New City Catechism #9

Question: What does God require in the first, second, and third commandments?
Answer: First, that we know God as the only true God. Second, that we avoid all idolatry. Third, that we treat God’s name with fear and reverence.

When I was a kid, I used to like to roam the neighborhood with my friends. There was nothing better than a summer day in rural Kansas, that is, if you ignore the intense heat, hoards of mosquitoes, and soul-crushing humidity…but I digress. Those issues aside, it was an enjoyable thing to hit the pavement and explore the many sidewalks of our small town. Yet, not all sidewalks were equally welcoming…

There was one section that was extremely unpleasant. I can still see it in my mind’s eye. I would walk down the path along a row of hedges that would then give way to a new yard, hemmed in by a low chain-link fence. The fence was all that stood in the way between you and a large, aggressive dog who would view your existence as an affront to reality itself. He was loud, powerful, and rather scary. So, do you know what we would do? We would cross the street and walk on the other side. If we did that, the dog sometimes didn’t see us, but even if he did, there was a reassuring buffer of about 20 feet between me and 90 pounds of snarling, furry rage. My response to that yard showed that I treated that dog with reverence and fear.

These first 3 commandments in the question and answer today remind me in a small way of that story. For these questions deal with the exclusivity and singular power of God. He is the only true one. There is none besides him. Even his name we must treat with reverence and fear. God is not some buddy up in the sky, and he is certainly not one we should treat with a casual air. He is powerful, majestic, holy, and awesome. We should certainly be careful how we approach him. Yet, that is where the similarities of my story of the dog and our approach of God come to an end. For God does not leave us in terror and fright, and he certainly is not some out-of-control animal.

Psalm 25:14 leads us somewhere better, “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him.” Read that again. Does that fit with how we normally understand fear? My fear made me want to avoid the dog. Our reverence and awe for God, however, does not lead us to avoidance, but to friendship! There is a relationship on the other side of our fear. For in seeing God in his majesty, we see him correctly. Then, he renders back to us the relational friendship that we could not otherwise achieve on our own.

Isn’t that cool? The Christian’s fear of God leads to friendship with God. So, see him as he is. Worship him as he is, and you will find relationship with him is the blessed result.