“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” It’s the theme and motto of the Book of Proverbs. Let’s break it down.
Wisdom. Wisdom is useful knowledge. It is knowing what to say, what to do, and, sometimes, when to do nothing. The model of wisdom in the Bible is King Solomon. Solomon prayed for discernment to govern his nation. The Lord granted Solomon wisdom as great as the sands upon the seashore. Solomon knew about the plants and the animals, he knew about money and commerce, he knew about the human heart. Solomon always knew what to do. He had wisdom.
Fear of the Lord. Fear of the Lord is obedience. It is knowing God’s will and following it. God not only made the Universe, he also made the rules that by which the universe runs. If you want your life to go well, you have to follow God’s rules. To fear God is to obey God.
Beginning. The fear of the Lord is the starting point for a happy, successful life. Your relationship with God is not an add-on. It is the starting point. It is like learning the scales if you want to play a piano concerto. It is like working on your core if you want to do strength training. It is like memorizing the arithmetic tables if you ever want to do calculus. We don’t form our goals, our values, our priorities, and then think about God. We start with God.
In our sermon this Sunday, we begin a ten-week sermon series on the Book of Proverbs called “Wise Up.” We start with Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”