Don't Be Afraid, Just Fear God

I read a strange verse today. In, Exodus 20:20, right after the giving of the Ten Commandments, during which God descended on Mount Sinai in a terrifying way, we read, "Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.'"

Don't be afraid. God came so that you would fear Him. It doesn't seem to make sense. But God had come so that they would know that He is real and that He is so powerful and glorious that they would be utterly foolish to rebel against Him. If God could make that mountain shake, what could he do to a person!

But because this is who God is and what He is like, and because He loves those Israelites, He showed them something of His power and glory, so that they would know that they need to take Him and His commands seriously - by not disobeying them. If God had not shown them that they needed to take Him seriously, they would have had a reason to be afraid.

So how do we interpret "Don't be afraid. Fear God." I think it means, "Don't be afraid of what you are seeing. You are only seeing it so that you know who it is that is giving you commands. You need to take Him seriously. Understand that He could and would destroy you if you rebel against Him. But you don't need to be afraid as long as you obey Him. If you choose to disobey, then you'll have a reason to be afraid."