The Spring of Sanity Text: Proverbs 14:27
Introduction: Two Kinds of Fear
We live in a world that is marinated in fear. People are afraid of everything under the sun, and a few things besides. They fear viruses, they fear recessions, they fear their neighbors, they fear the climate, and they fear being on the wrong side of the latest cultural stampede. But the one thing our modern world absolutely refuses to fear is the one thing that could save them from all their other fears. They refuse to fear God.
Now, when we talk about the fear of the Lord, we must immediately make a crucial distinction. The Bible speaks of two kinds of fear. There is a servile fear and a filial fear. A servile fear is the fear of a slave before a tyrant. It is the fear of punishment, the fear of a guilty conscience cowering before the whip. This is the kind of fear that Adam and Eve had in the garden after they sinned. They heard God walking, and they hid. This is the fear that drives men away from God. It is the fear of the damned.
But there is another kind of fear, a filial fear. This is the fear of a son for a father he loves and deeply respects. It is not a fear that he will be arbitrarily struck down, but a fear of displeasing him, a fear of dishonoring the family name. It is a fear born not of guilt, but of love and awe. It is a profound reverence for his father's character, wisdom, and authority. This is the fear that drives us toward God, not away from Him. This is the fear of the righteous. And this is the fear that our text describes as a fountain of life.
The world, having rejected the filial fear of God, is now drowning in a sea of servile fears. They have rejected the ultimate and absolute authority of the Creator, and as a result, they are now enslaved to a thousand petty tyrants. They will not tremble before the throne of God, so they tremble before the opinions of their peers, the decrees of the state, and the headlines on their news feed. They have exchanged the one great, cleansing, life-giving fear for a multitude of small, dirty, life-stealing fears. Proverbs tells us that this is not just a bad trade; it is the difference between life and death.
The Text
The fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death.
(Proverbs 14:27 LSB)
A Fountain, Not a Puddle (v. 27a)
The first clause gives us a magnificent image:
"The fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life..." (Proverbs 14:27a)
A proper, biblical fear of God is not a stagnant pool of morbid introspection. It is not a trickle of religious duty. It is a fountain. A fountain is alive, dynamic, and gushing. It is a constant, self-replenishing source. This is what a right relationship with God does in a person's life. It creates an internal, artesian well of vitality.
This is because the fear of the Lord is simply another way of describing a right relationship with reality. To fear God is to see the world as it actually is. It is to recognize the fundamental Creator/creature distinction. He is God; we are not. He is infinite, holy, and sovereign; we are finite, sinful, and dependent. To live in the fear of God is to live in alignment with the grain of the universe. To live without that fear is to live against the grain, and the result is friction, splinters, and eventual destruction.
When you fear God, you are connected to the very source of all life. As the psalmist says, "For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light" (Psalm 36:9). God is not just a life-giver; He is life itself. Therefore, a reverential trust in Him, a humble submission to His Word, and a joyful awe of His majesty taps you into that inexhaustible source. This is why Jesus could stand in the temple and cry out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:37-38). The fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom, finds its ultimate expression in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who unblocks the spring.
This fountain of life manifests itself practically. It gives resilience in trial, because you know the sovereign God is in control. It gives joy in prosperity, because you know the Giver of all good gifts. It gives stability in chaos, because your feet are planted on the rock of ages, not the shifting sands of public opinion. It bubbles up as wisdom in decisions, patience in relationships, and courage in the face of hostility. It is a fountain, not a puddle that evaporates in the first heat of affliction.
Dodging the Devil's Traps (v. 27b)
The second clause shows us the protective, practical benefit of this fountain.
"...To turn aside from the snares of death." (Proverbs 14:27b)
The world is a minefield. The devil, our adversary, is a trapper. He does not announce his intentions. He sets snares. A snare is a hidden trap, often baited with something that looks attractive. The path of foolishness, the path of the one who does not fear God, is littered with these snares. They are camouflaged to look like freedom, or pleasure, or self-fulfillment, but their end is death.
What are these snares of death? Proverbs is full of them. The snare of the adulterous woman (Prov. 7). The snare of easy money and dishonest gain (Prov. 1:10-19). The snare of pride and a hot temper (Prov. 29:22). The snare of the fear of man (Prov. 29:25). The snare of foolish talk and gossip (Prov. 18:7). These are not just moralistic platitudes; they are sober warnings about how reality operates. These paths lead to destruction, not because God is a cosmic killjoy, but because He built the world in such a way that sin is fundamentally self-destructive. Sin is a spiritual poison, and its wages are always death (Rom. 6:23).
So how does the fear of the Lord help us avoid these traps? It gives us spiritual discernment. When you are walking in the fear of God, you begin to see the world through His eyes. The bait in the trap starts to look less appealing. You can smell the spiritual decay underneath the perfume. The fountain of life within you acts as a poison detector. The Holy Spirit, who dwells in the one who fears God, gives you a holy flinch when you get near a snare.
When Potiphar's wife attempted to seduce Joseph, his response was the epitome of the fear of the Lord. He said, "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" (Genesis 39:9). He didn't just see a tempting offer; he saw the snare. He saw it in relation to God. His fear of God gave him the wisdom and the moral clarity to turn aside from the snare of death. He chose the prison over the pit. This is how it works. The fear of God is not a restriction of your freedom; it is the very thing that keeps you from the slavery of sin. It is your spiritual early warning system.
Conclusion: Drink Deep or Die
The choice before every human being is simple. It is the choice between two fears. You will either have the filial, reverential, life-giving fear of God, or you will have the servile, anxious, soul-crushing fear of everything else. You cannot have both.
To reject the fear of God is to declare yourself an expert on a world you did not create. It is to walk confidently into a minefield of your own devising. The modern world has made this choice, and this is why it is so frantic, so angry, so fragile, and so captivated by death. It has turned from the fountain of life and is trying to slake its thirst by drinking from broken, poisoned cisterns.
But the invitation of the gospel is an invitation to come back to the fountain. The fear of the Lord is not something we muster up on our own. It is a gift of grace, given to us when God opens our eyes to see His holiness and His mercy, which meet perfectly at the cross of Jesus Christ. At the cross, we see the terrifying reality of God's hatred for sin, which should drive us to a holy fear. But we also see the unfathomable depth of His love for sinners, which should drive us to a joyful, filial trust.
When you see this, when you believe this, God turns on the fountain. He quickens your dead heart. And that living water begins to do its work. It washes you, it refreshes you, and it gives you the spiritual sense to see the snares of death for what they are and to turn aside. The fear of Yahweh is not a burden; it is a bubbling spring. It is the only source of sanity in a world gone mad. So my encouragement to you is simple. Fear God. Drink deep. And live.