Proverbs to Live By: ‘Fear the Lord’

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” –Proverbs 1:7.  “Then they will call upon Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently but will not find Me.  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of My counsel and despised all of My reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.” –Proverbs 1:28-31 (ESV).

Having examined with awe some of the great “I Am” concepts of Almighty God, we now turn our thoughts for a while to practical living out of the Christian life in what I will call “Proverbs to Live By.”  Of course we could take the book of Proverbs verse-by-verse, because each verse is important and teaches us a practical concept about how to live life.  But in this series, we will instead focus on some of the major themes we need to grasp in seeking to walk close to God.  The theme of the book of Proverbs, according to most scholarly explication of the book, is stated in 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” This is to say that only when a person trusts God will he or she be truly wise.  Hear this companion (negative) declaration:  “The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’”(Psalm 14:1).

The fear Solomon speaks of in Proverbs 1:7 (for he is generally thought to be the author of a major portion of the collection of Proverbs) is not “being afraid of” but standing in reverence and awe before an all-powerful, all-knowing God.  And to have this fear of the Lord lead to knowledge (wisdom) is a goal of most people.  The ancients held wisdom as a pursuit to follow and knowledge as a major goal to seek.  Kings and rulers had a council of “wise” men to advise them.. Even commoners were known to seek after knowledge as best they could pursue it.  Even though their stations in life did not often allow them to attend school and become learned in letters, still they gathered on the periphery of public speeches and debates to absorb as much as they could from hearing wise men speak.  It has been noted of Socrates, the Greek wise man, that he “brought philosophy down from heaven to earth.”  And this same thing can be said of the Proverbs.  They bring the principles of ordering a wise and prudent life down to practical, everyday application.  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” then becomes the theme on which all these important sayings in this body of wisdom literature called Proverbs hinges.  Look at the alternative:  “Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”  Only fools would fail to heed and follow what Proverbs instructs us to do.  

Later on in Proverbs chapter 1 the wise writer tells us what happens if we do not hold the fear of the Lord in our hearts and seek knowledge.  Beginning with Proverbs 1:24,  Solomon begins to enumerate all that will happen if we fail to fear the Lord.  Those who refuse to listen when God calls, who do not take His outstretched hand when it is offered, who have ignored His counsel and reproof, then they will be overcome by calamity and stricken like those caught in a mighty storm or whirlwind.  At such times they will call, but too late.  Why is this?  Why would God turn a deaf ear to their needs during calamity?  Is this not going against “Yahweh Shammah”—“The Lord is there”?  Proverbs 1:29-31 gives us the answer.  It is because, when they could fear God and pursue knowledge they did not; they would have none of His counsel and despised His reproof;  therefore they must suffer the consequences of their own devices.  We are all familiar with our own “proverbs” that teach these truths.  Some of our mountain sayings are “You made your bed; you must lie in it.”  And this one, which is both biblical and a wise adage:  “Whatever you sow, you will also reap.”  Solomon knew there was a way out of defeat, however.  In Proverbs 1:33 he sounds this triumphant note of hope and assurance from God:  But whoever listens to Me will dwell secure and will be at ease without dread of disaster.” Looking back on my long life, I can say with certainty that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”  I can testify that what I have needed to make a life of joy and service have not stemmed from my own efforts first, but from the knowledge of the awe, majesty and leadership of God.  Pray earnestly and make the decision to put God first; then the rest of life will fall into its rightful order.