
今日灵修： “我过去曾杀过人，”塔尼坦说，“但自从我选择信靠耶稣基督以来，祂就不再容许我做这种事了。”塔尼坦来自菲律宾马德雷山脉的伊隆戈特部落，该部落有着猎首的文化习俗，即猎杀他人并割下其头颅。在对比认识耶稣基督之前与之后的生活时，塔尼坦说：“以前，我怕死，却不怕杀人；现在，我怕杀人，却不怕死。”
当我在弗洛伦蒂诺·桑托斯所著《致马德雷山脉的猎首者》一书中读到塔尼坦的故事时，想到他对神那份新生的敬畏之心是如何激发他顺服神的愿望，我深为感动。我回想起摩西在以色列人进入神所应许之地前对他们说的话：“耶和华，你的神向你要的是什么呢？只要你敬畏耶和华，你的神……”（申命记 10:2）。对神的敬畏应当体现在对祂的顺服上。神的子民应当“遵行祂的道，爱祂……谨守耶和华的诫命、律例”（12-13节）。作为耶稣的信徒，我们对神圣洁的深深敬畏必然促使我们恨恶邪恶，行讨祂喜悦的事（箴言 8:13）。让我们祈求神帮助我们将敬畏神变为一种生活方式。
反思与祷告 根据今天的经文，你会如何描述“敬畏耶和华”？你在哪些方面觉得顺服神很困难？“敬畏祂”这一命令又如何能给你带来帮助？ 圣洁的神，求祢帮助我活出敬畏您的生命。作者：黄凯伦