The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy. Psalm 147.11

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. Mark 9.5, 6

Pleasure in being feared?
I confess, of all the things Scripture teaches about what pleases God, this is the most difficult for me to understand.

And, I suspect, I’m not alone. We don’t hear much about fearing God these days. Frankly, we don’t want a God we have to fear. We want a God Who doesn’t judge us – because He’s judged Jesus on our behalf – and Who is infinitely patient and forbearing with our sinful preferences and practices. We want a God Who does for us rather than one Who insists that we do for Him. We accept God and maybe even love Him; after all, He’s done much good for us, no? But fear God? And think that fearing God gives Him pleasure?

That just doesn’t sit well with most people who claim to be followers of Jesus. And the reason is twofold: First, they do not understand why God insists that we fear Him. And, second, they can’t understand how fearing God and knowing pleasure in Him could possibly go together.

It’s right to fear God
Let’s start with why we should fear God. Simply put, it’s right and good to do so. And, since God delights in all things right and good – they are, after all, a reflection of Himself – then for us to fear God is pleasurable to Him.

We should fear God for two good reasons. First, because of Who God is and what He’s capable of doing. Not too long ago our son Casey came to visit us from New York, where he lived at the time. He took the Vermonter and we picked him up at the train station. It’s been a while since I was at a train station and on a platform. I watched as the Vermonter was arriving from the south, and as that Amtrak engine pulled alongside me, I shuddered. This huge, powerful, loud, bundle of enormous power sent a chill down my spine. The thought ran through my mind that if this thing came off the track, I’d be done for!

If we shudder at the power and danger of a human cultural artifact, how much more should we shudder at the power and danger involved in relating with the holy and just and pure and sovereign God of heaven and earth! What if He “jumped the tracks” on you at some point? You wouldn’t stand a chance!

And that leads to the second reason to fear God: You and I deserve Him to train wreck all over us, every day of our lives. We should fear the Lord not just because of what we know about Him, but because of what we know about ourselves, and what we actually deserve from God.

So it’s right and good to fear God. Fearing God is the other side of the coin of loving Him. When we fear God, we acquiesce in whatever He wants. As we do, we find Him to be forgiving, merciful, and gracious beyond our wildest imagination. And this leads us to love Him. We cannot love God as we should without fearing Him as He requires (Deut. 10.12ff).

Pleasure in fearing
Peter’s experience on the Mount of Transfiguration shows us why even fearing the Lord is a way of entering into His pleasure. I don’t know about you, but if I’m terrified of something, the last thing I want to do is remain in its presence. I want to get outta there right now!

But not Peter. He was filled with unspeakable pleasure at being in the presence of Jesus and Moses and Elijah, the radiance of Christ’s glory surrounding and bathing him and the other disciples. Nothing in Peter’s life mattered more at the moment than extending those moments in the glory of Jesus. He was filled up with pleasure in the presence of the Lord and His glory.

But he was terrified as well – terrified of the power? The unfamiliarity of it all? The presence of dead spirits? The radiance and brilliance and portent of it all? All that, yes, and more. Peter feared the Lord in His glory, and he took great pleasure in continuing in that fear, because he knew Jesus, and he knew that Jesus loved him and would protect him from whatever might threaten his wellbeing.

It pleases God for us to fear Him, for everything that is right and good is pleasing to God. And fearing God, at the same time we love Him, is the right thing to do, and one of those mysterious pleasures available only to those who have made the Kingdom turn.

Next steps: How do you feel about fearing God? Do you believe that fearing God can be a source of pure and perfect pleasure? Why or why not? Talk with a Christian friend about these questions.

T. M. Moore

This week’s study, Kingdom Pleasure, is the seventh of an eight-part series on The Kingdom Turn, and is available as a free download. T. M. has written two books to complement this eight-part series. You can order The Kingship of Jesus by clicking here, and The Gospel of the Kingdom by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.