Fear or Awe? The Truth About Knowing God

I’m Mel Schwarz, and in a message for Life Springs Christian Church I wrestled with a question we all bump into in Scripture: when the Bible speaks of “the fear of the Lord,” does it mean terror — or something like awe and wonder? On Ascension Day I was struck again by Acts 1: Jesus spends forty days after the resurrection lingering with the apostles, “appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” That image of the risen King patiently teaching made me want to ask a different question: how does the fear of the Lord fit into the kingdom of God?

Outline

• What does “fear” mean in Scripture?
• The Exodus 20 scene: terror or awe?
• When fear becomes paralysis — the parable of the talents
• What modern research tells us about awe and wonder
• Scripture revisited: Psalm 130, Matthew 10, and Job
• Practical takeaways: living in awe, not terror

Understanding “the Fear of the Lord”

The phrase “fear of the Lord” is scattered throughout Scripture. Solomon ends Ecclesiastes with a remarkably simple verdict:

“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)

Proverbs phrases the idea three ways: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” and “the beginning of wisdom,” and “a fountain of life.” These are weighty claims — so what do we mean by “fear” here?

Hebrew and Greek use a single root for fear (and the New Testament uses phobos), and context must tell us whether the word points to terror, reverence, awe, or obedient respect. That ambiguity is exactly what we need to examine.

Exodus 20: A Mountain That Forces a Decision

Imagine Sinai: fire, thunder, lightning, a mountain smoking, and the whole assembly hearing God’s voice. After God speaks the commandments, this is the people’s reaction:

“When all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled… They said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.’ ” (Exodus 20:18–21, paraphrased)

Read straight through you get a paradox: “Don’t be afraid… be afraid.” The people back away from the mountain, but Moses draws near into the thick darkness where God is. Why? If “fear” is literal terror, Moses’ behavior is inexplicable; terror doesn’t make someone lean into danger.

But if we understand the second “fear” as awe — a reverent, curious, self-transcending awe — the scene makes sense. Moses approaches because he is drawn into the presence of God, wanting to hear and to understand, not paralyzed by dread.

When Fear Turns to Paralysis: The Parable of the Talents

Fear doesn’t just cause physical retreat; it cripples creativity and generosity. Listen to the servant’s explanation in the parable:

“Master… I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” (Matthew 25:24–25, paraphrased)

The servant believed a false story about his master — that he was harsh and reaping where he did not sow — and so he did nothing. Fear bred suspicion, which bred inaction. The master calls him “wicked and slothful.” The irony is the master’s generosity is exactly what produced the opportunity; fear of the master’s character prevented the servant from participating in that generosity.

That’s the danger of a terror-based “fear of the Lord”: it can lead to paralysis, poor decisions, and even evil actions driven by self-protection rather than trust and creativity.

Awe and Wonder: A Better Translation of “Fear”

Modern research in positive psychology and studies of human flourishing give helpful vocabulary for what the Bible might mean by “fear” in many contexts. Researchers studying awe identify two core components:

• Perceived vastness — an experience of something much greater than the self.
• A need for accommodation — the urge to reconfigure our mental models to make sense of the experience.

That “need for accommodation” often produces what scholars call the “small self”: we feel humbled, aware that we are part of something larger, not insignificant but certainly not the center. Awe tends to be self-transcendent: it shifts attention away from ourselves, makes us feel part of something greater, and — crucially — makes us more generous toward others.

These are precisely the outcomes God seems to want in Exodus and elsewhere: knowledge, wisdom, life, generosity, and right action. Awe opens the mind and heart; terror locks them down.

Scripture Revisited: Psalm 130, Matthew 10, and Job

Some passages that sound intimidating read very differently when “fear” is heard as awe. Psalm 130 says:

“If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” (Psalm 130:3–4, paraphrased)

Read as terror this is punitive; read as awe, it becomes beautiful: God’s forgiveness inspires reverent wonder and moves us to imitate that mercy toward others.

In Matthew 10 Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body.” Taken as terror, it sounds like cold intimidation. But read as awe it’s a corrective: don’t be terrified of people — be awed by the one whose power truly matters — and that awe frees you to speak in the light and proclaim what you’ve witnessed.

Job offers perhaps the clearest biblical portrait of transforming awe. When God answers Job out of the whirlwind, Job responds, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” That is not the response of someone frozen by fear, but of someone moved, turned, and reoriented by encounter with the divine. God affirms Job’s posture and rebukes his friends for misrepresenting him.

Practical Takeaways: Living in Awe

• Cultivate experiences of awe: nature, worship, art, the study of Scripture and creation — these expand the “vastness” we perceive.
• Let awe make you small in the right way: humbled, connected, and freed from self-centeredness.
• Allow awe to spur generosity and creativity rather than paralysis. When God’s greatness moves you, you want to bless others, not hoard or hide.
• Receive God’s forgiveness with wonder. Let it transform how you treat others — quick to forgive, eager to restore.
• Be brave in the kingdom: proclaim what God has told you, live openly, and lean into the “thick darkness” of God’s presence like Moses — curious, not terrified.

Conclusion

The Bible rightly calls us to “fear God,” but the question is: what kind of fear? Throughout both Testaments that fear often looks less like terror and more like awe — a reverent, wonder-filled response that opens us up to knowledge, wisdom, repentance, creativity, and generosity. The kingdom of God flourishes when our hearts are moved by awe, not frozen by dread.

If you’d like to sit with this more, try this simple practice this week: find something that makes you feel small in the best way (a sunrise, a piece of music, a clear night sky), pause, and let the experience point you back to God. Notice how it changes what you think about others and how you act toward them.

Amen.