March 3 -- "The Fear of His Father"

 Today's Reading:  Genesis 31

"The Fear of His Father"

Today's reading is part of the story of Jacob and Laban, his father-in-law. In this verse, Jacob and Laban make a covenant with each other, in which they agree to stop being adversaries and to live in peace.

Jacob and Laban call upon the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor (Laban's father) to be the judge between them and to ensure that their covenant is kept. Both Jacob and Laban swear by the God they worship, and they make a pact at the heap of stones, which was likely a pile of stones that they built as a physical marker of their agreement.

This passage is an example of the concept of a "covenant" in the Bible, which is an agreement or promise between two parties, often made in the presence of God as a witness. This covenant between Jacob and Laban is a sign of their willingness to put aside their differences and to live in peace and harmony.

This is now the second time that Jacob has used the phrase, "the fear of my father." In this context, he is using it as a name for God, synonymous with "Yahweh." He is making it clear that the God who is confirming their covenant is the very-same God who Isaac "feared." The believer’s "fear of God" is his/her reverence of God. Hebrews 12:28-29 is a good description of this: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ’God is a consuming fire.’” This reverence and awe are exactly what the fear of God means for Christians.

Jacob acknowledged Isaac's reverence and awe for Yahweh. So much so, that he used the phrase "the Fear of my father" as a name for God.