Fearing God is beholding him by faith as so absolutely holy, so absolutely in control of all things, and so absolutely powerful to save us that we have no reason to be afraid of what man can do to us.

After Joseph died, another Pharaoh arose to power over Egypt who did not know Joseph. As he saw the children of Israel multiplying, this king bound the people and sent out a command to kill all the male Hebrew children. Along about this time, a Levite couple had a baby. Scripture says they were not afraid of the king's commandment. Moses' parents feared God instead of men.

When giving the description of fallen man, the Holy Spirit moved David to begin by saying "there is no fear of God before his eyes." Later the Holy Spirit moved the apostle Paul to give the same description of fallen man but his ended with, "there is no fear of God before their eyes." Read both passages at your leisure (Psa 36: 1-4; Rom 3: 11-18.) This tells us that the beginning and end of all man's warring against God, himself and other men is due to the fact that there is no fear of God before his eyes. By nature we consider man as gods and ourselves as the highest--more powerful and more holy than God. Therefore when our security is threatened by another, we attempt to save ourselves. We use deceit with our tongues. Like a cornered snake, because we are fearful of men, we bite and inject poison. If our opponent is too powerful, because we reverence men as the way of peace, we will swiftly make a confederacy with some other man as powerless as ourselves to save us. We flatter man with attributes no man possesses. This iniquity is hatred for God. God is the high and lofty One. Therefore we will not seek after the God of salvation. We seek refuge another way. Thus fearing the weakest, most unstable of all creatures, before we are born of the Spirit of God, our lives are a constant warfare of fright and instability.

What Christ produces in the spirit of the newly born child of God and what Adam produced in the old man is totally different. Where there was nothing but frightening turmoil, the Lord creates a nature at peace with God and the threats of this world. By faith, the believer trusts God our Shield and Defender. The Lord describes the peace of fearing God this way, "And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD" (Hosea 2: 18-20.)

When the Lord makes the believer behold the holiness and the power which it took to fully accomplish our warfare--to reconcile us legally to God and overcome the whole world on our behalf, as well as save us from the death-fear of our old nature through the Holy Spirit--we bow in amazement, sanctifying no one in fear but our Lord who keeps us in perfect peace. Therefore we read of Moses' parents, "and they were not afraid of the king's commandment."