“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” – Prov. 1:7

There is something about encountering God in Scripture that reveals a true posture to have before Him. We learn true humility when we encounter God and being near Him brings us to worship. When we scan through our Bibles, there seems to be a pattern of how people respond to a Holy God.

At the sight of the burning bush and the hearing of God’s voice, Moses “hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” Isaiah, a pretty upstanding guy, was overwhelmed with his sinfulness when he encountered God (Isa. 6). When Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured before them, “they fell on their faces and were terrified” (Matt. 17:6-7). The Apostle John saw Jesus in his vision and this was his reaction: “when I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead” (Rev. 1:12-17).

This kind of reaction is all throughout the Bible and yet:

“This experience is positive, however, because it helps us to understand more adequately who God is, and to realize that our standing before Him is based on His grace rather than our merit.” – R.C. Sproul