Terrible

While reading the great book one day, I noticed something interesting. It bothered me a bit, this thing. But I held on to patience. Patience always seems to bring me to clean understanding without the loss of steam in anger or frustration.

It was the word terrible used to describe God. Psalm 68:35: “God you are terrible out of your holy places: The God of Israel is the one who gives power and strength to His people. Blessed be God.”


I thought of it. God, terrible? But knowing that God is holy, and there is no unrighteousness in him, I knew something was missing. I thought of the other possible senses in meaning of the word “terrible.” 
 
My mind went back to my time as a college freshman in Ghana. As part of required classes for first year students, I signed up to take philosophy classes, and had to often visit the philosophy department to talk things out with professors or buy booklets ( handouts). The motto of the department was,“The mind a terrible thing to waste.” I didn't quite understand it then, but I think I do now.


Terrible, coming out of the word, terror, which is used to refer to fear as we now know it---as in the war on terror, or it's connection to Al qaeda. But it does also have a positive, and good sense in meaning. This sense means immense power. The immeasurable power of the mind, and how that it should not be wasted. With the mind, men have built airplanes, submarines, gone to the moon, and done some amazing things. That is a terrible thing we all have, and not to be wasted.

In God's case, it means his awesome might, power, and holiness, which sets him apart as God. The Almighty God! 

This is the terrible sense which invokes our fear of Him.
And on this fear, it's not the one that cripples you, like what the devil uses against people, but a clean one, that gives life. In one place in the Bible, it's said, “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence.” And in Psalm 19, it's described as “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.” 

Yet in another place, “The fear of the Lord tends to life, and he that hath it shall abide satisfied, he shall not be visited with evil.” 
 
Think of it. A fear that makes you satisfied, is clean, tends to life, and keeps you from evil is in no way bad, nor evil. We stand in awe of Him, the God who is past finding out, and dwells in unapproachable light. That state and place of being evokes terror, terrible.

Hence the scripture says He is terrible out of His Holy places.

Oh, give us understanding, that we may know You more, o God! 
 
Peace.