Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgement. Proverbs 9:10
When reading the Old Testament it can be scary and make us believe God is ready to strike us down at any moment. Let's take the story of Noah for example. The Lord saw that all the earth was corrupt and the human thoughts were evil. This broke God's heart so He said, "I will destroy every living thing". There was only one man who remained blameless in all the earth at that time and this was Noah. Noah walked in close fellowship God and found favor with Him. Now Noah knew what it meant to fear the Lord and since he knew a great flood was coming he built the ark and loaded it exactly as he was instructed.
Now I would like to turn to the book of Exodus. I will take you back to the time when the Lord revealed Himself at Mount Sinai Moses delivered messages between God who was on top of Mount Sinai to the Israelites who were camped around the base of the mountain. The Lord told Moses to prepare the people for His arrival and to be ready on the third day. Moses also had to mark of a boundary all around the mountain and made it clear if anyone touched or crossed the boundary they would die. (Chapter 19:10-12) On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram's horn, and all the people trembled. Then Moses led the people from camp to the foot of the mountain where they would meet God. Mount Sinai was now covered with smoke because the Lord descended on it in the form of fire. (verses 16-18) When the people witnessed this they stood at a distance trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, "You speak to us and we will listen. But don't let God speak directly to us, or we will die!" "Don't be afraid," Moses answered them, "for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning." (chapter 20:18-20)
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowing God is our foundation. As we walk in close fellowship with the Holy One we learn of the way He loves us. God created us to love Him and gave us the longing desire to want to draw near to Him. He designed us to have deep respect, awe, and reverence for Him. When we look up towards God in awe our backs are turned away from the evil things of this world. Fearing God aligns us with His will and gives us direction. Submitting to God helps us to turn from sin.