Devotion 5: Reverence and Awe
“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28–29
When you come to church on Sunday, do you come in a spirit of fear and trembling? That’s not how we normally conceive of encountering and worshiping God. It is good and proper for us to worship God for His love and grace to us, but we must also remember that God is the King and Creator of the universe. Through Christ, we have been given the ability to approach God’s throne, but we must still remember that we are approaching a throne. He has a right to all creation, He has a right to us, and so if we reject Him or His Son, we stand under “a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:27). Worship in the New Testament is often framed by the context of the fear of the Lord, as we are to bring “holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1) and “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).
Hebrews 12:28–29 is the conclusion of five warning passages across the epistle to the Hebrews. Throughout the entire book, the author has been encouraging and warning his readers to not fall away, to not return to their former Jewish practices or unbelief because the way that Christ has made is so much better. This comes to a conclusion in Hebrews chapter twelve, where the author compares the covenant made with Moses and the people of Israel at Mount Sinai to the better covenant He has made at Mount Zion through Jesus Christ.
However, just as this covenant is greater than the one God gave to Moses, it also means the stakes for us are even higher. Moses and the people of Israel trembled before God at Mount Sinai, and now we stand in reverence and awe before Him at Mount Zion. This means that just as Israel was punished for their breaking of the law and rejection of God, we stand under even stricter judgment and greater danger if we reject the Son of God who has mediated the greater covenant. When we approach Mount Zion, we approach a holy God who is judging rightly from His throne, and when He speaks, He will “shake not only the earth but also the heavens” (Hebrews 12:26). When the King returns, He will bring an end to all things that are not eternal, so that the only thing left will be His kingdom. This reality should motivate our worship and instill in us a healthy fear and respect for the Lord: this is what worshiping in reverence and awe means.
Paul instructs similarly in 2 Corinthians, “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ…Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others” (2 Corinthians 5:9-11). If we truly believe in the reality of God’s holiness, this should motivate us to respond in worship with our every action: gathering together, spending time in His Word, spending time in prayer, and sharing the gospel message with those around us. This week, spend time reflecting on God’s holiness, and ask yourself: how will the reality of God’s holiness shape my worship this week? Who can I share the good news with in response to God’s holiness?