Not knowing God promotes irreverence toward Him, as Pharaoh's defiance clearly shows. Thus, not knowing God leads to disobedience. Knowing God, on the other hand, promotes the fear of God and humility before Him, fostering obedience. Understanding God's sovereignty works to remove every ground for man to rely on himself and boast. If we grasp His sovereignty, it leads us to praise Him for the glory of what He is: He is our salvation. Fully accepting God's sovereignty provides us the proper comparisons to wisely make right choices, turning us to submit to His will. As we live by faith, we must never forget God's loving wisdom that we are the clay and He is the Potter, shaping us according to His purpose. Fully accepting His sovereignty produces valuable fruits: the fear of God, humility, submissiveness, and uncomplaining endurance.

A proper recognition of God's sovereignty should instill in us a deep, reverential awe toward Him. This reverence is not merely terror or faint respect, but a balanced, abiding respect for His holiness, mercy, compassion, and authority as Creator and Head of His family. It is the foundation of wisdom, moving us to obedience and shaping our relationship with Him. Without this reverential awe, we cannot truly be at peace, exercise faith, overcome fear, or grow into God's image, as self-will intrudes and pushes His purpose aside. Reverence toward God, born from understanding His sovereignty, produces a chain of spiritual growth. It begins with humility, leading to the fear of God, which in turn fosters wisdom and results in obedience. This fear is not just for the unconverted but is vital for His children, marking our relationship with Him and motivating us to act on His instruction out of deep respect. As we see in the examples of Job and Isaiah, encountering God's sovereignty humbles us profoundly, revealing our own inadequacies and driving us to submit to His will. This reverence also begets implicit obedience, as modeled by Jesus Christ, who submitted to God's will even unto death with conscious, intelligent choice, driven by deep awe and love for the Father. Furthermore, true reverence promotes a complete resignation to God's will, accepting whatever He permits in our lives, whether good or bad, recognizing that everything He allows is for our good. Finally, it should produce unending thankfulness that He is God and part of our lives, even in adversity, leading us to a place of adoring worship of Him.

Reverence toward God is a fundamental reason for attending church services and observing the Feast of Tabernacles, as it involves worshiping Him with a bowed-down heart and head. Worship, synonymous with adulating, honoring, glorifying, and reverencing, reflects an attitude of total surrender and humility before our Maker. It is more than a physical act; it is a condition of the heart and mind, where true reverence means having a heart far from vain practices and fully submitted to Him. The Bible illustrates this reverence through various accounts of bowing down and worshiping. David urges us to worship and bow down, to kneel before the LORD our Maker. Job, upon hearing devastating news, fell to the ground and worshiped, exemplifying profound faith and reverence. Similarly, when Solomon dedicated the Temple, the people bowed their faces to the ground and worshiped, praising the LORD. In heaven itself, elders and living creatures fall down and worship God, demonstrating the ultimate act of reverence. True reverence toward God manifests when we become aware of His awesome presence, leading to complete humility and surrender. If we are not yet fully aware of His presence, we risk merely going through the motions without heartfelt worship. Every act should be a worshipful adoration of our great God, bringing glory and honor to His name. When attending services, whether on the Sabbath or at the Feast, we should go with the intent to worship, exhibiting greater reverence and awe, realizing He is present. Our conduct, from how we dress to how we listen, should reflect this reverence, as if we could see Him before us. Whether in a formal hall or meeting in our homes, the same respect and honor must be present, recognizing that worship services are sacred and solemn assemblies. We should be ready to begin services quietly and respectfully, honoring His presence as the King. Understanding constant worship transforms everything we do into an act of reverence and adoration, exalting the Almighty as David teaches, urging us to come and worship Him.

Reverence toward God has been presented as one definition of fear but remains narrow enough to gradually produce a soft image of God as a comfortable refuge. Modern translators have occasionally substituted reverence for fear yet most retain the harsher term because it carries intended connotations of fright. Fright, dread, and terror form vital aspects of the full meaning of fear toward God and must not be set aside. God acts against those whose conduct reveals contempt by treating His sacrifice as ordinary and His judgment as negligible. Such an attitude springs from the heart and is shown by actions rather than words. Jesus Christ states that God alone can destroy both body and soul in hell and must therefore be feared above all others. The fear of man is a snare whereas dread of God removes fear of lesser threats because His power, knowledge, and control over life and death surpass every human danger. When God reveals Himself through visible and audible signs the resulting majesty produces terror that cannot be endured. Godly fear nevertheless contains a spiritual element that does not depend on sensory perception. It compels a person to react by turning from evil and toward God as a sanctuary. Reverence alone does not capture this movement because the fear of the Lord also requires dread that motivates strenuous effort to depart from sin and keep His commandments. The fear of the Lord is the beginning and chief part of the knowledge that leads to eternal life. Without it knowledge lacks moral direction and produces the present world of violence and confusion.

Reverence toward God involves the fear of God, which always carries an edge that prevents complete comfort. This fear spans from sheer terror to a deep abiding respectful reverence. It serves as the first line of defense that keeps one from profaning God's name and defends against pain or death. It makes possible the full flowering of faith hope and love because it equates with departing from evil. When one departs from evil God sees respect and draws close. Reverence relates closely to concern respect awe honor and glorifying God. Placing high value on the relationship with God leads to fearing loss of that relationship and thus maintaining it through obedience prayer study and service to brethren. God desires to be feared by His children and will bring this about by whatever means necessary including through tribulation that shakes the earth. Balance between the fear of God and the love of God is required to avoid perversion of grace. Grace enables acceptable service to God with reverence and godly fear. The fear of God must be learned through revelation of Himself and grows throughout life as one submits to Him.