The fear of Elohim:
We are going to deal with three questions today. 1) What is the fear of Elohim? 2) Why should we fear Elohim? 3) How do we fear Elohim?
1. What is the fear of Elohim?
A. There are a  lot of verses in the Psalms and Proverbs that speak about the fear of Elohim. In Proverbs 1, we read,” The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”. What is the fear of Elohim? Well, it is not exactly fear. It is respectful trust. It is awe. It is an understanding of how great Elohim is.
Proverbs 1:7 says that it is the key to knowledge and wisdom. Psalm 111:10, ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge’. If you want to be really smart, really understand life and what it is all about— the meaning and purpose of it and how everything functions and works—if you want wisdom and knowledge, the Bible says, “you need the fear of the Lord.” The fear of Elohim is the key to wisdom and knowledge.

B. When you say “fear of Elohim” we are actually talking about knowing Elohim, and fear is the result of that. In Prov.2: 4 it says, “If you seek for wisdom, like you search for hidden treasure then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of Elohim.”
It is the knowledge of Elohim Himself, it is respect for the power of Elohim’s Word. In Psalm 33:8–9 we read,’ Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; ‘He commanded, and it stood fast.
Proverbs 8:13,’ The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate.’

C. When you fear Elohim, you hate what He hates. You hate sin. In our present culture we tolerate sin. We see a redefinition of sin—things that Elohim says are wrong, people are saying that it is okay. We love people but we hate what they do. People who really love the Lord and are really committed to Him, hate evil and sin. They know what it does. They know the damage and destruction, and they hate it wherever it is. But they love people.
Proverbs 14:27 adds another aspect. It says, “The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life to avoid the snares of death.” It is a fountain of life out of which gushes all that is what we call life—and especially as it relates to eternal life The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life to avoid the traps of death.

2) Why should we fear Elohim?
A. Turn to Proverbs 10:27, please. Why should we fear Elohim? And there are a lot of wonderful reasons why. One is that it prolongs days. Proverbs 10:27 says,’ The fear of the LORD prolongs days, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.’ Elohim’s Word here is not promising earthly extensions. Elohim is talking about the hope that we have in the Lord. We are talking about living with the Lord forever! It prolongs days and that means we are going to be with the Lord forever..

B. Proverbs 14:26 says,’ In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge. Another reason why we should fear Elohim is because it protects us from serious problems. We are leaning on Elohim’s everlasting arms. “Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head.” Psalm 3:3. There are so many wonderful declarations of Elohim’s protection. “The Lord is a sun and shield. He will give grace and glory. No good will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11) The Lord will deliver us. If you understand that it is putting your confidence in Elohim, in who He is and not who man is, then you realize how you can have strong confidence—no matter what happens. If you really fear the Lord, there is a refuge there.

C. It provides for our needs. There are a lot of people who wonder if Elohim will provide for their needs. In Psalm 33:18–19 it says, ‘Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy, to deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine.’ It involves hoping in the mercy of Elohim. It is his mercy that is holding back from us what we really deserve and getting His loving kindness and tenderness. Hoping in that is the same thing as fearing the Lord. When you fear the Lord, you recognize that were it not for His mercy, you would be finished right now.
D. In Malachi 3:16 it says, Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another; And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name. It promises future salvation. That is why we should fear the Lord.

3) How do we fear Elohim?
A. You fear Elohim by keeping His commandments. Don’t think that you fear Elohim if you do not keep His word. Deuteronomy 6:2 says, That you may fear the Lord your Elohim to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command you. Deuteronomy 6:24 says, ‘ And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our Elohim, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive as it is this day.
Deuteronomy 13:4 says, You shall walk after the LORD your Elohim and fear Him and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. Those who fear Elohim are always obedient to his laws.

B. We fear Elohim by staying away from sin. In Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for Elohim has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”
C. Fear also means to serve the Lord. Those who fear Elohim are not trying to find a way out of service. They are committed to service because they fear Elohim.
In Deuteronomy 10:12 it says, And now, Israel, what does the LORD your Elohim require of you, but to fear the LORD your Elohim, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul.
Joshua 24:15. “Choose you this day whom you will serve.” Those who fear the Lord are going to serve the Lord. They are going to do whatever they can to be a blessing to others and to do what Elohim wants them to do.

D. You fear Elohim by giving to the Lord a portion of your income. Deut.14:22.You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year… that you may learn to fear the LORD your Elohim always.
We fear Elohim by keeping His commandments, by staying away from sin, by serving the Lord, by giving to the Lord, and by praising the Lord. But here is the heart of it: by trusting in the Lord. We fear Him by trusting in the Lord. In Psalm 115:11, it says, You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord. He is their help and their shield.