Ecclesiastes 12: The Final Conclusion

Reading Ecclesiastes is a bit like climbing a mountain. It is hard work hearing again and again that life is meaningless! It leaves you tired and wondering what the point is in life. There are moments of light but they are few and far between. However we have finally reached the summit, the mountain top, the final conclusion! So what is it? “Fear God and keep his commandments.” Fear God? That sounds like a funny conclusion to me? How on earth is that the mountain top? What actually is the fear of God? Why should we fear him? And what is the fruit in our lives? And if it really is so great then how should we cultivate it?

What is the fear of God?

The author Jerry Bridges (The Joy of Fearing God) defines fearing God as a “Reverential Awe”. He says it is a mixture of respect for God, admiration of him and amazement all mingled together.

This is so important for us to grasp: The fear of God is NOT the same as being afraid of God! For Christians, those who believe and follow Jesus, there is no actual danger or threat to us! That is the gospel, the good news about Jesus! God’s punishment for our sin was laid on Jesus and now we are forgiven and accepted!
But the Bible does tell us to fear God (Acts 9:31; 1 Peter 1:17; Hebrews 12:28-29). The fear of God seems to be central to biblical worship.

The fear of God is the fear of a SON not a SLAVE, of a FRIEND not a ENEMY. Though we were once his enemies and should have been afraid of God, we are now called friends! We don’t need to be afraid but we should stand in fear, in awe and in amazement before him.

Why should we fear God?

Ecclesiastes 12:13 tells us that we fear God because he is the judge who will judge EVERYTHING. But we don’t fear all judges do we? So what kind of judge is he? Well the Bible tells us that he is the GREAT Judge, the HOLY Judge and importantly the LOVING Judge.

1. The Great Judge - Isaiah 40 talks of the Greatness of God. While I can only hold a tablespoon of water in my my hand God holds all the waters of the earth. He measures the universe with the breadth of his hand and he has named every star. Even the nations are like dust in comparison to the greatness of God. THAT is why he can judge the whole earth! How awesome to know that our lives are in the hands of such a great God. Why would we fear anything else?

2. The Holy Judge - Isaiah 6 shows us something of the holiness of God. Not only his moral purity and goodness but his total otherness to the rest of his creation. He WILL judge everything perfectly and put all thing right. That means that that even seemingly meaningless evil and injustice can have meaning. And also there is meaning to our lives. God will judge and reward us for what we have done. How good to know that our lives are not meaningless!

3. The Loving Judge - Psalm 130:3-4 tells us that it is because of God’s forgiveness that he is to be feared. It is because of the cross that we fear God.  Without knowing the love, mercy and forgiveness of God because of Jesus, we would be left terrified. We would fear him as an enemy and not as a friend, as a slave not a son. But the good news is that in Jesus we are his friend and son. We can stand in awe, reverence and adoration because of Jesus!  The cross does not remove the fear of God it completes it. At the cross we see both God’s perfect judgement and perfect love meet. When you truly realise what was headed for us, what we have been saved from, it leaves us in awe! The love of the Father turns terror into true fear - awe, admiration and respect. His love draws you to him instead of pushing you away.

What is the Fruit in our lives?

One of the most important fruits of the fear of god is the absence of all other fears! It is like comparing a money spider to a tarantula - there is NO comparison!

-If You fear death – learn to fear the one who conquered death

-If you fear the ‘unknown’ future – learn to fear the one who holds the future in his hands, the beginning and the end

-If you fear other people – learn to fear the one whose eyes burn with fire and out of his mou-th comes a double edge sword

-If you fear failure – learn to fear the one who approves you no matter whether you succeed or not

-If you fear unhappiness then learn to fear the one in whom there is fulness of JOY!

-Whatever you fear…the answer is learning to fear the Lord. To cultivate greater awe and wonder and admiration for almighty God. To let fear of him drive out all other fear.  Fear of Him eclipses all other fears! We need the fear of God in our lives or else we will be crushed by the fear of everything else!

How can we fear God?

Firstly it is a work of the Spirit, if you believe and follow Jesus then you have the fear of the Lord. It may just be an ember but if you have encountered God then you will fear him. However it is something which can grow or else we would not be commanded again and again in Scripture to “Fear him”. So how?

- Pray for it! - Keep asking the Spirit to reveal more of God to you and to increase your fear of God. Pray for each other, in mission group and also for us a church! Pray that we would be a people marked by the Fear of the Lord.

- Read your Bible - The Bible is the primary place we get to see the character of God and what he has done. Importantly do not miss the Old Testament. It might feel harder to read, but so much of the awesome works of God are in the Old Testament. If you don’t know where to start then spend time meditating and studying chapters such as Isaiah 40, Isaiah 6, Job 38-42 or Revelation 1. You could study them in your mission group or with your accountability partner. But don’t neglect the New Testament either! We need a balance. Read about God’s might in creation as well as God’s love in Jesus.

- Worship - Think about him, gaze upon him, worship him! Whether on your own or with others, train your mind to think great thoughts of about him. Whatever it takes cultivate a fear of God - it is worth it!

Application and Reflection

1. How much do you fear God? Do you treat him lightly and do you think that the fear of God is something worth cultivating?

2. Have you understood before what the fear of God is? Has your thinking now been changed? If so how?

3. Are you sometimes tempted to fear God as a slave or an enemy? Do you believe that you are a son and a friend of God? What is a barrier for you in grasping this?

4. Do you believe that God’s love completes the fear of God? Spend some time discussing how the cross increases our fear of God rather than remove it.

5. What effects do you think it would have on your life if you grew in the fear of God?

6. Are there things that you fear? How do these fears affect your life?

7. What would help you grow in the fear of God? In what way do you most connect with this aspect of God’s character? Why don’t you agree with someone in your mission group or with your accountability partner to help each other with this.

8. Why don’t you spend some time meditating on one of the passages suggested. Pray for yourself and each other that you would see more of who God is and grow in fear, in awe and reverence of him.