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Fear of God in Josiah and Habakkuk Compared

The "fear of God" in biblical literature signifies a profound reverence and awe, distinct from mere terror, and is often presented as the foundation of true piety and knowledge [7, 8]. This concept is evident in various biblical figures, including Josiah and Habakkuk, though their experiences of it differ due to their respective historical contexts and roles.

In the Old Testament, the phrase "fear of the Lord" is a designation for true piety [7]. It is a fear conjoined with love and hope, characterized as filial reverence rather than slavish dread [7]. This is exemplified in the naming conventions of the era, where names like Irijah, Jeriah, Jeriel, and Jeruel incorporate "fear of the Lord" or "fear of God" [1, 2, 4, 5]. The patriarch Isaac is even referred to as "the Fear of Isaac" (Genesis 31:42, 53), meaning the God whom Isaac feared [7]. Jacob swore by "the fear of his father Izhak" [3], and in another instance, God's presence instilled "dread" upon cities surrounding Jacob's children, preventing pursuit [11]. John Calvin notes that Jacob's oath by "the fear of Isaac" distinguishes the true God from "fictitious gods," affirming Isaac's piety [12].

Josiah's fear of God is primarily depicted as a humble and penitent response to divine law. When the Book of the Law was discovered and read during his reign, Josiah tore his clothes and humbled himself before the Lord, demonstrating a profound fear of God's wrath due to the nation's disobedience [13]. This reaction contrasts sharply with the hardened hearts of King Jehoiakim and his officials, who showed no such fear when Jeremiah's scroll was read to them [10, 13]. Josiah's fear led to a comprehensive reform, purging idolatry and re-establishing the covenant with God [13]. His fear was an incentive to penitence and a preventive against carelessness in religion, aligning with the New Testament injunctions for a holy fear [7].

Habakkuk's experience of the fear of God, as described in his prayer and song, is one of awe and dread in the face of God's impending judgment and salvation [9]. The prophet declares, "O Lord, I have heard Thy hearing, and was afraid: O Lord, I have considered Thy works, and I was greatly afraid" (Habakkuk 3:2, as quoted by Augustine) [9]. Augustine interprets this as "the inexpressible admiration of the foreknown, new, and sudden salvation of men" [9]. Habakkuk's fear is not merely a personal terror but a prophetic apprehension of God's mighty acts, particularly concerning the rise of the Chaldeans, who are described as "feared and dreaded" because "their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves" (Habakkuk 1:7) [6]. This fear is tied to God's sovereign power and his use of nations as instruments of his will.

While both Josiah and Habakkuk exhibit the fear of God, their contexts highlight different facets of this concept. Josiah's fear is a response to the revealed law and a catalyst for national repentance and reform, demonstrating a filial reverence that leads to obedience [7, 13]. Habakkuk's fear is a response to God's awesome power and his mysterious, yet just, workings in history, leading to a profound sense of awe and trust in God's ultimate plan despite immediate tribulation [9]. John Gill notes that the fear of the Lord is influenced by a sense of God's goodness, engaging individuals to worship Him in sincerity and truth [15]. This fear is not a slavish dread but a reverential affection that motivates worship and obedience [7, 15]. Calvin distinguishes between the fear of believers and the wicked, stating that believers dread offense more than punishment, while the wicked fear punishment itself [14]. Both Josiah and Habakkuk, in their distinct ways, embody the believer's fear, which is rooted in a recognition of God's holiness and power, leading to either penitent obedience or awe-filled trust.

