Why is the fear of the Lord the beginning of Wisdom?
I have been thinking about Proverbs the first few chapters for a while and I realized that it is the truth. I know it is the truth because it is the Word, but it had never actually hit me that it is true, though I always knew it was true. I don’t know if I am making any sense but it is like being taught to do something and going through the motions, though not quite understanding why you’ll be doing it. If you are new at a job and being trained, you are told what and what not to do. Sometimes you don’t always fully understand why you shouldn’t do something until you do it and certain things happen as a consequence of your actions.
Proverbs Chapter 3 talks about why it is for our own good to fear God. There’s benefits to fearing God and trusting in His Word and doing as He would have us to do. The Word is instruction to guide us in every aspect of our lives. It is like those instructions at that new job, some of which might seem tedious or even ridiculous, but there’s a reason for them. It is always better to understand without making a mistake but sometimes we learn best when we make mistakes.
There’s a lot of instructions God has given in His Word which I have found in the past to be inconvenient or that He is too picky about “insignificant things”. I am thankful that I have now begun to understand why He has given these instructions. God does not waste His Word, as is written:
[11] So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11.
His Word accomplishes its purpose in our lives if we allow it to. If we choose Wisdom which is His Word, to abide by it in our lives, we reap the benefits. As tedious, as picky they might seem, as inconvenient, as boring, as ridiculous (might seem to some) even, God’s instructions are there for a reason. When we choose His Word, we choose Wisdom and with it is life, as is written:
[4] He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Proverbs 4:4.
Above all else, God’s desire for us is life. He desires that we have life to the fullest not only now but beyond the present. If we take heed of His Word, His instructions for daily living while we are here, He not only preserves us for the present from the devil’s snares but also prepares us for eternity. This is summarized in these verses:
[10] The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10.
[44] …He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. John 8:44.
There’s a reason why He gives it and it serves a purpose if we are willing to hear and take heed. When we ignore God’s instruction in His Word, we become vulnerable to the devil and his devices to steal, kill or destroy some aspects of our lives, or our very lives, as is written:
[8] Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 1 Peter 5:8.
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