The Awe of God
by John Bevere
ISBN-13: 1400336708
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: February 21, 2023
Source: review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.
Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Fearing God is very different than being afraid of God. John Bevere invites you to take a fresh look at what it means to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. This healthy, holy, and largely forgotten virtue is the uncommon path to a more fulfilled and fruitful life. The Awe of God was designed to be read slowly and intentionally. At the end of each of the 42 chapters are five tools to help you deepen your understanding and apply what the Spirit of God is teaching you. With this compelling and convicting message, you can experience a revival in your relationship with God, whether you're new to following Him or have walked with Him for most of your life.
My Review:
I've really, truly tried to finish this book, but I just couldn't get past 72%. It started okay. Basically, holy fear is deep respect of God; taking Him seriously in our lives. It draws us to God. In his words, from page 13, "Holy fear is not to be scared of God and thereby withdrawing from Him. It is to be terrified of being away from Him." The author talked about things like fearing God more than fearing man. Then I read Week 4 (each chapter is a "day" so it can be read like a devotional, if desired).
After reading the 7 chapters of week 4, I thought, "that sure sounds exhausting. How can he ever be sure he's doing enough?" The author tended to focus on a person's outward action as the problem rather than on their attitude. For example, chapter 23 was the need to obey God immediately. Ok, but most people don't have God speak audibly to them or have a known prophet of God come up to tell them God's wishes (as in the examples he uses). If I stop to make sure it's really God's prompting, did I instead wait too long? Or since you have to obey God completely or you're counted as in rebellion against God, can you ever stop? What if it wasn't enough? (He seems to miss that Saul's action reflected a rebellious heart, and that was the true problem.)
The author's message now came across to me as, 'Unless you put God first and you act in complete obedience, you miss out. God won't use you or be your friend.' And you can't complain mentally, either, even if it doesn't make sense or is painful. He misses that the core problem of the Israelites during the Exodus was ingratitude (instead of focusing on God's continuing protection and provision, they focused on things they felt they lacked and judged God). And Jesus was perfectly obedient and without sin, but he asked to not have to die on the cross. The holy fear comes in with the 'but not my will...'
So, anyway, we then get to the benefits of fearing God: we're His friend. The author apparently thinks this means that God comes to us for advice when He's undecided about something. He cites Genesis 18, when Abraham intercedes for the righteous people in Sodom, that the five cities be spared judgment if only __ righteous people are found. From page 204, "He (God) most likely responded, "Excellent point! Okay, I'll not destroy the two cities if there are fifty righteous people there. I'm so glad I talked to my friend Abraham." and "...[Abraham] helps God decide how He's going to do it." Yes, the author actual thinks God didn't already know He'd only save Lot's family from the destruction. He came to Abraham to allow him to declare God as just and to show his concern for others, not because God wanted Abraham's opinion. Maybe the rest of the book is great, but I just can't read anymore of it.
If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.
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