The Shakened Life Is The Blessed Life (Heb.12:27; 1Thess.3:3; 2Thess.2:2)

The *fear of the LORD is *the span of a life *filled with satisfaction and *rest of which is *not towards him who is *appointed for *evil. (MAST)

*[The fear of the LORD] The blessing (of this life) that follows our current proverb hinges on the “wisdom” we have gained through the corrections of (this) life that come to us through the “knowledge” of God (Prov.1:7;2:5;9:10;Ps.111:10). There is a wisdom that comes to us apart from the knowledge of God in which all men are blessed with an (earthly) inheritance (Heb.12:7-8), but he who fears, literally, Yahwah will inherit the knowledge of the Holy One which removes the knowledge of evil in the sight of God (Heb.12:3-11).

*[the span of a life] literally, a lifetime. This noun is in the plural of the joy that is produced after a harvest. Therefore it is referring to the process of sanctification in a life that is being disciplined by God. It could also be translated, “The fear of the Lord is in the joys of life.” In other words, learning under the hard labor of the sin-cursed world to fear sinning against our Heavenly Father produces a unique joy [in God] that the world cannot know apart from learning at His table (Jn.14:17;Lk.10:38-42).

*[filled with satisfaction] literally, full of satisfaction, but with the preposition, towards, and the conjunction, with, it’s like a continuous verb of a general (generic) life that is towards godliness. So it’s not referring to any “particular” man but to any man who pursues the “fear of the Lord.” It’s not referring to “a king” or a “tribal leader” like some kind of CEO of a business but to any man in general that pursues to hide [his] life in the glory of God.

*[and rest] literally, to spend the night. The idea or intention is a good night’s sleep, a restful lodging. The thought carries further into the progression of this “lifespan” as a pilgrimage in a fallen world that is dark and devoid of true light. Picture a winter lodge in Tromso, Norway where the sun doesn’t rise for three months out of the year. It is in the midst of this dark depression which chokes the surrounding world that those who fear the Lord find life and peace in the knowledge of His grace (2Pet.3:18). But it is only temporary in material terms, for this joy and satisfaction comes not by a physical or material table but a spiritual one (Matt.11:28;Rom.14:17). We should take “particular” note that the verb is in the Qal form, which is contrary to the other forms, in terms of definition; for the opposing action of this pilgrimage is to lodge (in complaint); or, to grumble under this lodging.

*[of which is not towards him] literally, a negation. But, genitive of the following verb, and in conjunction to the previous verb, it negates the Qal form of this restful action to the Nifal stem of the opposing thought of the traveler in this lodge; for the one who grumbles and complains is the “reflexive” of the one who is satisfied and content.

*[who is appointed] literally, handed over in the imperfect action of the verb. It’s best understood in the past-tense regarding the fall of all mankind. These are those left under the corruption of sin appointed in Adam’s fall. But again, because it’s third person, it’s the general or generic reflexive conjunction to “the span of a life.” This describes a man who grumbles and complains all through life without calling out to God in fear for his sinful soul. It describes a self-righteous person who “feels” he doesn’t deserve the hand he was dealt in life under the sovereignty of God. It is a “particular” kind of individual who God looks upon as evil in the knowledge of sin (Gen.3:22;2Cor.5:21;Lk.11:13). Again, in the Nifal stem, it is reflexive of the one who fears the Lord. This kind of person is appointed to the evil that is in the world and the consequences that come along-side it. The grumbler is contrasted with the one whose lifespan is filled with thanksgiving “to Yahwah” alone. The joy of the “sanctified” man doesn’t come from his own self-image and “individual” labors but from the “discipline” of God which steers him towards godliness.

*[for evil] literally, reprobation. He is made of small worth and is to be contemptible not only in the eyes of the righteous but in the eyes of all evil. He is the scum of all the earth. In his complaint he corrupts the earth and is to be observed like the serpent who is less than dirt (Gen.3:14-15,19-20;Ps.22:6).