Healthy Fear, Overwhelming Praise
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Pr. 1:7, ESV).
Many of us have heard this verse before. Maybe, you saw it in a Hobby Lobby, or on the wall of your small group leader’s residence. However, do we really understand what this means? How is fear the beginning of knowledge? Sometimes, the most quoted pieces of wisdom become the most overlooked and taken for granted.
Some churchgoers explain “the fear of the LORD” as essentially synonymous to “reverence” or “honor.” While fear does infer an element of both reverence and honor, we must not try to explain away a “discomforting” truth in our assessment. There is a reality of fear that mankind should possess when approaching the Sovereign God, the Lord of Hosts. In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” (Rom. 1:18). For all those who practice evil, God will bring judgment; they have every reason to fear. Does that mean the believer should fear God? Paul also writes in Romans that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). We deserve the same fate as everyone else; however, we know that “there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). Jesus makes the difference for the believer’s future. Because of the work of Jesus in our lives, we can express along with Paul: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39).
We find salvation from the fate we deserve based on Jesus’ work, not our own. We must still remember the power, majesty, holiness, and justice of our God, even as believers. Yes, there is a healthy fear of and for God that we should have. Yet, we like Paul can have assurance of our salvation from the fate we deserve. In a biblically informed fear, we realize the true depths and reaches of the grace of God extended to us. This “fear of the Lord” should be our posture, one that those who know God should understand and hold better than anyone else. The Lord that punishes evil has graciously offered deliverance from our wickedness by His own work.
This posture to God orients us to true knowledge. Without a real understanding of the God who has saved us, we will not look at the world around us, the people around us, the issues we face, or anything at all with proper understanding. Friends, “the fear of the Lord” really is the beginning of knowledge. A proper view of God is the foundation for a proper view of everything else.
Do not be a fool who despises wisdom and instruction. How can we avoid being foolish? We can develop a proper view of our God. From this foundation, we can walk through life and actually gain accurate knowledge of everything and everyone around us. Let our disposition to God in both healthy fear and overwhelming praise create in us a heart ready to learn and know.