阅读经文 

惧怕可以由许多事情引起。它可能来自于不知道或不了解的事情。它可能在我们面临危险时产生。当我们发现一些比我们更强大的事物或我们想像中更强大的事物时，它也会出现。

神知道祂的子民在进入一片新的土地时将面临许多惧怕。他们会遇到他们不了解的东西，他们会面对强大的敌人。他们实际上是在走进未知的世界。

神也知道，对强大事物的惧怕也会导致人们的崇敬和崇拜。这是神不允许的一件事。祂不希望祂的子民崇拜其他神，或偶像，或太阳或月亮，或财富，或任何其他东西。这些东西都不能保佑祂的子民拥有整全的生命。只有神才能做到这一点。所以祂呼召他们只敬畏、崇拜和侍奉祂。

在我们今天的世界里，我们可能认为这听起来很愚蠢。毕竟，我们不像其他国家的人那样崇拜其他神。但我们需要小心。在我们的生活中，有许多东西是我们用敬畏和虔诚来对待的。有很多东西我们喜爱或敬畏，却不是神。但神希望我们只敬畏和爱祂。祂的能力和荣耀是我们无法想像的。要小心你生活中那些能使你分心并使你不能侍奉神的东西。

Fear can be caused by many things. It can come from not knowing or understanding something. It can come when we face danger. It can come when we discover something more powerful than we are—or something that we imagine is more powerful.

God knew his people would face many fears as they entered a new land. They would encounter things they didn’t understand, and they would face powerful enemies. They were literally walking into the unknown.

God also knew that the fear of something powerful could lead people to veneration and worship as well. And that was one thing God would not allow. He didn’t want his people to worship other gods, or idols, or the sun or moon, or riches, or anything else. None of those things could bless his people with full life. Only God could do that. So he called them to fear, worship, and serve him only.

In our world today, we might think that sounds rather silly. After all, we don’t worship other gods like the people of other nations did back then. But we need to be careful. There are many things in our lives that we treat with awe and devotion. There are many things we can love or fear instead of God. But God wants us to fear and love only him. His power and glory are beyond anything we can imagine. Watch out for things in your life that can distract you and keep you from serving God.