Some thoughts on "The fear of God"

There are many references in the Bahá’í writings and in the scriptures of other faiths to the fear of God. All of them either say or imply that the fear of God is a good thing.

“Adorn ye the temple of dominion with the ornament of justice and of the fear of God...”  
Kitab-i-Aqdas, Paragraph 88

 “...lay not aside the fear of God and be not of the negligent.”
Kitab-i-Aqdas, paragraph 151

“Walk ye in the fear of God, and be ye of them that lead a godly life.”  
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, CXVIII

 “In this Revelation the hosts that can render it victorious are the hosts of praiseworthy deeds and upright character. The leader and commander of these hosts hath ever been the fear of God, a fear that encompasseth all things and reigneth over all things.”
 The fourth Ishráq from the Tablet ISHRÁQÁT (Splendours)

 “The essence of wisdom is the fear of God, the dread of His scourge and punishment, and the apprehension of His justice and decree.”
 From the Tablet of Wisdom

I have recently heard much discussion of this concept of the fear of God: Some reject the idea of fearing God as a motivation, “I don't want to go through life afraid that if I don't do this good thing or if I do that bad thing that God will punish me. I would rather behave well out of love for God, or because I know that it is the right thing to do as a member of a civilized society!” When one looks at God as a sort of super-powerful person, or as “a loving Father,” it makes sense to me to reject this concept. One might go through life afraid of an abusive and unpredictable father, but respectful of a just and loving father. I tend to think that what is meant by “fear” in this context is more like a healthy respect.

On the other hand, if one looks at God more as the ultimate Force of Nature, perhaps another analogy would apply: I don't go through life afraid of gravity, but I do take care to not fall, to make sure that I don't put delicate objects in danger of falling, and to be aware of what I must do and not do so that I am not harmed by gravity. Likewise, I am not afraid of fire, but I have a fear of fire in the sense that I do my best to use the power of fire in ways that are beneficial, while avoiding actions that would lead to the “punishment and scourge” of fire, that is, of being burnt or having my home burn down, etc.

The physical laws regarding things like gravity, fire, water, chemicals, radiation, light and darkness, hygiene, etc. are all learned due to their being evident in this physical plane of existence. They are not all obvious, however: Fear of bacterial contamination is a fairly recent wisdom, and the actions – the do's and don'ts - needed to prevent the spread of disease are still being discovered. The value of such spiritual laws as prayer, the golden rule, truthfulness, justice, sacrifice (another concept worthy of discussion, but not here), and oneness are not as easily verified as physical laws are by personal experience or scientific experimentation. When these laws are followed in a society by the majority of people, however, they lead to an improvement in the quality of life for everyone.

In the short run, an individual might acquire wealth and power by acts which God forbids. If the individual acts out of the sort of fear of God and the laws that He has revealed that is equivalent to his fear of fire and the laws which are readily evident in the world, that individual, in the short run, may actually be put at a material disadvantage, but the example set, and the adoption of such “God fearing” behavior by others will, in the long run, lead to a better world for all: People will be able to trust one another and work together for the common good. There also seems to be a spiritual recognition of the truth of God's laws which helps promulgate obedience to them. (What does not help the world is the focus some people put on a few laws, like that of chastity, so that they can point fingers at others and/or gain points with pious people for political reasons. God's law against backbiting is eternal and paramount:

 “O SON OF MAN! Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness.”
 The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic #27.

"In formulating the principles and laws a part hath been devoted to penalties which form an effective instrument for the security and protection of men. However, dread of the penalties maketh people desist only outwardly from committing vile and contemptible deeds, while that which guardeth and restraineth man both outwardly and inwardly hath been and still is the fear of God.”
 From The Tablet of the World

 In the quotation above, we see that both a comparison and a distinction is made between fear of the penalties of the civil law and fear of God: Both lead to restraint, but the fear of the penalties of the law causes outward restraint only, while fear of God, “guardeth and restraineth man both outwardly and inwardly.” In this country we see that laws have been put into place to prevent discrimination due to race, gender, etc. While people may follow these laws because they fear the legal consequences of being caught in disobedience, this does not effect how they feel about people because of their inner prejudices about race, gender, etc. God's law for this day is clear and evident: we are to eliminate all such prejudices from our hearts. Does one follow this law because one is afraid of God in the same way that one might be afraid of a stranger in a dark alley? I think, rather, one follows the law because one is afraid of God in the same way that one might be afraid of jumping off a cliff. The consequences come due to God loving all of us enough that He wants us to learn to get along and actually love one another. It takes a leap of faith to be one of the few to truly embody divine law in ones inner and outer being, but it seems that people recognize the goodness of one who has committed their life to following this law.

O CHILDREN OF MEN! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory. The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, Arabic #68