Rejoice and Tremble: The Surprising Good News of the Fear of the Lord (Union)

This book nails the central issue many modern Christians wrestle with thanks to cultural influences. Biblical truth is objectively, positively, and carefully presented. Not only is this high quality writing, but it's simple to understand and SO, SO, SO encouraging. You'll want to read it again and again! (I finished 3 weeks ago, and I'm already craving a refresher.)

We are reading this book for discussion as a Bible study. So far it has been an enlightening perspective.

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Michael Reeves achieves his goal of differentiating sinful and godly fear of the Lord. His clarifications not only correct common misunderstandings, but also call his readers to respond to God as He truly is, with trembling delight.A glance at the sources listed in the notes for each chapter, however, confirms the impression that almost all are Puritans or Reformed. This is not surprising for a Presbyterian writer, or necessarily a negative. But this reader found the frequent and long citations from many of the same sources (Bunyan, Spurgeon, Edwards, etc) excessive and tiresome. Unfortunately, it also made an important biblical discussion seem theologically partisan, which it is not. The author’s skillful references to relevant passages of Scripture demonstrated that.The book is also laden with adjectives to describe the filial fear of God as if the author was not just appropriately overwhelmed, but perhaps a bit frustrated. At times, this came across as overcomplicating truth that could have been communicated more simply. It seemed that he was seeking to emulate the flowery style of the writers he quotes.These criticism aside, the book lived up to the the praise of those who recommended it; and I would recommend it on the basis that its message is too important to allow its style to deter readers.

I literally couldn’t put this book down. First book I’ve read in less than 24 hours in a long while. The only thing is that I wish it was longer. Michael Reeves has provided the church an incredible work that will hopefully ignite a burning passion in the hearts of believers to rejoice and tremble before the Lord. I thought I knew what it meant to fear the Lord, but Reeves showed me how much I was missing. This book was worth every penny. If you’re looking for a good book, then don’t hesitate to pick up a copy of “Rejoice and Tremble” by Michael Reeves.

The idea of the fear of God is one that I am sure almost every Christian struggles with. Is is merely reverence or awe or is it the fear of God’s judgment? Or is it something else altogether?Michael Reeves argues (rightly in my opinion) that they key is in understanding that there are two kinds of fear - sinful fear and filial fear. He uses Scripture to illustrate the differences and to argue that filial fear is closely linked with love and that it actually brings hope and joy rather than dread.This is a book that every disciple of Jesus should read. I know I’ll be coming back to it again and again.

Taste heaven now. The more we know God, not just know about Him, not just a book knowledge, but really know God personally and intimately, the more we are driven to worship. Fear is awestruck reverence for God.This is a recommended book. It is one I will definitely revisit again and again.

