Fear or Reverence

Fear or Reverence
Psalm 76

Last week I was lecturing on the Psalms at a college in Michigan, and I referred to the extraordinary freedom that the Psalms assume we have in our relationship with God. You can say anything to God. In relation to God, we are like children in relation to a parent or a teacher. Of course the image presupposes that you have a good relationship with your parent or teacher; but if that is so, then you can say anything. You can beat on your father or mother’s chest, and they will let you do so. In the question time after the lecture, a student at the far back of the auditorium expressed some bewilderment. Didn’t we have to fear God?...