Ep7. Rejoice and Tremble by Michael Reeves
In this seventh episode of the Berean Bookclub, we talk through Rejoice and Tremble by Michael Reeves.
In this book, Reeves attempts to address a perplexing question that many Christians have: "Why would we want to fear the Lord?" He recognizes how strong an emotion fear is and how it drives us. He then gives a presentation on how the Bible talks about fearing the Lord, showing that it does not mean being afraid of God. After he distinguishes between a sinful fear and right fear, he demonstrates how a right understanding of the fear of the Lord flows out of knowing God both as creator and as redeemer, showing how God’s great power and majesty are matched by his mercy and grace directed towards us. This right fear is intense and is made to transform our most inner being and our relationships with others. It guards against our tendencies to be thick-skinned tyrants or gentle people-pleasers and rather gives us a humble strength. He then finishes with a short chapter on the ecstasy of being in the new creation with God and how fearing Him is a good thing.
In this episode we talk through misconceptions of fear in our own lives and in culture; the positive, negative and physical components of fear in the bible; the inadequacy of synonyms like reverence and awe; the necessity of understanding God as both creator and redeemer for right fear; the place of the cross in our fear and fear as a 'heart-issue' which forms our character.