Sources

  1. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Irijah — the fear of the Lord”
  2. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Jeriah — fear, or throwing down, of the Lord”
  3. Genesis “Genesis 31:53 (Geneva1599) — The God of Abraham, and the God of Nabor, and the God of their father be iudge betweene vs: But Iaakob sware by the feare of his father Izhak.”
  4. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Jeriel — fear, or vision of God”
  5. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Jeruel — fear, or vision of God”
  6. Habakkuk “They are feared and dreaded. Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. -- Habakkuk 1:7”
  7. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Fear of the Lord the — Is in the Old Testament used as a designation of true piety (Prov. 1:7; Job 28:28; Ps. 19:9). It is a fear conjoined with love and hope, and is therefore not a slavish dread, but rather filial reverence. (Comp. Deut. 32:6; Hos. 11:1; Isa. 1:2; 63:16; 64:8.) God is called "the Fear of Isaac" (Gen. 31:42, 53), i.e., the God whom Isaac feared. A holy fear is enjoined also in the New Testament as a preventive of carelessness in religion, and as an incentive to penitence (Matt. 10:28; 2 Cor. 5:11; 7:1; Phil. 2:12; Eph. 5:21; Heb. 12:28, 29).”
  8. Proverbs “Proverbs 1:7 (YLT) — Fear of Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> a beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and instruction fools have despised!”
  9. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 32.--OF THE PROPHECY THAT IS CONTAINED IN THE PRAYER AND SONG OF HABAKKUK. (part 1): In his prayer, with a song, to whom but the Lord Christ does he say, "O Lord, I have heard Thy hearing, and was afraid: O Lord, I have considered Thy works, and was greatly afraid?"(7) What is this but the inexpressible admiration of the foreknown, new, and sudden salvation of men? "In the midst of two living creatures thou shalt be recognized." What is this but either between the two testaments, or between the two thieves, or between Moses and E”
  10. Jeremiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Jeremiah 36:16: afraid, both one and other--Hebrew, "fear-stricken," they turned to one another (compare Gen 42:28). This showed, on their part, hesitancy, and some degree of fear of God, but not enough to make them willing to sacrifice the favor of an earthly king. We will surely tell the king--not the language of threatening but implying that the matter is of such moment that the king ought to be made acquainted with it, so as to seek some remedy against the divine anger.”
  11. Midrash Rabbah (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Midrash Rabbah, Bereishit Rabbah 81:4: “They traveled; the dread of God was upon the cities that were surrounding them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob” (Genesis 35:5). “They traveled; the dread of God was [upon the cities that were surrounding them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob]” – Rabbi Shmuel said: In three places, idolaters gathered to wage war with Jacob’s children, but the Holy One blessed be He did not allow them to do so, as it is written: “They traveled; the dread of God was [upon the cities]...” The second time was in the days of Yehonatan, as it is”
  12. CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 2 (Gen 24-50), section 8.23: to thee, that thou hast not further injured me; but God, who is propitious to me, has withstood thee. Now, since God is not the defender of unfaithfulness, nor is wont to help the wicked, the integrity of Jacob may be ascertained from the fact that God interposed as his vindicator. It is also to be observed, that by expressly distinguishing the God of Abraham from all fictitious gods, he declares that there is no other true God: by which he, at the same time, proves himself to be a truly pious worshipper. The expression “the fear”
  13. Jeremiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Jeremiah 36:24: The king and his "servants" were more hardened than the "princes" and councillors (see on Jer 36:12; Jer 36:14; Jer 36:16). Contrast the humble fear exhibited by Josiah at the reading of the law (Kg2 22:11).”
  14. CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 57: and the fear of believers there is a wide difference. The wicked do not fear God from any unwillingness to offend him, provided they could do so with impunity; but knowing that he is armed with power for vengeance, they tremble in dismay on hearing of his anger. And they thus dread his anger, because they think it is impending over them, and they every moment expect it to fall upon their heads. But believers, as has been said, dread the offense even more than the punishment. They are not alarmed 493 by the fear of punishment, as if”
  15. Joshua (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Joshua 24:14: Now therefore fear the Lord,.... Since he has done such great and good things, fear the Lord and his goodness, fear him for his goodness sake; nothing so influences fear, or a reverential affection for God, as a sense of his goodness; this engages men sensible of it to fear the Lord, that is, to worship him both internally and externally in the exercise of every grace, and in the performance of every duty: and serve him in sincerity and in truth: in the uprightness of their souls, without hypocrisy and deceit, and according to the truth of his word, and of his mind”
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