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Answer
Proverbs 9:10 states, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Essentially, this verse conveys that a deep respect for God is fundamental to genuine wisdom; all other forms of knowledge are insignificant unless they are based on an understanding of the Lord Himself. Various other scriptures discuss the fear of the Lord (e.g., Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 14:27; Proverbs 15:33). Before we can comprehend how the fear of the Lord leads to wisdom, we must clarify what the Bible means by “fear” in this context.
In the Bible, the term translated as “fear” can have various meanings. It can indicate the dread one experiences in a terrifying situation «This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee. », (Deuteronomy 2:25). It can also signify “respect” in the sense of a servant fearing his master and serving him faithfully «Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. », (Joshua 24:14). Fear can also represent the reverence or awe a person feels in the presence of greatness «Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of uncLean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” , (Isaiah 6:5). The fear of the Lord is a combination of all of these.
Fear of the Lord can be defined as “the continual awareness that our loving heavenly Father is watching and evaluating everything we think, say, and do” (Matthew 12:36; Psalm 139:2; Jeremiah 12:3). As Jesus told each of the seven churches in Revelation 2—3, “I know your works.” Nothing escapes His attention.
In order to develop the fear of the Lord, we must recognize God for who He is. We must glimpse with our spirits the power, might, beauty, and brilliance of the Lord God Almighty (Revelation 11:17; Hosea 12:5; Isaiah 6:1-5). Those who fear the Lord have a continual awareness of Him, a deep reverence for Him, and sincere commitment to obey Him.
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” This verse gives us some added insight with its antithetical parallelism—there is a sharp contrast between the wise life and the foolish life. A wise person fears/reverences/obeys the Lord; a fool despises God’s instruction and cannot be told what to do. The wise person is wise because he has started at the starting place; the fool has no foundation on which to build wisdom.
Romans 1:21—22 speaks of those who “neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.” This is a description of people who try to obtain wisdom while ignoring God—it cannot be done for the simple reason that God is the source of wisdom.
The link between the fear of God aAnd wisdom mean we cannot possess wisdom if we recreate God in our image. Too many people want to “tame” God into a non-threatening nobody. But, if we redefine the Lord as a god that makes us feel comfortable, a permissive “buddy” who exists simply to bless us and give us what we want, we will not fear Him in the way He deserves to be feared. The Lord God Almighty is far greater than that, and the fear of the Lord begins when we see Him in His majesty and power (Revelation 4:11;Job 42:1-2). The Lord shows Job (and us) a glimpse of His power in Job 38—41 when He describes His absolute sovereignty over everything.
When the reality of God’s true nature has caused us to fall down in worship, we are then in the right position to gain wisdom. Wisdom is merely seeing life from God’s perspective and responding accordingly. Wisdom is a priority, and we are told to seek it above all else (Proverbs 3:13;Proverbs 16:16). Proverbs is known as the wisdom book, and the entire second chapter gives a detailed explanation of the value of gaining wisdom.
Until our hearts are in a right relationship with God, we are unable to have the “wisdom that comes from heaven” «But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. », (James 3:17). Without the fear of the Lord, we may gain knowledge of earthly things and make some practical choices for this life, but we are missing the one ingredient that defines a wise person (Psalm 14:1;Exodus 20:3;Exodus 34:14;Jeremiah 25:6;Matthew 22:37). InThe parable of the rich farmer illustrates how the rich man had a “wise” and practical plan for his profits. However, God rebuked him, saying, “You fool!” because the farmer’s plans were made without considering God and eternity (Luke 12:16-21).
When we lack the fear of the Lord, our final decisions are based on our flawed human understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). By integrating the fear of the Lord into every aspect of our lives, we make decisions seeking His approval. We live knowing that the Creator of the universe is intricately involved in all our actions. He observes, understands, and assesses all our choices, and we are accountable to Him (Psalm 139:1-4).
Our reverence for God’s majesty leads us to honor Him, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2). Our thankfulness for His mercy motivates us to serve Him faithfully (Psalm 2:11; Psalm 107:15). Recognizing that our loving God is also a God of wrath instills enough fear to steer us away from evil (Romans 1:18; Proverbs 8:13). Sin is foolish, while righteousness is wise. Living righteously sets us on the path to wisdom, benefiting everyone in our lives (Proverbs 13:20; Proverbs 19:8).
