Awestruck Hero: Solomon the Teacher
Awestruck Hero: Solomon the Teacher.
“Lord Yahweh, there is no God like You! You are wondrously great, and Your name is mighty in power. You are unrivalled in Your greatness! Who can fail to be impressed by You, King of the nations. It is completely proper to reverence You, for who could fail to stand in awe before You! It is in Your very nature to be worshipped. Among all the elite of the world, there is still no one as magnificent as You, no one who could compare with you.” (Jeremiah 10:7).
AWE: To encounter vastness, something beyond one’s frame of reference, outside of one’s mental grasp; surrendering reverently to something greater than oneself; an outward-focused sense of wonder and astonishment; not just a momentary feeling, but a spiritual way of life and an actual neurological event that rewires the human brain.
Awesome? Is there a word that has been more trivialized these days than the word “awesome?” I confess that I have unthinkingly become a culprit in this misuse of what is a wonder-full word. Awesome seems to be in the air and ready to escape the lips of practically everyone, describing everything from a hamburger to a TV show, from a dollar store to a restaurant, from a celebrity to a superstar. But the word itself means something vast that is worthy of awe and wonder and astonishment. So let’s get picky here… Really now, isn’t the Lord God, the Creator of the universe, the only one who could be worthy of awesome? In our common experience here on planet earth, it would seem wise to leave a reserved seat for awesome, front row, center aisle, in the worship section. Maybe we could think up some reasonable synonyms for awesome, like tremendous, terrific, superb, fantastic, spectacular, extraordinary, or even sublime or really cool. But I propose that we reserve the word awesome for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Aspects of Awe will be studied in this blog series as we consider the biblical quality of awe to be a diamond with a lot of facets. We’ll be looking at awesomeness in the Hebrew Bible, in the Gospels, and how the experience of awe affects our brain. Yes, to be in awe is a neurological event as well as a spiritual one.
Awe in the Hebrew Bible. Awe turned out to be a rather common experience in ancient Judaism and the Old Testament. The Hebrew word most used for awe is “yare,” which is often translated as “fear” and has a wide spectrum of meanings. Yare could be used for extreme terror when facing danger, or for reverent awe before the Lord; for withdrawing in fear from something vastly superior, or approaching God in adoration and wonder; an experience that leads to fleeing in dread or worshipping in reverence. Yare could signify escape from danger or obedience out of profound respect. Yare is used almost 400 times in the Hebrew Bible, and its meaning depends on the context. Awe in the OT could be a temporary emotional experience or a more permanent attitude in one’s walk with God. For the most part though, apparently starting with Abraham, yare and the fear of God came to mean awestruck adoration, reverent devotion, profound respect, fearful honor, and loyal obedience as a result of such awe of God. Biblical awe will be studied in the lives of many faithful heroes in the Hebrew Bible who were happy to be awed and to use the word awesome… from Abraham to Jacob; from Moses to David; from Solomon to Isaiah; from Habakkuk to Malachi. As we’ll see, these stalwarts knew how to use the word “awesome!”
Ecclesiastes. This book is a collection of thoughts by someone named “Teacher” or “Preacher” and is a Wisdom book in the Hebrew Bible. It is traditional to consider Solomon as the author, but there are many now who are somewhat doubtful about that. Let’s just say the author is Solomon and move past that, okay? After all, the very first verse has the author claiming to be “the son of David, the king in Jerusalem,” so let that be sufficient for us in order to try to figure out what this puzzling book is about. I’m convinced that Solomon is towards the end of his life and is doing a lot of soul-searching about the point of it all. As he details in the book, he has pursued everything in his quest for personal satisfaction at a deep level… wealth and possessions; achievement; work success; sex and physical pleasures; power. But now he seems to be having his doubts about all those life pursuits, and if it actually was in the end rather limited, empty, elusive, and uncertain. Solomon is bluntly and honestly processing his wrestling match with reality and it’s questionable meaning in his life. It looks like he considers that much of what he has seen and experienced is rather absurd despite his best efforts. It’s clear to him now that there is a deep mystery in life and that only God can possibly solve that mystery. In this transparent book about life’s absurdity, he concludes that only God has control of what happens, only God knows what is going to happen or realizes the meaning of what has happened. So, Solomon concludes, when looking at life, consider the Source! We humans are not able to control our fate, only God can do that. So, it is wisest to stand in reverent awe of God, fearfully worship Him, and trust that He is the whole point of this life that appears to be rather pointless. Since earthly things cannot satisfy at a profound human level, then only God in heaven can truly satisfy. Life without God is empty and absurd, and only God can make sense of it all and give our live fullness, purpose, and meaning. So go to Him and bow down before Him in awestruck adoration. And that, says Solomon, a man of experience if there ever was one, is the point of life. Here are some of Solomon’s truly awesome highlights in his book of wisdom called Ecclesiastes:
(1.) “I am convinced that whatever God does, that’s the way it’s going to be, always; His deeds last forever, and there is no adding to them or taking away from them. God works this way so that people will quit asking questions and simply worship Him in awestruck adoration (“yare“).” (Ecclesiastes 3:14);
(2.) “When pointless daydreams and empty chatter increase, there is only emptiness; but instead give to God your reverent awe (“yare“) and devoted worship.” (Ecclesiastes 5:7);
(3.) “Even if someone sins and get by with it hundreds of times throughout a long life, I am still convinced that the truly good life is reserved for the God-fearer (“yare“), who lives in reverent awe (“yare“) in His presence. But the wrongdoers who do not honor God or stand in reverent awe of Him will not prosper, and their days will not lengthen like the evening shadows.” (Ecclesiastes 8:12-13);
(4.) “I can now sum up the ultimate purpose of human life, and this is my conclusion to the matter… After everything has been heard, the whole duty of each person is to fearfully stand in reverent awe (“yare“) of God and obey His commands.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
“To fear God means having a reverent respect for him, because of his greatness and glory. To this is added gratitude for his kindness and mercy, awe at his power, confidence in his wisdom, submission to his will, and delight in the experience of communing in him. Besides all this, the person who fears God has a deep affection for him, such as a child might have for a parent.” (Stuart Olyott, his commentary on Ecclesiastes).