The Fear of the Lord - the Beginning of Wisdom

Proverbs 9:10 ESV-r  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

What is a proverb?  A dictionary defines a proverb as a “concise and expressive saying, stating a general truth or a piece of advice".

We all need these truths and pieces of advice, don’t we?

There are many sources of these truths or advice today.  And though people today do not necessarily call them “proverbs”, they are nuggets of “truth” and advice that people read, believe and use as a compass for how they live and decide on things.  They usually come from men and women successful in their own right – in business, everyday life, family matters, relationships, etc.  We see them all over social media.  And many Christians fall prey to them, not realizing they are following a wrong path.

There is a book of the Bible that is called “Proverbs”, written by a man who prayed for wisdom.

But what is it that makes these proverbs of Solomon so essential to believers today?

Look what the first chapter proclaims:

Proverbs 1:7 ESV-r  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Look at what Solomon writes in the 9^th chapter:

Proverbs 9:10 ESV-r  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

And look how the whole book ends:

Proverbs 31:30 ESV-r  Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

The proverbs written in this book are all founded on one thing – the fear of the Lord.  It came from a man who prayed for wisdom.  It was written by someone who walked and ruled their nation with wisdom.  And they are all written with one specific goal – that his sons would also walk in this wisdom.

And the book is all founded in THE FEAR OF THE LORD.

The “truth” and advice of the world is all about what we can get for our own benefit.  They are teachings and advice given for success, prosperity, personal gain and self-preservation.  This is what makes the “truths” and advice they give very attractive.  And unknowingly many Christians fall into the trap of following them, without seeking what is truly essential for us.  So many so called Christians have practically set aside God’s Word, leaving it to pastors to use for sermons, not seeing the practical and wise application it has to the Christian life.  

Life today is just all about what is good and beneficial for people, it's what they live for.  But for Christians it’s not about what is right and good for us, or what is beneficial and profitable for us - It’s about what is right and good for God.  And this is what moves us to fear God.  Pleasing Him, glorifying Him, living according to His righteousness, become the very desires of our hearts.  It is this fear of God that serves as the foundation of what we believe is right and good for us.  And the source of these truths come from Scripture.  The book of Proverbs is just one of the sources of these truths of life, truths found in the whole counsel of Scripture.

What a blessing it would be if we made these proverbs a daily habit.  We have 31 chapters, one for each day, to read and meditate upon, trusting God for the strength to apply them in our life.  

But we mustn't forget that without the fear of God, they will Without this foundation, the book will amount to nothing for us.  Actually, the whole Bible, God’s Word, will mean nothing without the fear of God in our heart.

And if our desire is to walk in the fear of God, we have a treasury of sayings, teachings and practical understandings of life found in the book of Proverbs that will guide us day by day.  And it's not just in the book of Proverbs, but in every book of the Bible, as they reveal to us who our God is and what His will is.

 Psalms 1:1-3 ESV-r  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;  (2)  but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.  (3)  He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

 John 6:68-69 ESV-r  Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,  (69)  and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

May the very desire of our heart be to walk in the fear of God.  And may the source of truth and advice to live this life be God and His Word.  We have it not just in the book of Proverbs, but in the whole counsel of Scripture.