Eye opener

We don’t have to look further back than last year to see that we are a people perpetually plagued by fear. What we fear drives what we do—take, for instance, some of the behaviour demonstrated in the 2020 Pandemic. Fear is one of our strongest emotions and motivators. But it is one with which we have an uneasy relationship. When we come to Scripture, we are commanded, on one hand, “do not be afraid,” and on the other, “fear God.” Christians can be surprised and confused by God’s desire that we fear him.In his new book, Rejoice and Tremble: The Surprising Good News of the Fear of the Lord, Michael Reeves brings much clarity to this doctrine that the church has so often misunderstood. What is the fear of the Lord, and why, as Reeves argues, ought the Christian delight in it?Two types of fear of God must be distinguished: sinful fear and right fear. Sinful fear misrepresents God’s character and is not based in love. It drives the sinner away from him in one of two ways: the fearful one either runs away from relationship with God altogether or by takes up a form of religious externalism without joyful delight in him. “This fear,” according to Reeves, “gives people the mindset of a reluctant slave who obeys his master not out of any love but purely from fear of the whip” (34). Even believers can fall into this sinful fear of God when we misrepresent his nature and character in our hearts. Nevertheless, thanks be to God, who has given us his Spirit “to produce in us a wonderful fear that wins and draws us to God” (43).According to Reeves, a right fear does not drive the sinner away from God, but toward him in love. This kind of devoted fear is part of the new covenant blessing. To fear God is to love God, know him, and be known by him. Believers who fear the Lord are overwhelmed by who he is and his goodness toward them. This “trembling ‘fear of God’ is a way of speaking about the intensity of the saints’ love for and enjoyment of all that God is ... True fear of God is true love for God defined: it is the right response to God’s full-orbed revelation of himself in all his grace and glory.” It “is not a groveling, shrinking fear ... It is an ecstasy of love and joy that senses how overwhelmingly kind and magnificent, good and true God is, and that therefore leans on him in staggered praise and faith” (52–53). To fear God rightly is to love him, have joy in him, and trust him.Reeves goes on on argue that as Christians, we have a proper fear of God in his roles as both Creator and Redeemer. The former has to do with fearing God for his “Godness”: he is holy, supreme, sovereign, and majestic. But Christians have the further knowledge of God as Redeemer in Christ—knowledge of God as kind, gracious, merciful, forgiving, and compassionate. Fearing God as Redeemer leads us to be “freed from all fears that this awesome God might be against us” (76).In fact, Reeves says, it is wrong for us to primarily think of God as the Creator. Why? Before he was Creator, he existed in the perfect fellowship of the Trinity as God the Father. Therefore, we should primarily view him as Father and fear him with a Spirit-wrought “loving filial fear.” This filial fear is only made possible by the person and work of Christ, with whom the redeemed share and partake in “the Son’s own filial delight in the fear of the Lord” (100). When we call God “Father,” the gospel is richer, but when we primarily present God as Creator, “we rob believers of filial fear.”So, how does one grow in this fear? It is “a matter of the deeper orientation of a renewed heart—something that causes truly Christian behavior” (109). This is only made possible by the Spirit through the gospel: “only the preaching of Christ can turn a heart truly to desire righteousness and fear God with loving, trembling, filial adoration” (114). The cross is the “uniquely fertile soil for the fear of God” (118); we position ourselves by means of grace to be constantly in contact with the gospel (taking in cross-centered content: books, preaching, and fellowship, and especially Scripture).Reeves also notes that if leaders are going to lead well, they need to “be clearly affected by the beauty and glory and majesty and goodness of God shown in their life and in their teaching” (125). Our preaching and teaching must do more than give knowledge about God, but “must share the fiery intent of that word, preaching so that sinners tremble and that the hearts of saints no longer creep in dread but quake in wonder” (129). It is only this kind of fear that properly dreads sin, not because of punishment, but for what it is—ugly, ungodly, and defacing to the One we love and treasure.A believer who is filled with “a right, healthy, filial fear of God” will see this overflow into his life. He will have deeper communion with God because he knows he is loved and accepted as his child. Having the proper knowledge of both God and self will lead to doxology and Christlike character, for filial fear purifies and burns away the dross of sin. The believer will become happy as God is happy, large-hearted as he is large-hearted, and overflowing in sacrificial love as he overflows in sacrificial love. Indeed, “led by the Spirit into conformity with Christ, the church begins to exhibit to the world fearsome divine qualities of holiness, blessedness, happiness, wholeness, and beauty” (153).The triumph of Reeves’ book is his ability to synthesize a confusing and sometimes alienating topic, to present it in a way that can be easily comprehended, and to do so in a pastoral and God-glorifying way. Whether you are a pastor, scholar, or layperson, this book will foster true, filial fear and cause you to overflow in heartfelt, affectionate worship to our good and gracious redeeming God.

This is the 3rd book in the series of 6 which I have. I plan to get all 6 as they make a beautiful set. All the books in this series are beautifully presented with high quality materials. The content continues in the same vein. It complements the 2 books by Dane Ortland very well (which I would highly recommend too). These books are not for the academically minded but are aimed at those who seek to discover new depths of appreciation and wonder for the beauty of God in His holiness and love for His children and His Church. This book is very much aimed at the heart rather than the head as is the case with all the books in the series. A prayerful and reflective approach is the best way to draw all the truths and intention of the author from the writing which is 100% sound in fundamental biblical truth.

Deals with a fundamental, if not most fundamental, truth to allow us to come to that awe inspiring truth of who God really is.

What an important topic! What hard going a couple of chapters were! This book was advertised as being the one for church leadership teams. A church leadership team in a university city may take this book in their stride, but my experience in a country parish was that by the end of our study together about half the team were finding reasons not to be at the group meetings. Pitching straight into Calvin's "Institutes" in one chapter took a big toll. Pity, because those of us who made it through to the end were pleased we had battled on. One aim of our study was to draw the leadership team together - instead it splintered us.

Brings a very important message but I struggled to concentrate and focus on it. More a book for theologians than the average reader. Many quotes from historical Christian leaders in "old" English and rather heavy going.