To help us understand what it really means to fear God, let us reflect on the life of one of those examples, King David of ancient Israel.

5. How did shepherding help to teach David about fearing Jehovah?

⁵ Jehovah rejected Israel’s first king, Saul, for his fear of the people and his lack of godly fear. (1 Samuel 15:24-26) On the other hand, David’s life course and his intimate relationship with Jehovah identify him as a truly God-fearing man. From his early years, David was often out pasturing his father’s sheep. (1 Samuel 16:11) Nights spent shepherding under the stars must have helped David to understand the fear of Jehovah. Though David could discern only a small part of the immensity of the universe, he drew the right conclusion​—God merits our respect and adoration. “When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have prepared,” he later wrote, “what is mortal man that you keep him in mind, and the son of earthling man that you take care of him?”​—Psalm 8:3, 4.

6. How did perceiving Jehovah’s greatness make David feel?

⁶ Rightly, David was impressed when he compared his smallness with the vast starry heavens. Rather than frightening him, this knowledge moved him to praise Jehovah and say: “The heavens are declaring the glory of God; and of the work of his hands the expanse is telling.” (Psalm 19:1) This reverence for God drew David closer to Jehovah and made David want to learn and follow His perfect ways. Imagine how David felt when he sang to Jehovah: “You are great and are doing wondrous things; you are God, you alone. Instruct me, O Jehovah, about your way. I shall walk in your truth. Unify my heart to fear your name.”​—Psalm 86:10, 11.

7. How did fearing God help David fight Goliath?

⁷ When the Philistines invaded the land of Israel, their nine-and-a-half-foot-tall champion, Goliath, taunted the Israelites, saying in effect: ‘Put up a man to fight me one-on-one! If he wins, we will serve you.’ (1 Samuel 17:4-10) Saul and his entire army were terrified​—but not David. He knew that Jehovah was the one to be feared, not any man, no matter how powerful. “I am coming to you with the name of Jehovah of armies,” David told Goliath, “and all this congregation will know that neither with sword nor with spear does Jehovah save, because to Jehovah belongs the battle.” With his sling and a single stone​—and with Jehovah’s help—​David struck down the giant.​—1 Samuel 17:45-47.

8. What do Bible examples of God-fearing ones teach us?

⁸ We may be facing obstacles or enemies no less daunting than those confronted by David. What can we do? We can deal with them in the same way that David and other faithful ones of old did​—with godly fear. The fear of God can overpower the fear of man. God’s faithful servant Nehemiah urged his fellow Israelites, who were under pressure from opposers: “Do not be afraid on their account. Jehovah the great and the fear-inspiring One keep in your mind.” (Nehemiah 4:14) With Jehovah’s backing, David, Nehemiah, and other faithful servants of God succeeded in carrying out their God-given assignments. With godly fear, so can we.

Facing Problems With Godly Fear

9. Under what circumstances did David display fear of God?

⁹ After David slew Goliath, Jehovah gave him more victories. Jealous Saul, however, attempted​—first impulsively, then cunningly, and finally with an army—​to kill David. Although Jehovah had assured David that he would be king, for years David had to flee, to fight, and to wait for Jehovah’s time to make him king. Through all of this, David showed that he feared the true God.​—1 Samuel 18:9, 11, 17; 24:2.

10. How did David show fear of God in the face of danger?

¹⁰ On one occasion, David sought refuge with Achish, king of the Philistine city of Gath, the home of Goliath. (1 Samuel 21:10-15) The king’s servants denounced David as an enemy of their nation. How did David react in that dangerous situation? He poured out his heart in prayer to Jehovah. (Psalm 56:1-4, 11-13) Although he had to feign insanity to get away, David knew that it was really Jehovah who had delivered him by blessing his efforts. David’s wholehearted reliance on Jehovah and confidence in him showed that David was truly God-fearing.​—Psalm 34:4-6, 9-11.

