FEAR GOD AND OBEY HIS COMMANDS
The writer of Ecclesiastes ends the book by saying “Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (12:13b). Throughout Scripture, God calls his people to fear him and obey his commands. The two ideas go hand in hand.
1 Samuel 12:24 says, “But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him.”
Deuteronomy 10:12 says, “What does the Lord require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul.”
If this is such a big deal, then what does it mean to fear God? How is obedience intertwined with the fear of God?
Fearing God is much more than just having a healthy respect for him—it involves acknowledging how powerful, mighty, and glorious he is. Yes, he is a merciful and loving God, but he is also a just God who disciplines his children and punishes those who disobey him. To fear God is to affirm that he is the ultimate power. 1 Chronicles 29:11 says “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom.”
Our Creator rules over all the Heavens and the Earth. He has control over anything we are afraid of. He has already conquered death, and believers get to live in the freedom that death no longer is the end result for us. Fearing God also means you don’t need to control every outcome and circumstance because you trust that he is ultimately in control of all things.
Once we begin to understand what it means to fear God, obedience naturally follows. A life of obedience makes sense when we view God as the sovereign, powerful Creator who at the end of time will be the ultimate Judge, bringing justice for all right and wrong doing. If that’s your view of God, you begin to understand that there is greater loss in disobeying God’s commands than there is in saying no to our sinful desires.
The writer of Ecclesiastes wants us to understand that we only have one shot at the time we have been given, and if everything under the sun is meaningless and temporary, then the best thing we can do is fear God and live obediently. He is calling us to be faithful with what we have today.
Read Ecclesiastes 12:8–14.
- Fearing God is a big idea that believers often struggle to grasp. In what ways is it difficult for you to understand? What questions do you have?
- Next step: Take these questions to a parent, leader, or staff member so you can better understand what this looks like in your life.
- Where in your life do you need to start choosing obedience?
- What does it look like for you to be faithful in your season of life?