The fundamental reason God commands us to observe the Feast of Tabernacles is to learn to fear Him always, as emphasized in Deuteronomy 14:23. While the rejoicing at the Feast is meant to brighten our faces, lift our spirits, and provide great joy, it is not merely for the sake of having fun. This rejoicing is intricately tied to the deeper purpose of learning to fear God. Additionally, in Leviticus 23:40, the command to rejoice appears within the context of living in temporary dwellings and remembering the pilgrimage of the children of Israel through the wilderness, further connecting the Feast to the lesson of fearing Him.

A unifying factor in the instructions for the Feast of Tabernacles is God's faithfulness, which directs us toward a proper fear of God. Ancient Israel, despite rejoicing at the Feast, lacked this fear, focusing their merriment incorrectly and returning home unchanged to continue in idolatry, injustice, and unrighteousness. Their pretense at communing with Him was futile, as true fellowship would have instilled a greater appreciation of His faithfulness and a fear of God that would produce life changes. We learn to fear God because He is faithful, encompassing both negative and positive aspects. Negatively, His unchanging faithfulness means He will chastise, avenge, and judge, executing curses as surely as blessings, which should strike terror in our hearts if we contemplate sinning. Israel learned this through captivity due to their disobedience. Positively, as we witness more of His faithfulness in providing for us and working out His purpose, our regard, reverence, and deep respect for Him grow, intensifying our fear as we understand Him more deeply. The Feast of Tabernacles is a celebration of God's faithfulness. If we rejoice in His provision, protection, and guidance during this pilgrimage, we will be learning to fear God always.

The fear of God emerges from recognizing His immense worthiness and power, far surpassing our trivial, everyday choices. Realizing His willingness to help us along our sanctifying walk builds a sense of respectful fear, for we dare not make light of such a weighty gift so freely given. This fear is intertwined with worship, the act of reverent honor paid to Him, produced when we understand His character and worthiness. God has proven His credibility through creation and history, annihilating the notion that anyone or anything else deserves our worship. In Job 38-42, God Himself declares His absolute worthiness, challenging Job with displays of His control over creation, from laying the foundation of the earth to commanding the waves and guiding the lightning. He demands that any challenge to Him must be on His level, revealing our complete incompetence to grasp even the smallest part of His works. Through this, God shows He is not only capable of managing His physical creation but also His spiritual creation, assuring us that nothing is too hard for Him and nothing takes Him by surprise. Therefore, when we face trials or take leaps of faith, we can trust that He has evaluated everything, and even if we suffer or die for the faith, it is for the best according to His plan.

The fear of God undergirds the various elements of the Feast, serving as a unifying factor that ties them together through God's faithfulness. If we fear God enough to set aside our tithes throughout the year, we will not only have the means to attend the Feast, enabling us to learn to fear Him even more, but we will also witness His faithfulness in providing for us. Realizing the magnitude of God's blessings, which His faithfulness ensures, always gives us reason to rejoice. The temporary dwellings of the Feast remind us of God's providence in guiding Israel through the wilderness, reinforcing our understanding of His faithfulness and further teaching us to fear Him. This element also points to our own journey to a greater Promised Land, where God will faithfully bring us to a glorious destination beyond our own capabilities.

The Bible emphasizes the fear of God as a vital motivator for overcoming sin and fulfilling His purpose for us. This fear is not merely a natural emotion but a quality that must be learned, as David instructs in Psalm 34:11, teaching the children to fear the Lord. It is an essential attitude, distinct from worldly fears, spanning from mild apprehension to profound terror, driving us to serve Him with reverence and trembling, as urged in Psalm 2:11. God desires this fear in us, not to distance us, but to remind us of His supreme nature, far beyond human understanding, as He declares in Isaiah 55:8-9. Even alongside love for Him, this fear must persist, ensuring we remain aware of His greatness and our obligation to honor Him. Paul reinforces this in Philippians 2:12, urging us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, highlighting the seriousness of our journey with Him. This fear of God is not replaced by love but works hand in hand with it, fostering boldness against worldly fears while maintaining reverence for Him. It nurtures a deep desire never to sin, to avoid dishonoring Him, and to preserve the sacred relationship He has initiated with us. Rooted in awe of His creative power and goodness, as evident in creation itself, this fear instills a humble gratitude for His attention to us, driving us to strive to be like Him in all we do.

Fear is the enemy of all God's firstfruits and all God's people. We cannot fear men, governments, wars, riots, food shortages, or diseases like COVID. Instead, we are called to fear God above all else. When we fear God and strive to do what is right, God is with us, comforting and caring for us, ensuring that things go well with us if we honor Him. Many of God's people, however, fear worldly things more than they fear God. Some fear their unconverted mates, leading to struggles with tithing, keeping the Feast of Tabernacles, or avoiding pagan holidays. Others fear college professors or high school teachers, causing them to shorten their observance of the Feast to only a few days due to concerns about grades or careers. Over the years, brethren have feared their bosses or employers more than God, working on the Sabbath or missing the entire Feast of Tabernacles out of fear of losing their jobs. Last year, fear of COVID led some within the greater churches of God to forego keeping the Feast of Tabernacles altogether or to observe it in ways that did not fully align with God's Word, such as streaming services from temporary dwellings like hotels or rented rooms. In contrast, there are inspiring examples of those who feared God more than man and sought to live by every Word of God. Carol Ford, despite terminal cancer, never missed the Feast or Sabbath, putting God first no matter her health or circumstances. Geoff and Susan Preston made tremendous sacrifices, enduring financial hardship and grueling travel from Australia to attend the Feast, demonstrating their fear of God over worldly concerns. Gary Garrett, battling cancer, attended the Feast despite his grave illness, risking his life to honor God's command. Tiffany and Derek Schulte traveled a long distance for the Feast while Tiffany was near delivery, and she gave birth during the Feast, yet still brought her newborn to services for the Blessing of the Little Children just hours later. The Fletcher family, facing severe health challenges with Carol's stroke and Dan's heart condition, consistently attends Sabbath services and the Feast, showing unwavering commitment to God. A family in Northern Ireland, amidst a war zone, braved military roadblocks every Sabbath to attend services, undeterred by danger. John and Evelyn Ritenbaugh, despite age and illness, set an example by attending most Sabbath services and the Feast, even during COVID. Lastly, a wife of 51 years, despite kidney failure and the challenges of dialysis, never missed the Feast, trusting God to work out the details. Fear of man and worldly pressures can lead us astray, but fearing God and living by every Word of His is our true calling. When we put God first, He promises great blessings. We must not let fear of man, governments, wars, riots, teachers, bosses, or mates overshadow our fear of God. Our job is to fear Him and live by every Word of His.

