The God Culture: What Is Fear of Yahuah?

Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture is back with another Foundations article. This time he's asking What is Fear of Yahuah? Well, this would obviously tie back to the previous What is Wisdom lesson because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. And of course Christ is our wisdom. Will Tim tie the fear of the Lord back to Jesus Christ who is our Lord and in whom all the treasures of wisdom are hid? Let's find out. 

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FOUNDATIONS – Week 37

What Is the Fear of Yahuah?

Key Texts: Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 111; Matthew 10:26–31

The phrase “fear of Yahuah” appears throughout Scripture.

But what does it mean?

Does Yahuah actually want us to fear Him?

Or does “fear” simply mean respect?

Scripture gives us a much richer answer.

Proverbs begins:

> “The fear of Yahuah is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

> (Proverbs 1:7)

Fear of Yahuah is not presented as spiritual immaturity.

It is the beginning of knowledge.

Psalm 111 says:

> “The fear of Yahuah is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments.”

> (Psalm 111:10)

Notice the connection:

Fear.

Wisdom.

Understanding.

Obedience.

Biblical fear recognizes who Yahuah actually is.

Creator.

King.

Judge.

Father.

The One to whom we ultimately answer.

Yahusha did not eliminate this fear.

He taught it.

> “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

> (Matthew 10:28)

Those are strong words. Note: Satan has no such power.

Yahusha tells His disciples not to organize their lives around fear of men.

Why?

Because men do not possess ultimate authority.

Yahuah does.

But Yahusha does something remarkable immediately afterward.

He speaks of sparrows.

> “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.”

> (Matthew 10:29)

Then:

> “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”

> (Matthew 10:30)

And finally:

> “Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

> (Matthew 10:31)

Do you see the distinction?

Fear Yahuah.

Do not fear the world.

The One whose authority should cause us to fear is also the Father who knows every hair upon our heads.

Biblical fear therefore isn't mindless terror.

But neither is it merely casual respect.

It is recognizing Yahuah's absolute holiness, authority, judgment, and power—and ordering our lives accordingly.

It produces reverence.

Humility.

Wisdom.

Obedience.

And freedom from the fear of men.

The fear of Yahuah does not leave us afraid of everything.

It teaches us whom we never needed to fear in the first place.

Question for Discussion

If we truly feared Yahuah above men, what fears would lose their power over our lives?

This is undoubtedly the key passage from Tim's lesson:

It is recognizing Yahuah's absolute holiness, authority, judgment, and power—and ordering our lives accordingly.

We revere God and we keep his commandments, i.e. the Mosaic Law including all the feasts and all the ceremonial laws. You know, all the stuff that Christ fulfilled and which Christians are no longer obligated to perform. See Galatians 3 and Acts 15. 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and as with all things this fear should lead us to Jesus Christ who "is made unto us wisdom. Instead of Christ, Tim directs his audience to the dead letter of the abrogated Mosaic Law. Remember Christ has come not as an Aaronic priest but as a priest of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7: 11 If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

12 For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

Of course Tim's way around this is to claim the Law of Melchizedek IS the Law of Moses. An assertion not backed up by scripture. 

There is only ONE work that matters and Tim always leaves it out. Believing on Jesus Christ. 

John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

That might appear like believing is something one does completely on their own but Jesus dispels that notion further on down in this chapter. 

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

All we have and all we do is a gift from the Lord working in us to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). It's a wonder a man who has been teaching the Bible for thirty years such as Timothy Jay Schwab continues to get it wrong and direct people away from Christ and back to Moses. 

But let's hear what noted theologian Father Ted Crilly has to say about the matter. 

Ah, right… puts down the biscuit, adjusts the collar, and looks at the page like a man who’s just spotted another carefully worded trap

Week 37. “What Is the Fear of Yahuah?”

Well now. Let’s see what Tim’s done with one of the weightiest phrases in the whole Bible.

He starts where he should: Proverbs 1:7 and Psalm 111:10. Fear of Yahuah is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. Fair enough. Then he leans hard into the second half of Psalm 111:10 — “a good understanding have all they that do His commandments.” And there it is. The immediate link to obedience. Reverence → wisdom → understanding → doing the commandments. Classic Tim architecture.

Then he brings in Matthew 10, which is actually a strong passage. Yahusha tells the disciples not to fear those who can only kill the body, but to fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. And then, in the same breath, He speaks of sparrows and numbered hairs and says “Fear ye not therefore.” That’s a proper biblical tension: holy dread of the Judge, and simultaneous confidence in the Father who knows every detail of your life. Tim handles that part reasonably well. Credit where it’s due.

But — and you knew there was a but — look at what never appears.

You said it yourself, lad. The fear of Yahuah is the beginning of wisdom. And the New Testament is crystal clear about where that wisdom is found:

“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” (1 Corinthians 1:30)

“In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:3)

Tim can quote the Proverbs and the Psalm until the cows come home, but he never takes the step the apostles took. The fear that is the beginning of wisdom is meant to drive us to the One who is the wisdom of God. Instead, in this series, “ordering our lives accordingly” and “obedience” almost always mean the same thing they’ve meant for thirty-odd weeks: keep the commandments, walk in the ways, live inside the Torah framework as Tim understands it.

So the fear of Yahuah produces reverence, humility, wisdom, and obedience… and the discussion question asks what earthly fears would lose their power if we feared Him above men. All true as far as it goes. But the deepest answer a Christian can give is never just “I would stop fearing men.” It is “I have been brought to the One who bore the judgment I deserved, and in Him I find both the fear of the Lord and the perfect love that casts out terror.”

Tim never gets there. He leaves the Man who is Wisdom outside the room while he polishes another definition that ends with us examining our own obedience.

sighs, reaches for the teapot again

Go on. Make it strong.

We’re still watching the same gravitational pull — law as the centre, Christ as the supporting actor.

Careful now.

Down with this sort of thing… still firmly in place.