Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (KJV)
Solomon was the wisest king in the Old Testament, and he said that wisdom starts with fear. Have you ever found that strange? What should we be afraid of, and why?
In the opening chapter of Proverbs, Solomon says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7). And later in the book he says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (9:10).
We should treat “the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7) and “the beginning of wisdom” (9:10) as parallel. The knowledge in view is wisdom. And apparently this knowledge for living, this wisdom, is not just something we have innately. Wisdom must be pursued and acquired.
Something must be present for wisdom to be gained. In Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10, Solomon says we must have “the fear of the LORD.” Since that is the beginning of wisdom/knowledge, we must get some clarity on what fearing the Lord means.
One way to think about fear is with the notion of being afraid. People are afraid of all kinds of things. They’re afraid of climbing great heights, speaking in public, choking while eating alone, seeing spiders in the bathtub, and flying in airplanes. Maybe something in that list made you shudder when you read it!
We know that being afraid of certain things is very common to the human experience. So, is Solomon saying we should be afraid of the Lord? Not exactly, even though a true sense of God’s sovereignty and power and righteousness should fill the wicked with genuine dread over their high-handed rebellion and foolishness. If the ungodly love ungodliness and walk in the darkness, they should be afraid of the righteous wrath of God. They should fear the Lord, in that sense. But even that kind of dread might not lead to repentance and life. I have known unbelievers who have professed a fear of hell and yet who cling to their deeds of darkness with clinched fists.
The “fear” Solomon wrote about in Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10 is not about dread. Rather, it’s a kind of fear that believers should have as they follow the Lord, and the Lord never calls his saints to walk in dread of him. In Christ, we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). In Christ, we are not condemned (Rom. 8:1).
The beginning of wisdom is not about living with a fear of condemnation or with an impending dread of something. The “fear of the Lord” is a unique phrase in wisdom contexts that denotes an attitude, a posture, a state of the heart. Words like reverence and honor are clarifying for this “fear.” Possessing a “fear of the Lord” means having an inner reverence and honor for God.
Such an inner posture of reverence toward God is, says Solomon, the beginning of wisdom (Prov. 9:10). Why would that be the case? Because an inner posture of reverence is humble, submissive, and trusting. And if a person is self-exalting, rebellious, and unbelieving, that kind of heart posture won’t lead to wisdom—it is the posture of a fool that leads to foolishness.
When someone reveres the Lord and wants to bring him honor, that attitude and conviction are the opposite of folly. To revere the Lord is to have a true sense of his worth, character, and greatness. Reverence is the heart’s right response to who God is. This reverence—this holy fear—not only corresponds to the truth about who God is, it is also the posture that positions the believer for growth in wisdom. Biblical wisdom is the art of skillful living for the glory of God. Biblical wisdom is the result of glad submission to the Word of God. And the foundation for growing wise is having a certain posture of heart toward God—a posture of holy fear and honor.
Post by Mitch Chase / Substack
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