2013-12-08 Daniel Daring 2013 articles 2012 articles
Advent Two: Fear
God; Knowledge of God
Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12
The Philippine Daily Inquirer on December 5, 2007 carried a front page news story about a group of Filipino farmers who marched 1700 km to request the Department of Agrarian Reform to stop the conversion of their land by San Miguel Foods Inc. into an industrial zone. The journey from their homes to Manila took two months (October 10 till December 5, 2007). And I wonder what is wrong with us. Why have we created a world where people have to walk a thousand kilometers to beg for something they deserve as their right? Perhaps the Psalmist is right by assessing that “there is no fear of God before [our] eye” (Psalm 36:1) and that our wise do not seek after God (Psalm 14:2). Yet, in the eyes of the prophet Isaiah, fear of God and knowledge of God are the basis for creating a world where everyone can have a decent place to live.
Fear of God
According to Isaiah 11:3, a
messianic king, a king that is going to give justice to the poor and meek of the
earth and establish idyllic harmony in the whole of creation, this king “shall
delight in the fear of the Lord.” Why? We delight in victories, in military
might, and in the long digit numbers on our accounts; we wear t-shirts that
proclaim “No Fear,” and are taught that fear is the main enemy to our
success. Why, then fear? What is so delightful about it? The answer is given by
Isaiah as well: “The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, let
Him be your fear, let Him be your dread” (Isaiah 8:13). Fear or being at awe
with God sets us free from revering our “mighty” leaders and our military
and economical superpowers. Fear of God puts things in perspective. “To fear
God is to be unafraid of man. For God alone is king, power, and promise”
(Abraham Heschel). It is the fear of God that allows someone to uphold the case
of justice and to slay the wicked with “the breath of his lips” (Isaiah
11:4). It is also the fear of God that pushes someone to challenge the political
and religious leaders of his/her time and tell them, “You brood of vipers! Who
warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance”
(Matthew 3:7-8).
Unfortunately, we do not see it that
way. We do not fear God. We are even taught not to fear God. So we tremble
before other people, who are stronger, richer, and more powerful than us, and
allow them to do what they want. We cowardly bow to their power and watch them
hurting others and destroying our earth. Seldom comes the enlightenment that no
matter how powerful, rich, and mighty a person or a nation can be, they are
nothing compared with the glory of God.
Knowledge of God
Isaiah also states that peace and
harmony are built on the knowledge of God. “The wolf shall live with the lamb,
. . . the cow and the bear shall graze, . . . the nursing child shall play over
the hole of the asp, . . . . They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy
mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters
cover the sea” (11:6-9). Well perhaps we can agree with the prophet that
knowledge is a valuable tool in establishing a better world. But it is not the
knowledge of the Lord that we have in mind by the knowledge about cultures,
religions, laws of nature, forces of the market, and art of war. And yet,
despite all our technological advancements, highly complex laws of the market,
and despite all our wars, the world is nowhere near peace and harmony. Where
lies the problem?
This time the answer comes from the prophet Jeremiah: “Thus says the Lord: Let not wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories, glory in this: that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord Who does kindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
What
does it indicate? To know God means to know His delight. And it is clear from
this passage that doing “justice, kindness, and righteousness in the earth”
brings Him joy. “He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the
kindness of the Lord” (Psalm 33:5). Do we see this kindness? Do we see His
continuous efforts to keep this beautiful world from being disintegrated by our
pride and stupidity? “Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty
mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals
alike, O Lord” (Psalm 36:5-6).
But the knowledge of God also
implies action. Have we ever asked ourselves why Abraham was chosen to “become
a great and mighty nation,” and a blessing to “all the nations of the
earth” (Genesis 18:18)? Not because of his might, intelligence or riches, but
“that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the ways
of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice” (Genesis 18:19). Therefore,
when John the Baptist rebuked the leaders of his time, “Do not presume to say
to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able
from these stones to raise up children to Abraham” (Matthew 3:9), he was
reminding them about their particular mission in the world. God delights in
doing kindness, justice, and righteousness, and His people should not be
complacent and indifferent to the incidents of evil in our world, but imitate
God.
The message delivered by Jeremiah to Shallum, the son of King Josiah, does not
leave any doubts that to know God means a concrete action on behalf of the poor
and needy: “Are you a king because you compete in cedar? Did not your father
eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He
judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know
Me? Says the Lord” (Jeremiah 22:15-16). Thus, to know God means to delight in
doing what He does. If we truly want that, all shall be well with us, but we
need to identify ourselves with God's delight and concern for kindness, justice,
and righteousness.
Conclusion
Advent is a season of waiting:
waiting for Christmas, waiting for Jesus' second coming, and waiting for a
messianic world. But this waiting should never be a passive waiting of
complacency and indifference. Baptized with the Holy Spirit and power, we strive
to know God by building a world in which nobody will have to walk 1700
kilometers to beg for what is his/her right.