Reverence towards God expresses itself in the actions, as well as the words and worship of believers. True reverence for God leads to obedience towards him.
Reverent fear is expressed in worship
Then the men feared the LORD greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to Him.
Reverence in worship is expressed in bodily attitudes
Bowing: Exodus 12:27; Psalm 95:6; Genesis 17:3; Numbers 14:5; Daniel 10:15; Revelation 5:14; Exodus 3:5 removing shoes; Exodus 3:6 covering the face; Ezra 9:5; Daniel 6:10; Ephesians 3:14
Reverence can be learnt through religious observances
A shared meal in God's presence
Hearing God's word
Deuteronomy 4:9–14, Deuteronomy 31:12–13
Reading God's word
Reverence motivates people to avoid doing wrong
Proverbs 16:6 See also Exodus 20:20; 2 Chronicles 19:9–10; Job 1:1, Job 28:28; Proverbs 3:7, Proverbs 8:13, Proverbs 14:16; 2 Corinthians 7:1
By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns aside from evil.
Reverence leads people to obey God's law
Ecclesiastes 12:13 See also Deuteronomy 10:12–13, Deuteronomy 13:4; Nehemiah 5:14–18 generous treatment of dependants; 2 Corinthians 5:11 evangelism; Ephesians 5:21 mutual submission; Colossians 3:22 obedience to masters
When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
Reverence is characterised by fearing God
Gentile believers were called ``God-fearing''
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.