Paul was not the only one to write about the end of fear.  John also wrote, There is no fear (φόβος) in love, but perfect love drives out fear (φόβον, a form of φόβος), because fear (φόβος) has to do with punishment (κόλασιν, a form of κόλασις).  The one who fears (φοβούμενος, a form of φοβέω) punishment has not been perfected in love.¹  This is as good to hear as Paul’s statement, For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear (φόβον, a form of φόβος).²  But I wonder about the fear of the Lord since the concept continued into the New Testament.

Therefore, because we know the fear (φόβον, a form of φόβος) of the Lord, Paul wrote the Corinthians, we try to persuade people…³  And to slaves in Colossae he wrote, obey your earthly masters in every respect, not only when they are watching⁴ – like those who are strictly people-pleasers – but with a sincere heart, fearing (φοβούμενοι, a form of φοβέω) the Lord.⁵  I have begun to track fear through the Old Testament to attempt to understand this better.

The first occurrence was from the mouth of Adam after he ate the forbidden fruit, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid (yārē’, וָֽאִירָ֛א) because I was naked, so I hid,”⁶ he said to the Lord God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day.⁷  The rabbis who translated the Septuagint used the Greek word ἐφοβήθην for the Hebrew word, the passive form of φοβέω the root of φόβος.⁸  This form does not occur in the New Testament but is close to, For I was afraid (ἐφοβούμην, a form of φοβέω) of you, because you are a severe man.⁹  This is apparently the middle voice of φέβομαι.

Next God spoke what would become the most common divine greeting to those born of Adam, “Fear (yârêʼ, תִּירָ֣א) not, Abram!  I am your shield and the one who will reward you in great abundance.”¹⁰  In the Septuagint the rabbis chose the Greek word φοβοῦ.  The first usage of this form in the New Testament was in Mark’s account of the synagogue ruler Jairus.  He fell at Jesus’ feet and said, “My little daughter is near death.  Come and lay your hands on her so that¹¹ she may be healed and live.”¹²  But, people came from the synagogue ruler’s house saying, “Your daughter has died.  Why trouble the teacher any longer?”  But Jesus, paying no attention¹³ to what was said, told the synagogue ruler, “Do not be afraid (φοβοῦ, a form of φοβέω); just believe (πίστευε, a form of πιστεύω).”¹⁴

And here by faith in the revelation of Scripture I can begin to analyze the beginning of fear from its end.  Jesus offered faith to Jairus as an antidote, or a preoccupation, to his fear of the revealed facts.  (Jesus apparently raised his daughter from death.)  This is the faith Adam lacked.   Though he had unimaginable experience of God’s generous provision, Adam’s faith was in his own efforts to keep God’s commandment.  Once that commandment was broken he feared punishment.  Whatever sonship he experienced was forfeit and he was given over to a spirit of slavery leading to fear.

Sarah didn’t believe the word of the Lord when it was said, I will surely return to you when the season comes round again, and your wife Sarah will have a son,¹⁵ but trusted in her long experience of barrenness.  She laughed to herself, thinking, “After I am worn out will I have pleasure, especially when my husband is old too?”¹⁶  The Lord confronted Abraham about her.  Then Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid (yârêʼ, יָרֵ֑אָה).  But the Lord said, “No! You did laugh.”¹⁷  While Adam’s fear prompted him to hide from the all-seeing God, Sarah’s fear persuaded her to lie to the all-knowing God.

The Hebrew word translated afraid above was the Greek word ἐφοβήθη in the Septuagint.  This form of φοβέω was first used in Matthew’s narrative of Joseph’s, Mary’s and Jesus’ return from Egypt.  After Herod had died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.”  So he got up and took the child and his mother and returned¹⁸ to the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over¹⁹ Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid (ἐφοβήθη, another form of φοβέω) to go there.  After being warned in a dream, he went to the regions of Galilee.²⁰  Joseph’s fear of Archelaus was apparently warranted since God warned him in a dream.

I get an image of the nature of Lot’s faith in the Lord from the next occurrence of fear (Genesis 19:15-17).

At dawn the angels hurried Lot along, saying, “Get going!  Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!”  When Lot hesitated, the men grabbed his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters because the Lord had compassion on them.  They led them away and placed them outside the city [Table].  When they had brought them outside, they said, “Run for your lives!  Don’t look behind you or stop anywhere in the valley!  Escape to the mountains or you will be destroyed!” [Table]

Lot apparently sensed the anxiousness in the angels’ tone of voice, but misunderstood its significance.  “No, please, Lord!” [Table] he said.  Your servant has found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness by sparing my life.  But I am not able to escape to the mountains because this disaster will overtake me and I’ll die” [Table].²¹  Lot assumed that the angels’ anxiety was provoked by Lot’s relative slowness.  He reasoned that he should seek closer shelter.  “Look, this town over here is close enough to escape to, and it’s just a little one.  Let me go there.  It’s just a little place, isn’t it?  Then I’ll survive.”^[23]

“Very well,” he replied, “I will grant this request too and will not overthrow the town you mentioned.”^[24]  Then the angel revealed that he was anxious to fulfill the will of the Lord.  “Run there quickly, for I cannot do anything until you arrive there.”^[25]  Lot made it safely to Zoar, and Zoar was spared from destruction when the Lord rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.^[26]  But, Lot went up from Zoar with his two daughters and settled in the mountains because he was afraid (yârêʼ) to live in Zoar.  So he lived in a cave with his two daughters.^[27]  This, too, was ἐφοβήθη in the Septuagint.

The second usage of this form in the New Testament was, Although Herod wanted to kill John [because John had repeatedly told him, “It is not lawful for you to have {Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife}^[28].”],^[29] he feared (ἐφοβήθη) the crowd because they accepted John as a prophet.^[30]  In other words, Herod did not believe the Lord that he should not have taken his brother’s wife.  He feared the wrath of his people if he killed one they considered a prophet.  Similarly, Lot did not believe that he would make it safely to the mountains and asked for Zoar to be spared as a place of refuge.  When that request was granted he did not believe that Zoar would continue to be spared from destruction and fled to the mountains.

There is a pattern of sorts here.  Those born of Adam fear God, but not in a good way.  It is not a fear that leads to faith in Him.  It prompts them to hide or lie or flee from his protection.  It is a fear of punishment.  They are not perfected in love.  And I take this to mean they are not led by the Spirit, they do not experience that continuous stream of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control^[31] that flows from Him.