As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him
Psalm 103:13(NKJV) As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
God’s pity is one of His most beautiful virtues, revealing Him as a God filled with tender compassion. He sees that we need His compassion. The word pity means to be soft and to hold in tender affection, implying that we are the objects of God’s love.
This pity is an aspect of His eternal Fatherhood. For as a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those that fear Him. As our heavenly Father, He is the God who is moved with eternal pity for us and has given to us His Son to save us.
Psalms 25:14(NKJV) The secret of the LORD is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.
Psalms 34:9(NKJV) Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.
Psalms 103:11(NKJV) For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
Proverbs 14:26(NKJV) In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge.
Therefore, for God to pity us, we must fear Him. But what does this mean?
Deuteronomy 10:12(ESV) “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
Deuteronomy 10:20-21(ESV) You shall fear the LORD your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.
For the believer, biblical fear of God includes understanding His intense aversion to sin and fearing His judgment on sin – even in one’s own life. Fearing God means having a reverence for Him that greatly impacts the way we live. The fear of God is respecting Him, obeying Him, submitting to His discipline, and worshiping Him in awe.