Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: [29] For our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:28-29 KJV
During the reign of the Roman empire, being a Roman citizen was one of the most sought-after statuses a person could have, besides having a higher honor within the empire itself. Rome had conquered multiple nations and incorporated them into themselves and so it had individuals from different nations within its borders. Each Roman citizen was to live by the Roman Virtues, serving Rome and the Emperor. These were a set of codes that each citizen was to live by. It was also known as the Roman way or Via Rome, which was a set of moral principles that they believed helped Rome conquer and civilize the world. One of these was Pietas, which meant patriotism and devotion to others.
The Word godly fear used in Hebrew 12:28 is Eulabeia which speaks of reverence and piety. In 2 peter 1:1-8, Peter speaks of great and precious promises given to every believer and lists godliness (Eusebia – Piety) as one of the necessary attributes a believer must have in light of the great and precious promises. We are citizens of heaven and as such, we must live by God’s way, serving the Kingdom and our King, Jesus. Godliness is reverence and piety. It is clear evidence of the love and fear of God in a person.
Psalm 1 differentiates a godly man from an ungodly. Whereas the ungodly man sits among scoffers, walks in the counsel of other ungodly and sinners, the godly delights in the Law of the Lord. He meditates day and night on this Law. A lack of delight in God’s law is a clear sign of a path towards ungodliness. How can one obey the law if they never meditated or delighted in it? However, this is a spiritual disease that plagues a lot of believers today, where they can spend hours on social media, but cannot stand a few hours in God’s presence. As Titus 1:1 says, Godliness is a response to acknowledging the truth of God’s word. This law is what converts and changes us.
Hebrews 12:28-29 admonishes that in light of becoming a citizen of heaven, we must be driven by the fear of God and reverence. Why? Because as much as our King is benevolent and a loving father, He is a consuming fire. Nadab and Abihu were priests unto God, however, the moment they offered a strange offering before Him, outside of what He had instructed, He killed them, and their father, Aaron was not allowed to mourn. In response to their death, God told Aaron in Leviticus 10:1-3, that He must be sanctified in the heart of all that near Him. This means that these people must be consecrated and dutiful to Him. He also said He will be glorified in the eyes of the people. This means that the servant of the Lord who serves the people must do so in a way that all the glory goes to the King and not themselves. Anything outside of this is treason.
Final thoughts: Godliness is to seek God’s way in every matter. King David was a man set apart for God, why? He always sought God on every matter and He greatly revered God. One example of note was when His wives and children were captured in 1 Samuel 30:1-25. He was weary and the people around him were going to stone Him. Rather than presumptuously go to fight, He sought the will of God to know if he should go at all. This is a sign of a godly man. The Way of the Lord is the way of wisdom.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the privilege of being a part of your Kingdom. Instill in me Godly fear and reverence, that I may serve you acceptably and walk before you blameless. The way of the Lord is the Way of Wisdom, so I choose the way of the Lord!
Scripture reading: Psalm 1
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