The Ethics of Fear
Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Psalm 34:11 NASB
Fear – There are basically two kinds of ethical systems in the world. They both have long histories. The first is the one we are most familiar with in the modern world, although it is not the most ancient of the two. This is the ethical system based on human reason. It contends that truly rational men will recognize what is right simply because it is aligned with the rationality of the cosmos. A good act promotes order, just as the cosmos acts according to basic scientific laws. This idea is not the same as legislated morals. “In contrast to the legalistic mores, which are backed by the sanction of force that society can bring to bear upon the transgressor, ethics proceeds from the recognition of the fact that no legal system can cope with the problem of getting the individual to do his duty, whether religious or social, when he does not have to fear retribution at the hands of the community.”[1] Therefore, what is needed for a truly ethical system of behavior is not prescribed law but intrinsic understanding. The authority of modern ethical systems rests in their rationality. To violate this system is to do something that is not rationally sound. Reasonable people act reasonably, and if they don’t, it’s because they don’t really understand. The remedy is education, not execution.
The ancient Jewish view is quite different.
“As to authority, philosophical ethics recognizes no authority but that of reason based upon experience; all philosophic ethics is therefore humanistic. Jewish ethics does not deny the authority of reason, but subordinates it to the authority of God who has made His will known through the Torah and the Prophets. Jewish ethics is, therefore, theocentric.”[2]
But this has an unsettling consequence.
“There is no direct causal relationship between virtue and its reward, or sin and its retribution. What the reward or retribution shall be in each instance is ordained by God.”[3]
In other words, theocentric ethics does not necessarily make sense. Since it is not finally based on reason, it may in fact contain contradictions or illogical requirements. For modern society, this means theocentric ethics cannot be true. But the modern humanistic ethical system has one glaring, and fatal, flaw. It cannot compel men to act according to its precepts. It may claim that acting according to the system is the rational thing to do, but human history is replete with examples of men acting otherwise—and claiming ethical justification. For this reason, “the inability of reason to provide a valid and compelling sanction for ethical conduct has contributed largely to the long reign of religious ethics, Jewish, Christian and Muslim . . .”[4] Why? Because God punishes.
Religious ethics does not depend on the sanctions of human society to correct immoral acts. It appeals to the power of the divine, a power which overrides all human societies. For this reason, the fear of God is the compelling force behind religious ethics. We do what we are commanded to do because there is no escape or excuse from the Lord of heaven and earth.
Does this mean that fearing God makes us into cowering servants, stripped of our sense of free will? No. Why not? Because serving God is also, according to biblical thinking, serving what it means for me to be truly human. It might not seem that way on occasion, but that’s because we have been seduced by the philosophical appeal to ask why. Religious ethics doesn’t operate on the basis of explanation. It operates on the basis of dedication. Most of the time this also aligns with reason, but when it doesn’t, it is dedication that counts, not rational explanation.
To fear God is not to cower before Him with the expectation of extinction. It is to stand in the presence of majesty and be overwhelmed by the mere fact that we are not extinguished. It is to feel His care. “The fear of the Lord is not merely a state of mind; it includes the practical observance of all laws emanating from God, whether they relate to the worship of Him or to righteousness in our dealings with our fellowmen.”[5]
To fear the Lord isn’t the beginning of rational understanding. It is the beginning of wisdom, and wisdom (ḥokmâ) is practical application in living, not the construction of cognitive abstract systems. This is preparation for the path of the righteous. This is becoming human. Are you on it?
Topical Index: rational ethics, theocentric ethics, morality, law, fear, wisdom, Psalm 34:11
[1] Mordecai M. Kaplan, “Introduction,” in Moses Hayyim Luzzatto, Mesillat Yesharim: The Path of the Upright, p. xxiv.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.,, p. xxix.
[5] Ibid., p. xxvi.
