Revere יָרֵא

We are in chapter nineteen of Leviticus with our word for today. יָרֵא fear, be afraid, be feared, be honored, terrible, dreaded, awesome. It is used 316 times in the Old Testament. Our word has a broad range of meanings from dread to respect. Here are some examples of dread that is to be afraid or scared of, to be frightened. A good example of this is right after Adam and Eve sinned there attitude toward God changed. Genesis 3:10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, וָאִירָ֛א and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Another example is when Jacob was scared of what he thought his brother Esau would do to him based on his wanting to kill him before he fled from their home. Genesis 32:7 Then Jacob was greatly וַיִּירָ֧א afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps. This idea of being terrified is this sense of our word when people realize they are being visited by God or one of his messengers. Genesis 21:17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? תִּ֣ירְאִ֔י Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Genesis 26:24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. תִּירָא֙ Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.” Genesis 46:3 Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not תִּירָא֙ be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. Did you notice the instruction? Do not fear in other words do not be terrified. God wants us to not be afraid of him in the sense that we distance ourselves from him. Instead, he wants us to have the other sense of our word for today. Our word is also used in the sense of respect, reverence, in awe of. Genesis 28:16-17 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” וַיִּירָא֙ And he was afraid and said, “How נּוֹרָ֖א awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” Exodus 1:15-17 Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” But the midwives וַתִּירֶ֤אןָ feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. This is a good example of respecting God because they allowed God to influence them more than the King who commanded them to do evil. They disobeyed the King in order to obey God. Exodus 1:21 And because the midwives יָֽרְא֥וּ feared God, he gave them families. This is how our word is used 4 times in our chapter today. Leviticus 19:3, 14, 30, 32 Every one of you תִּירָ֔אוּ shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God … You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, וְיָרֵ֥אתָ but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord … You shall keep my Sabbaths and תִּירָ֑אוּ reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord … You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, וְיָרֵ֥אתָ and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. Did you notice that each person identified is contrasted with fearing God. These people could be easily taken advantage of so God is instructing people to fear God so they wouldn’t think of exploiting them in their inability to defend themselves. This would also be true of parents especially as they become older. I’ll close with these passages that sums up this idea well. Proverbs 23:10-11 Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless, for their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you. Psalm 68:5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. Psalm 146:9 The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.