In Deuteronomy 5:29, the Lord says about His people, “Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever! “ Someone once defined the fear of God as “an awesome respect or reverence growing out of the recognition of the greatness and power of God.” Sadly, there is often a tendency for us to see God only as we want to see Him, often ignoring his greatness and power.
The Israelites in today’s text made the mistake of taking God lightly instead of fearing His greatness and power. It cost them the lives of over 50,000 of their people. There is a warning in this text for us all: “Be careful little eyes what you see!” In other words, be careful at how you look upon the Lord. We must ap-proach Him as the God He reveals Himself to be–a God of love and mercy, but also a God of holiness, and righteousness, a consuming fire—not a god of our own making.
George