"Fear Factor"
Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:7 NLT)
Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. (Proverbs 3:7 NLT)
Who doesn't love the Proverbs?! What area of life is not thoroughly covered with small phrases of wisdom? The Proverbs teach us about fearing the Lord, gaining insight, acquiring wisdom, our speech, our hearts, sin, love, our neighbor, correction, avoiding the wrong crowd, avoiding lustful sin, & the list goes on & on. We could spend a lifetime in the Proverbs & still not soak up all there is for us there. This is why many people read a Proverb a day every month & therefore read through the book once a month & 12 times a year. Trying to pick one passage or verse in the first four chapters is a huge challenge. But these verses in 1:7 & 3:7 speak to the foundation of the Proverbs & their importance must be grasped to understand the whole of the Proverbs.
If one is to really have wisdom, he must fear the Lord! The two are undeniably linked. Can this be so? Does this mean that every person who does not fear the Lord does not possess true wisdom? Yes! It doesn't mean they don't do or say or live some wise truths but apart from the Lord wisdom is ever allusive, even impossible. If we are to be wise & soak up the wisdom from this book we must ensure we fear the Lord. We must ensure we trust in him above ourselves. We must make sure we lean on him & not on our own understanding. To fear the Lord & seek wisdom from him means that we look to him for how to think, live, & speak in all things.
This begs the question, how often does the fear of the Lord affect our family? Our job? Our relationships? Our decisions? Our finances? If we don't fear the Lord, can we be certain that these areas will be guided by wisdom? I don't think so. Apart from a relationship with God through Christ, we cannot know what true wisdom is. This is further confirmed in the New Testament verses of Colossians 2:2-3. "I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God's mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2, 3 NLT)
In Christ, all of the treasures of wisdoms & knowledge are found. Want to be wise? Know Jesus! Want to be a good father? Know Jesus! Want to be a good employee/employer? Know Jesus! Want to be a good friend? Know Jesus!
The key to wisdom in all of life is the fear of the Lord in his Son Jesus. How well do we know him? That will indicate the potential we have to walk in wisdom!
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