Fearing God is Good

Scripture Reading: Leviticus 19:14

“You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere you God, I am the LORD.”

A while back, I saw a video of someone randomly attacking a young man who has Down’s Syndrome. It was a senseless act of violence against someone who has a physical and mental disability. This verse in Leviticus forbids such acts of cruelty against people with disabilities. While it specifically mentions deaf and blind people, it is not meant to be limited to those two types of disabilities.

This seems like common sense and simple human kindness. And it is. However, it is important to note the underlying motivating factor for this command. You don’t do this because God is the Lord and you fear or revere Him. It is the fear of God that keeps this kind of cruelty in check.

This explains that video. The person who carried out that attack doesn’t fear God. That is the only logical conclusion one can come to. If they did, they wouldn’t do such things. People who fear God fear doing evil against others.

God-fearing people are the safest people to be around. Those who don’t fear God are a danger because they have nothing to restrain their evil impulses.