We are here to learn to fear God, for this is the very purpose of our gathering at the Feast of Tabernacles. Fearing God is something special, as He has called us out from among billions for a unique purpose—to learn to fear Him so we can be used in a future time. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, designed to produce a response, a reaction, and a result within us. Fearing God means to hold Him in such reverence, awe, and respect that we voluntarily measure every action, attitude, feeling, and thought against His law and teaching. This fear equates to obedience, as seen in Abraham's compliance with God's request, and in the selection of leaders who fear God, love truth, and hate covetousness. Concerning the poor, we are not to take interest or profit from them, but rather fear our God and obey Him. The Feast of Tabernacles is a wonderful place to put this fear into practice by showing forgiveness, love, kindness, consideration, and thoughtfulness to each other and to the local community. As we choose to fear God, He chooses us to help Him in the most awesome responsibility ever given to His people—to actively participate with God the Father and Jesus Christ in rebuilding the earth and the salvation of mankind. This season pictures a time when we will see and participate in the remaking of the earth, helping God to deal with mankind as they, in turn, learn to fear Him. Now is our time to learn this fear, for the Millennium will be the time for the world to learn to fear and obey God. Ultimately, the gift that God has desired for 6,000 years is for His people to fear Him, and at last, this gift will be realized. We, together with God the Father and Jesus Christ, will have a part in bringing this to pass. As God has instructed in Deuteronomy 14, the Feast of Tabernacles is for us to take the messages, experiences, and lessons to heart, making the needed changes to become kings and priests of God, helping His people. True fear of God is to live as if continually in His presence, leading to right decisions, proper relationships, and many blessings. So, let us set our hearts to learn to fear God, that we may participate in the restoration that is on the horizon.

The fear of God is a vital and fundamental aspect of our relationship with Him, not to be softened into mere respect, reverence, or awe, but understood as encompassing dread, fright, and terror. It is the beginning of knowledge, as Proverbs 1:7 declares, carrying connotations of a powerful, holy God whose judgment should not be taken lightly. This fear is essential, for without it, we risk treating God as negligible, showing contempt through our conduct, even if not in words, as warned in the New Testament. God sees through our pretenses and will judge His people, emphasizing that Christians bear a greater responsibility to fear Him, knowing that much is required of those to whom much is given. Jesus Christ Himself instructs in Matthew 10 that we are to fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell, highlighting that this fear is tied to escaping the judgment of gehenna fire. This fear of God liberates us from the fear of man, which is a snare, as Proverbs 29:25 states, because the worst that men can do pales in comparison to God's omnipotent power over life and death. The awe-inspiring revelation of God at Mount Sinai, with its terrifying earthquake and consuming fire, underscores that encountering His presence is dreadful, yet even such experiences did not prevent ancient Israel from perishing in the wilderness due to their lack of sustained fear. This godly fear has a spiritual dimension, not reliant on sensory perception but involving an element of terror, as seen in the reactions of godly men like Moses and Isaiah when confronted with God's presence. Isaiah 8 further illustrates that God should be our dread, not worldly powers, for failing to fear Him leads to stumbling, while fearing Him makes Him a sanctuary and place of safety. Hebrews reinforces this, urging us not to be complacent but to be sorely afraid, for failure to reach the Kingdom of God is life's supreme disaster, and fear motivates strenuous effort to react and avoid such loss. God desires not just fear but a reaction that considers Him, His Son, His purpose, and sin in every aspect of life, until His way is ingrained in our hearts. The fear of God does not come naturally; it must be learned and is the essence of true religion, instilled by God as a gift through His calling. This fear compels us to react rightly, turning to Him as a refuge to escape the consequences of sin, even if initially driven by a desire to save ourselves from the Lake of Fire. Proverbs 1:7 establishes the fear of God as the chief part of knowledge, fundamental to wisdom and understanding that lead to eternal life, not mere worldly knowledge. Without this fear, knowledge becomes an instrument of destruction, as seen in the world today. The lack of fear in Adam and Eve led to their sin, as satan removed their dread of consequences, unleashing pain on mankind. The fear of God puts all other fears into perspective, guiding us to fear the right things and live wisely. Ultimately, the fear of God is to hate evil, pride, and arrogance, leading to a godly life of departing from sin and submitting to His way. It is a choice, a moral stance, and the foundation of true knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, without which life's direction and purpose become blurred. Fearing God is essential to godly character, bringing abundant blessings and forming a crucial part of the salvation process as we choose to fear Him amidst carnal fears.