The Fear of the Lord/The Jealous Bridegroom

I have been reading Shelley Hundley's book, "A Cry For Justice". Shelley provides revelation on Jesus as the righteous Judge and Jesus as the Bridegroom. I have gained so much revelation through this, seeing Jesus as the just Judge who is vicious toward injustice and who is jealous for His bride. I have gained more understanding on the power of the Holy Spirit and how He is an all-consuming fire who sanctifies and purifies our hearts so we can become more holy as He is holy. Here are some of the highlights that hit me from my last reading...

       "The baptism of the Holy Spirit empowers and sanctifies us spirit, soul, and body. He is perfecting us in love so we can be presented to Jesus as His blameless bride. Rather than allowing us to be ruled by the lusts of our flesh (body) or the brokenness of our emotions and thinking (soul), the Holy Spirit is being released as a mighty champion within us, winning us for Jesus.
       As we are transformed more and more, the Holy Spirit gains ground, reigning in every region of our being. There is no greater miracle than a human being who manifests Christ in every ounce of his being! Oh, to be free to become what we dream of - radical lovers of Jesus Christ, a bride worth of Him!" (page 108).

I've learned that growing in the fear of God is what is going to push us to radical holiness and set-apartness. A revelation of His love, in combination with a fear of how holy He is, will chase us into obedience and devotion to Him.

       "We grow in the fear of the Lord as we tremble before a holy God and cooperate with the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. We want to grow in this grace and be able to respond in reverential fear as Jesus's coming draws nearer and His judgements are displayed more and more in the earth (Ps. 9:16; Rev. 15:2-5)" (page 108).

Shelley also provides a closer look at the definition and benefits of the fear of the Lord:

1. The fear of the Lord raises our standards from the earthly to the eternal. A holy reverence of God removes any illusion that the Lord will not take an account of sin or that He can be bargained with or bribed (2 Chron. 19:6-8, Isa. 11:3; Ps. 19:9).

2. The fear of the Lord makes us wise. It lifts us from earthly to heavenly wisdom and actually escorts us into the knowledge of God (Prov. 9:9-11, Job 28:28, Isa. 11:2; Jer. 9:24).

3. The fear of the Lord is an eternal reality. The Bible says in Psalm 19:9, "The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever."

4. The fear of the Lord breaks the stronghold of sin in our lives and empowers us for holiness. According to Proverbs 8:13, to fear the Lord is to hate evil.

5. The fear of the Lord removes all lesser fears from our lives. Holy fear shows us how big God is and how small our own issues are in comparison. The fear of the Lord will propel us into righteousness as we see the One whom we truly should fear (Ps. 86:11; Isa. 52:13, 8:12-14; Matt. 10:27-29; 1 John 4:18).

Now for Jesus as the jealous Bridegroom... I think many people have a hard time understanding both of these sides of God - the side of love, and the side that destroys nations because of their disobedience. Shelley's book has better put this into perspective for me, "There are two sides of the love of Jesus: (1) His tender love for His people, and (2) His fierce commitment to remove all that has hindered intimacy. There is no contradiction between these two realities." It is because of His love and because He is the Judge that he is filled with righteous anger. He is jealous over His bride, the church, His people. Jesus can be like a betrayed lover when His creation turns away from Him; think about it like this, His hurt can be like that of an earthly husband whose wife has cheated on him. God essentially asks, "Why did she have to leave Me to get something from someone else?"

       "As believers, we are no longer objects of His jealous love. He shakes us to remove the distractions that hinder our love and in the process reveals the duplicity in our hearts toward Him. The reality that Jesus is our Bridegroom is the best and worst news for humanity. It means we are loved and cherished beyond measure, but it also means that Jesus demands all of our hearts and will not share us with another." (page 110)

       "As our Bridegroom Judge, He tenderly disciplines us so we can be more fully His. (See Romans 5:8-9, Hosea 2:1-20, Haggai 2:6-7; Hebrews 12:7-11.) Think of a father who wrestles a knife out of a toddler's hand or holds his child down while the doctor gives him a shot. The Lord shakes us from areas of compromise to empower us to love Him more completely, and we should praise Him for it!
       What's more, the Bridegroom delays judgement because of His love. Our Lord could judge all of humanity and snuff out every wrongdoer, but He chooses not to because of His great love. Second Peter 3:7-8 says God preserves the heavens and the earth until the Day of Judgement. He is long-suffering because He wishes that none would perish. So not only are His judgements revealed for love, but His restraint also is due to love. The heart of the Judge truly is the heart of a Bridegroom!" (page 111)

May we seek to have an encounter with the jealous love of our King Jesus, our Bridegroom and Judge. And may the Holy Spirit baptize us afresh and put a holy fear of the Lord in our hearts so we can become more fully surrendered to Jesus, who is worthy of our whole hearts.