“Who is this who comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.”” Isaiah 63:1 ESV
Reflection: what is the difference between love and fear?
They seem like such opposites, fear and love, that it is hard for us to understand how they can be connected, in a way. John writes “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18 ESV. But the Bible also teaches “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”Proverbs 9:10 ESV, and “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 ESV. In fact, when we go all the way back to when Moses reminded the Israelites of God’s commandments given to them in the desert, we read something even more interesting. ““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ESV, and then almost in the same breath we read “It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5, 13 ESV. Almost as if they are connected,
Love and Fear
They seem to be talked about as one somehow; like two aspects of one thing, two sides of one coin. In our modern Christian teaching, we hear a lot about Love, but very little, if any, about the Fear of the Lord. Don’t you find that a bit strange? Because we know that the Lord is the same; He never changes. So are we missing something in the teachings? What is fear of the Lord anyway? If we look at this from the Blue Letter Bible reference, it describes this fear in biblical context to mean three dimensions 1) to fear, to be afraid, 2) to stand in awe of, be awed 3) to fear, reverence, honour, respect. So fear of the Lord is a lot more than just to be afraid of as we most commonly use the word as. To stand in awe, to have reverence for, to respect and honor makes a lot of sense, and is very closely connected to love. We even see the importance of that in our human relationships, such as in a marriage. Respect and honor are critical elements of a functioning marriage, and are perhaps even the building blocks for true love.
Jesus is asked which is the greatest commandment, “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 ESV. This is not love as an emotional feeling; it is a commandment. Jesus also said ““If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15 ESV. And we have finally come to the connection to the focus verse today. Isaiah 63:1-6 is a very serious prophecy, where the Lord is speaking of vengeance. “For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come.” Isaiah 63:4 ESV We see from the beginning of this prophecy the question raised of who this is, who “comes from Edom, in crimsoned garments from Bozrah, he who is splendid in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength?” Edom and Bozrah represent here the enemies of God, and “crimsoned garments” we learn is from the blood of the dead enemies of God. And we see that the Lord Jesus Christ referring to Himself here,
“It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.”
He is dressed in splendor as a King, and strength as the Almighty God. The fact that He is speaking in righteousness tells us that He is setting things straight, that the unrighteous must pay their debts, a judgement has been made. But we also see the other side of the righteous King, as He calls Himself “mighty to save” those who call out to Him. All those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13. In fact, we see the day of the Lord to have two dimensions 1) vengeance for the unrighteous, and 2) redemption for the righteous. What is also so powerful in this prophecy to notice is that you get a glimpse of the aftermath of the battle. It will not be dragging on, at the day of the Lord. Justice is swiftly done. At that point there are no second chances. Grace is replaced by justice. And we know there is salvation in no one else than Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12.
But, we must never forget the connection of Love and Fear of the Lord, the awe, the reverence and respect for who He is and His commandments. To Love Him is to also keep His commandments.
