Fear of the Lord is the head of knowledge; wisdom and moral fools despise.
Proverbs 1:7 (translation mine)

The Hebrew word for “fear” in this scripture is יראה (yira) which is fear that comes from reverence and, conversely, reverence that comes out of fear. It is very different from the word פחד (pachad), which means to be scared or afraid.

“Yira” does not push us away from God. It draws us closer, while reminding us that we do not set the terms of the relationship.

During a recent staff meeting, we spoke honestly about how casually God is treated today. We talk often today about relationship with God. We speak easily about closeness. But somewhere along the way, reverence was replaced with familiarity. God is no longer feared; He is managed, approached casually, and spoken of lightly.

And when God is treated that way, His precepts are treated the same. We begin to select what feels meaningful, ignore what feels demanding, and quietly set aside what makes us uncomfortable. Obedience becomes partial. Holiness becomes negotiable. And what was meant to shape us is reduced to what already fits us.

When Israel arrives at Mount Sinai, God does not begin with instruction. He does not open with command. He speaks first as Redeemer:

You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.
Exodus 19:4

Israel is reminded why they are standing at Mount Sinai at all. They did not arrive there by strength, insight, or obedience. They were carried there.

Only after that reminder does God speak of covenant, obedience, and calling:

If you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My own jewel among all the peoples, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
Exodus 19:5–6

Israel answers quickly: “All that the LORD has spoken we will do.”

The response is sincere.
But sincerity without obedience is not enough when holiness is required.

In Exodus 20, we find that God spoke directly to the children of Israel the first ten words (known as the "Ten Commandments"). However, Israel did not understand God’s words as we see in Exodus 20:18:

And all the people were watching and hearing the thunder and the lightning flashes, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it all, they trembled and stood at a distance.

Israel could not comprehend God’s majesty and in their fear of dying, they asked for Moses to speak to them, i.e., to interpret what God was telling them. I love Moses's reply to them when he says:

Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you will not sin.
Exodus 20:20

God’s call to Israel was to serve Him out of reverence and fear and to live a holy life that reflects Him. Moses’ response is one of the most misunderstood statements in Scripture: Do not be afraid, but remain in fear. He did not mean fear that paralyzes but fear that anchors. Fear that keeps us from reshaping God into something manageable. The fear of the LORD was never meant to push Israel away. It was meant to keep them close enough to hear Him and humble enough to obey.

The Haftarah shows the same truth from another angle.

Isaiah is not looking for a calling. He is confronted by holiness.

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him… And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of armies. The whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
Isaiah 6:1–4

Isaiah responds with reverence and humility, fully aware of who he is standing before:

Woe to me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of armies.
Isaiah 6:5

He understands what it means to stand before a holy God. Reverence is not assumed. It is awakened by the encounter.

A seraphim touches his lips with a burning coal taken from the altar.

Behold, this has touched your lips; and your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for.
Isaiah 6:6–7

The voice of the Lord is heard: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Isaiah 6:8

Isaiah answers without hesitation: “Here am I. Send me.”

The coal touching Isaiah’s lips was not only cleansing. It was commissioning. His mouth, the very place he declared unclean, became the instrument of God’s truth to Israel and the nations.

We live in a time that prizes familiarity with God but resists reverence. We want His presence without His holiness, His promises without His authority, and His calling without the cost.

But God has not changed.

He is still holy. His call is still weighty. And His purposes, especially for Israel, have never been revoked.

A day will come when Israel will fulfill her full destiny, not because of human perfection, but because of divine faithfulness.

Until then, we are called to serve Him with humility, fear, and dedication. Not casually, not arrogantly but with hearts that understand who He is and who we are before Him.

Let us search our hearts.
Let us examine our posture.
And let us make sure that the One we represent is reflected not only in our words, but in our reverence.

Shabbat Shalom,
Moran