11. How can we show godly fear under trial, as David did?

¹¹ Like David, we can show fear of God by trusting in his promise to help us cope with our problems. “Roll upon Jehovah your way, and rely upon him, and he himself will act,” said David. (Psalm 37:5) This does not mean that we simply hand our problems over to Jehovah without doing what we can about them and expect him to act in our behalf. David did not pray to God for help and then leave matters at that. He used the physical and intellectual abilities that Jehovah granted him and tackled the problem at hand. Yet, David knew that human efforts alone could not be counted on for success. So it should be with us. Having done everything within our power, we must leave the rest to Jehovah. In fact, often there is nothing we can do but rely on Jehovah. This is where the fear of God comes into the picture in a very personal way. We can take comfort in David’s heartfelt expression: “The intimacy with Jehovah belongs to those fearful of him.”​—Psalm 25:14.

12. Why do we need to take our prayers seriously, and what attitude should we never have?

¹² We, therefore, should take our prayers and our relationship with God seriously. When we approach Jehovah, we must “believe that he is and that he becomes the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him.” (Hebrews 11:6; James 1:5-8) And when he helps us, we should ‘show ourselves thankful,’ as the apostle Paul counseled us. (Colossians 3:15, 17) We must never be like those described by an experienced anointed Christian: “They think of God as a sort of celestial waiter,” he said. “When they need something, they want to snap their fingers and have him come. And when they’ve got what they want, they would like him to go away.” Such an attitude betrays a lack of godly fear.

When Fear of God Lapsed

13. When did David fail to show respect for God’s Law?

¹³ Experiencing Jehovah’s help during distress deepened David’s fear of God and strengthened his confidence in him. (Psalm 31:22-24) On three notable occasions, however, David’s fear of God lapsed, which led to serious consequences. The first involved his arranging for the ark of Jehovah’s covenant to be transported to Jerusalem on a wagon rather than on the shoulders of the Levites, as God’s Law directed. When Uzzah, who was leading the wagon, grabbed hold of the Ark to steady it, he died on the spot for his “irreverent act.” Yes, Uzzah sinned seriously, yet ultimately, it was David’s failure to maintain proper respect for God’s Law that brought about that tragic outcome. Fearing God means doing things according to his arrangement.​—2 Samuel 6:2-9; Numbers 4:15; 7:9.

14. What resulted from David’s counting of Israel?

¹⁴ Later, incited by Satan, David took a count of Israel’s fighting men. (1 Chronicles 21:1) In so doing, David showed a lapse in the fear of God, resulting in the death of 70,000 Israelites. Although David repented before Jehovah, he and those around him suffered greatly.​—2 Samuel 24:1-16.

15. What caused David to fall into sexual sin?

¹⁵ Another temporary lapse in the fear of God led David into an immoral relationship with Bath-sheba, the wife of Uriah. David knew that adultery or even desiring another’s mate was wrong. (Exodus 20:14, 17) The problem began when David caught sight of Bath-sheba while she was bathing. Proper fear of God should immediately have moved David to turn his eyes and his thoughts elsewhere. Instead, David evidently ‘kept on looking’ at her until passion overpowered his fear of God. (Matthew 5:28; 2 Samuel 11:1-4) David lost sight of Jehovah’s intimate involvement in his life.​—Psalm 139:1-7.

16. What consequences did David suffer for his wrongdoing?

¹⁶ David’s liaison with Bath-sheba produced a son. Shortly afterward, Jehovah sent his prophet Nathan to expose David’s sin. Brought to his senses, David recovered his fear of God and repented. He begged Jehovah not to cast him off or to remove His holy spirit from him. (Psalm 51:7, 11) Jehovah forgave David and lightened the punishment, but He did not shield David from all the bad consequences of his actions. David’s son died, and heartache and tragedy beset his family from then on. What a price to pay for a lapse in the fear of God!​—2 Samuel 12:10-14; 13:10-14; 15:14.

Regaining Lost Happiness

3. What helped David to recover from his sins?

³ As considered in the preceding article, David on three notable occasions failed to show proper godly fear and sinned. However, his response to Jehovah’s discipline showed that he was essentially a God-fearing person. His reverence and respect for God moved him to admit his guilt, correct his course, and reestablish a good relationship with Jehovah. Although his errors brought suffering on him and others, his genuine repentance won Jehovah’s continued support and blessing. David’s example can surely instill courage in Christians today who may fall into serious sin.

