Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, / But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

June 5th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

In the school of wisdom, the first lesson we must learn is “the fear of the LORD.” Proverbs 1:7 is the key to the Book of Proverbs, and tells us that knowledge begins by developing a proper view of God. Fear of the Lord does not mean to be afraid of Him but does mean to have more than respect for Him. If we desire to learn both wisdom and knowledge, we must start by placing God in the highest position of reverence possible in our hearts and minds. We are literally to be humbled and awe struck by His presence. When we grasp the fear of the Lord, we grasp that we are the creation: His servants and His children; and that He is the Creator: our Master and our Father.

In Exodus 20:20, “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.'” The fear of the Lord is something that God wants from us for our own good. It seems fewer and fewer people today are willing to start with the fear of God in their pursuit of wisdom and knowledge. No doubt because really understanding the fear of the Lord requires that we first surrendering our lives to God. Scripture calls those who refuse to first go to God, fools. That does not mean they are deficient in IQ, many brilliant people down through the ages have refused to surrender to God. But it does mean that they will never achieve peace and salvation in this life or in eternity. As Jesus said, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul” (Mark 8:36).

At first reading, Proverbs seems rather complicated, but it is giving insights and wisdom on life, which is itself often complicated. C. S. Lewis said that if you ask a child to describe a table in their home to you, they will probably say it is brown and that meals are served on it. But if you ask a physicist to describe that same table, he will speak of the subatomic structure of its molecules, its density, and many other facts only recently discovered and not yet completely understood. Which person is correct? Both are. Truth for life is often more complicated than we would like, because there will be times when the surface answer will not be sufficient enough for successful living. However, Father God has both complete truth and the perfect solution for every one of life’s problems today. We must simply start with Him.

“LORD, we chose to start and finish this day with You because You alone can see everything coming at us and give us the wisdom to handle it.”