The natural human tendency is to incline towards extremes. This is especially true when it comes to religious matters. We tend to either be hyperspiritualists or completely unspiritual. This is what Solomon is addressing in our passage today. He is calling us to consider a Godly balance when it comes to matters of religion. This balance, as he proposes, is the fear of God. In other words, what the Bible is saying is that when we lack the fear of God, then we are bound to swing into extremes.

There is no better place to see this play out other than in the whole issue of blessings and curses. People tend to either competely ignore and live as though these are not a reality or to be totally consumed by the same. Since this devotion addresses Christians, it is the latter group I am more interested in. Because of our obsession and misunderstanding of the whole idea of blessings, we are easily swayed by the false gospel of health, wealth, and prosperity. As a result, our Christianity is merely transactional – giving to and doing things for God so that He can bless us with health, wealth, and prosperity. On the other hand, because of our obsession with avoiding curses and the subsequent misunderstanding of the same, some Christians have found themselves going back to the religion of their forefathers. This is why African Traditional Religion has been on a steep rise in a country that boasts to be 80% Christians.

We must be careful not to be caught up in these extreme expressions of blessings and curses. The danger, as Solomon warns, is that we will destroy ourselves. And the solution is to simply fear God. Yes, have a healthy understanding of who God is and respond appropriately to Him, and you will not fall prey to the allure of the false gospel or the snare of African Traditional Religion.

1. What does fearing God look like for you?