To Suffer Rather Than Sin

5, 6. Explain how and why David twice spared Saul’s life.

⁵ It is much better, of course, when the fear of God helps one to avoid sinning in the first place. This proved true of David. Once, pursuing David with three thousand troops, Saul entered a cave​—the very cave where David and his men were hiding. David’s men urged him to strike Saul. Was not Jehovah giving David’s mortal enemy into his hand? Silently, David crept up to Saul and cut off the skirt of his garment. Because David feared God, even that relatively harmless act tormented his conscience. David dispersed his agitated men, saying: “It is unthinkable, on my part, from Jehovah’s standpoint, that I should do this thing to my lord, the anointed of Jehovah.”b​—1 Samuel 24:1-7.

⁶ On a later occasion, Saul was encamped for the night, and he and all his men fell into “a deep sleep from Jehovah.” David and his bold nephew Abishai slipped into the very middle of the camp and stood right over the sleeping Saul. Abishai wanted to do away with him once and for all. David restrained Abishai, asking: “Who is it that has thrust his hand out against the anointed of Jehovah and has remained innocent?”​—1 Samuel 26:9, 12.

7. What held David back from sinning?

⁷ Why did David not strike Saul down when he twice had the opportunity? Because he feared Jehovah more than he feared Saul. Out of proper fear of God, David was prepared to suffer, if necessary, rather than sin. (Hebrews 11:25) He had complete confidence in Jehovah’s care for His people and for him personally. David knew that obeying and trusting in God would bring happiness and many blessings, while ignoring God would earn him God’s disfavor. (Psalm 65:4) He also knew that God would fulfill His promise to make David king and would remove Saul in His own time and way.​—1 Samuel 26:10.

‘Strengthen Yourself by Jehovah’

12. How did the fear of God strengthen David?

¹² David’s fear of Jehovah did more than just restrain him from doing wrong. It strengthened him to act decisively and wisely under difficult circumstances. For a year and four months, David and his men took refuge from Saul at Ziklag in the Philistine countryside. (1 Samuel 27:5-7) Once while the men were away, marauding Amalekites burned the city and carried off all the men’s wives, children, and flocks. Upon returning and seeing what had happened, David and his men wept. Grief quickly turned to bitterness, and David’s men spoke of stoning him. Though distressed, David did not despair. (Proverbs 24:10) His fear of God moved him to turn to Jehovah, and he “took to strengthening himself by Jehovah.” With God’s help, David and his men overtook the Amalekites and recovered everything.​—1 Samuel 30:1-20.

A Precious Heritage

15. What did David want to pass on to his children, and how did he do so?

¹⁵ “Come, you sons, listen to me,” wrote David. “The fear of Jehovah is what I shall teach you.” (Psalm 34:11) As a father, David was intent on passing on to his children a precious heritage​—the genuine, balanced, wholesome fear of Jehovah. By words and by deeds, David portrayed Jehovah, not as a demanding and fearsome God, ready to pounce on any infraction of His laws, but as a loving, caring, and forgiving Father of His earthly children. “Missteps who can keep track of?” asked David. Then, indicating his confidence that Jehovah is not constantly scrutinizing our errors, he added: “Hold me clear of unnoticed things!” David was sure that if he put forth his best effort, his words and thoughts could be acceptable to Jehovah.​—Psalm 19:12, 14, Byington.

18. What will we gain by fearing the true God?

¹⁸ Among “the last words of David,” we read: “When one ruling over mankind is righteous, ruling in the fear of God, then it is as the light of morning, when the sun shines forth.” (2 Samuel 23:1, 3, 4) Solomon, David’s son and successor, apparently got the point, for he requested that Jehovah grant him “an obedient heart” and the ability “to discern between good and bad.” (1 Kings 3:9) Solomon recognized that to fear Jehovah is the course of wisdom and happiness. Later, he summarized the book of Ecclesiastes with the words: “The conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is: Fear the true God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole obligation of man. For the true God himself will bring every sort of work into the judgment in relation to every hidden thing, as to whether it is good or bad.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14) If we heed that counsel, we will indeed find that “the result of humility and the fear of Jehovah” is not only wisdom and happiness but also “riches and glory and life.”​—Proverbs 22:4.