1 Sa 12:19-25 - And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.”
And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
There are many passages that include both a command to not be afraid or fear not AND fear the Lord. This is one of them. After the Israelites wanted to be like all the other nations and have a king, they realized their sin. And Samuel, as the prophet and mediator, assures them that they have done evil, but they need not fear. God will not forsake his people. But, they are commanded to fear the Lord by considering the great things that he has done for them. This is a great description of how to fear the Lord. We fail in fearing God because we do not consider all that He has done for us. When we see His mercy towards us, His love, His holiness, His power, His sovereignty and His grace, when we see how good He has been to us, we grow in godly fear. Consider what the Lord has done for you today. Consider His faithfulness and grow in gratitude. As we consider the Lord, we serve Him.
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