First sentence: It’s one of the first words we enjoy. As children, we loved to leap out on our friends and shout it. But at the same time, we were scared of the dark and the monsters under the bed. We were both fascinated and repelled by our fears. And not much changes when we grow up: adults love scary movies and thrills that bring us face-to-face with our worst fears.
In December, I read a wonderful little book called What Does It Mean to Fear the Lord? by Michael Reeves. That book mentioned it was a concise/condensed version of a longer book. Rejoice and Tremble is that longer book.
Both books are about the fear of the Lord; both books are about clarifying what it means to fear the Lord. Both books make a distinction between good and beneficial fear AND a sinful, natural fear that does not lead to salvation, repentance, and service.
So which book is the best fit for you? Rejoice and Tremble has more quotes, notes, and footnotes. You know how on math tests--or old school math tests at the very least--teachers always stressed the importance of showing your work. It wasn't just the answer they wanted--a number--they wanted to see how you got that number. This book does a lot of showing. Both books, if I remember rightly, DO use scripture first and foremost. But Rejoice and Tremble adds more secondary sources--quotes from theologians past and present. And often these quotes are several paragraphs long. All quotes are relevant to the topic--the fear of the Lord--but they aren't exactly concise. Secondary quotes in What Does It Mean to Fear the Lord are definitely shortened and more straight to the point.
I personally preferred the shorter book. I didn't regret reading the longer book. If I had not already read the shorter book, I probably would have LOVED this one. Because the truth is both books are insightful and relevant. The shorter book is about 80 pages in length. The longer book is about 190 pages.
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