Mission Venture Ministries

 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7

Proverbs tells us that the path to wisdom starts with a fear of the Lord. This healthy fear compels us to surrender our life to the Lord. When we surrender to the Lord and ask for forgiveness, He then washes us and we become pure – “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18)

The fear of the Lord is about reverence toward God, respect for Him, love and appreciation, holding God and His beloved Son in high esteem.

The reason many do not take God’s Word seriously is they have no foundation and are not grounded in the Scriptures. They do not realize that “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). As a result of the absence of this kind of fear (respect), when unbelievers read or hear God’s commandments they react indifferently. As the verse so clearly states a fool despises wisdom and instruction, however, faithful service to God and obedience to Christ is rooted in the FEAR OF THE LORD.

Fools do not care how much anyone else knows because they are convinced they know more. They do not seek or appreciate wise counsel because pride prefers its own version of truth. Fools believe other people need instruction, not them. In the Bible, a “fool” is not a mentally deficient individual, but one who rebels against God; who lives as if there were no God, (Psalm 53:1), a vile and corrupt person that is unsaved.

We can avoid foolishness and the mistakes it produces by submitting our lives to godly instruction. Though correction and instruction may not be pleasant experiences, the results are worth the possible embarrassment and worse of all spending an eternity in hell.

The opposite of a fool is a wise person and the dictionary defines “wisdom” as the ability to discern what is true or right. Wisdom is the God-given ability to perceive truth and to implement the will of God through the prompting of the Holy Spirit who resides in each true born again believer.

Wisdom requires a healthy fear of the Lord. We must learn to prefer God’s opinion above our own. We cannot gain wisdom without humility. Why do people scorn wisdom? “Because they hate knowledge and do not choose the fear of the Lord.” (Proverbs 1:29)

If we reject God, we cut ourselves off from our only source of wisdom. We may be wise in our own eyes, but we are extremely foolish if we do not fear the Lord and the consequences of eternity.

Parents need to learn about the fear of the Lord and begin instilling Proverbs 1:7 in their children as soon as possible! 

Moses wrote: “What does the Lord require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 10:12)

As we cast our cares upon Him, we can become fearless as David who wrote while his life was being threatened, “I fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” (Psalm 23:4)

Finally, the fear of God results in answered prayer. “He fulfils the desire of all who fear Him.” (Psalm 145:19)