The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
There are requisites to many advantages in life. Education is needed for certain positions. Many types of employment require experience. And so it is with wisdom – to really qualify as a wise person there is a basic requisite – the fear of God! Sounds ominous doesn’t it? And what does it mean to fear God, you ask? Get out your Bibles and together we will look at what the Scriptures say about fearing God.
Just
as love is indispensable to an effective life (I Corinthians 13:1) and
faith is indispensable to a
God-pleasing life (Hebrews 11:6) so
the fear of God is
indispensable to a truly wise and knowledgeable life (Proverbs 1:7).
The
fear of God is fear in a healthy sense - not a frightening kind of fear
but one that recognizes the awesomeness and power of God. (A fear of fire is healthy. We know what it can do so we respect its
power while enjoying its benefits!) One
of the names for God is YHWH and fear of YHWH, the self-existent One who
reveals Himself, should result in a reverence and respect that leads to submission
and worship from the heart.
A
fear of God is not an elementary stage that we pass through in our lives to get
to a higher plateau of living. This is
a character development that comes as a result of knowing and understanding who
God is and what He is like. The fear of
God in a person’s life is the heart and life blood of wisdom and true
knowledge. It controls our outlook on
life (Jeremiah 9:23, 24).
To
fear or reverence God we need to understand the character of God (YHWH). The
fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One
is understanding (Prov. 9:10). Because God is holy He is separate from all
that is unclean, evil and wrong. He is
absolutely pure, perfect and right (I
John 1:5). The holiness of God is the over-ruling attribute of God. His holiness pervades all His other
attributes and is consistent with all that He is.
As
a holy God He hates sin. It is contrary
to His nature. In Proverbs 6:16-19 we
see seven things that are an abomination to God because they are the opposite
of what God is like.
• Haughty eyes
(or pride). A proud man is competing
with God. “I don’t need God,” he says.
• A lying
tongue (17b) and a false witness (19a) – these are in stark contrast to God’s
truth.
• Hands that
shed innocent blood – a contrast to God’s justice.
• A heart that
devises wicked plans (18a) and feet that run rapidly to evil (18b) in contrast
to the goodness of God.
• One who
spreads strife among the brethren – God is love.
And
how about us? What should our attitude
be toward sin? As believers our
attitudes should be the same as God’s (Proverbs 3:7. 8:13, 16:6; Job 28:28;
Romans 6:1-2; II Timothy 2:19).
Bottom
Line: God is love. There is no question about that. But too often we forget that God is also
holy and because of His holiness, He cannot tolerate sin. In His great love for us He sent His Son,
Jesus, to pay the penalty for our sin (John 3:16) so that, if we accept that
forgiveness, we will live eternally with Him in Heaven. However, because He is holy He will
judge and condemn those who reject the salvation He so freely offers. How about you? Will you one day stand before God, forgiven and accepted because
of what Jesus Christ did for you, or will you stand in judgment before a holy
and just God?
Love
to you all,