The Thinklings Podcast — Episode 003 — The Fear of the Lord
Welcome to Episode 3 of The Thinklings Podcast!
This week we talk about reading difficult books and why sometimes it’s good to read until your “brain creaks.” Then we turn to the fear of the Lord, tracing the idea through Deuteronomy, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, and Ecclesiastes. What does it actually mean to fear God, and how should what we know about Him shape our affections and obedience?
⏱️ Chapters
0:00 — Welcome & Introduction
0:44 — Books & Business
9:57 — Main Discussion: The Fear of the Lord
18:11 — Fear, Love & Properly Ordered Affections
23:01 — Closing Thoughts: Ecclesiastes 3
25:02 — Outro
📚 Books & Business
📖 The Tree of Life: An Exploration of Biblical Wisdom Literature — Roland Murphy
📖 Wordsmithy — Douglas Wilson
We revisit The Tree of Life and discuss the value of reading books that stretch us intellectually—even when we don’t understand everything the first time through. Good reading should sometimes make the brain “creak,” cultivating our ability to think and preparing us to tackle more difficult books in the future.
📖 Main Content — The Fear of the Lord
Beginning in Deuteronomy 5 and moving through Psalm 19, Isaiah 29, and Proverbs, we explore what Scripture means by the fear of the Lord. Biblical fear begins with knowing something true about God and then allowing that knowledge to rightly affect our emotions, choices, and obedience. The fear of the Lord involves both light and heat—the mind understanding who God is and the affections responding accordingly.
🌿 Closing Meditation
Ecclesiastes 3:14
We close by considering God’s sovereignty and how the circumstances He allows in our lives reveal something about who He is. Ecclesiastes connects that sovereignty with our response: God acts so that we should fear Him. Whatever circumstances we are walking through can therefore become an opportunity to know God more truly and respond to Him rightly.
🎧 Listen & Subscribe
Follow The Thinklings Podcast on Substack, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Subscribe on Substack for show notes, updates, and future Thinklings content.
JOIN THE THINKLINGS ON SUBSTACK
@thethinklingspodcast
@profstearns
@timlittle00
@thinklingcarter
