The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom 543 - 6 - 3

Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” This is not fear in the usual sense rather it is having a right relationship with God, of being absolutely in awe of God, holding him in complete respect and being obedient to His will.  

As for the fear of God being measurable, Proverbs 9:11, For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.” I’ve passed the Biblical three score and 10 and given my present state of health, I’ll live many more years.

However, Proverbs 9:12, “If you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.” It is to my advantage to be wise, however, if I chose to scoff, my bad and I will bear it alone.

Psalm 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.” Holding the Lord in reverence is a start towards wisdom. Obedience brings more light from God, another measurement.

Proverbs is rich with admonitions. Proverbs 2:5, “Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

There are many verses in the book of Proverbs that refer to the fear of the Lord including 2:5, 3:7, 9:10, 10:27, 14:26 and more.

Job 28:28, “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”

From an earlier post, “Yes, our God is a consuming fire. He was the fire in the burning brush, the pillar of fire that kept the Egyptians at bay while the chosen people crossed the Red Sea parted by His breath, whose finger burnt the 10 Commandments into stone, was and is the Shekinah Glory that filled the temple, and so much more. God gives Job a lesson in the awesomeness of the Almighty’s power Starting in chapter 38.”

The justice of our righteous God often results in judgment. Ultimately, all will be judged; some at the Bema Seat judgment and some of the White throne judgment. Philippians 2:10, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." Therein lies the final measurement. As for me, I’m a work in progress.

Did you say “the fear of the Lord"? 514 - 4 - 8

My original intention was to respond to DQ#6, “the fear of the Lord.” In my rather convoluted way of thinking this DQ brought to mind the famous sermon by the fire and brimstone preacher from the 1700s Jonathan Edwards; “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” In today’s Church of the Laodiceans, this sermon would likely be considered unacceptable and certainly not PC.

I've listened to this very visual sermon which is more than 40 minutes in length. It should “Put the fear of the Lord” into anyone hearing it. Rev. Edwards reminds us that we are held by a fine thread above Hell. Only the hand of God holds us securely if it is His desire. Just this one paragraph gives the favor of his sermon.

“The devil stands ready to fall upon them, and seize them as his own, at what moment God shall permit him. They belong to him; he has their souls in his possession, and under his dominion. The scripture represents them as his goods, Luke 11:12. The devils watch them; they are ever by them at their right hand; they stand waiting for them, like greedy hungry lions that see their prey, and expect to have it, but are for the present kept back. If God should withdraw his hand, by which they are restrained, they would in one moment fly upon their poor souls. The old serpent is gaping for them; hell opens its mouth wide to receive them; and if God should permit it, they would be hastily swallowed up and lost.”

Also when considering the expression "the fear of the Lord" two other terms come to mind, “The Day is Near” and “The Day of the Lord.” Throughout the Old Testament warnings of this day is given by a number of the prophets including Mican, Amos, Jeremiah. Often the prophecies were for the latter days. It would seem that we are definitely in those latter days when there seems to be little to no fear of the Lord. While our awesome God is a loving God he is also a righteous God.

Chapter one of Zephaniah told of a Judgment on the whole earth in the Day of the Lord. Zephaniah 1:14, “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Ezekiel 7:7, “The morning is come unto thee, O thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains.”

The book of Proverbs has numerous verses that refer to the fear of the Lord including Proverbs 2:5, 3:7, 9:10, 10:27, 14:26 and several more.

There are warnings of coming judgment in the Books of Isaiah, Joel, Ezekiel, Job and more. For those of us who have ears to hear, it is certainly time to be in fear of our righteous God and to share that fear with unbelievers. For some reason God has put it on my heart to be like the man standing on the corner carrying the sign that says “Repent the end is near.”

List five characteristics of wisdom. Who is the wisest person you know? Why? 516 - 3 - 1

After struggling with answering the first part of this question. I realize that I lack wisdom when it comes to knowing what wisdom actually is. I think wisdom would have been to select a different discussion question, however, here goes my rather feeble attempt.

Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” This is not fear in the usual sense rather it is having a right relationship with God, of being  absolutely in awe of God, holding him in complete respect and being obedient to His will.

According to CM, Wisdom has several definitions. The traditional definition entails the ability to use knowledge in the right way. My problem with this definition is who is the arbitrator of what is the right way?

I understand that there is World Wisdom and Biblical Wisdom. According to Paul in 1 Corinthians 2 he speaks to people not in human wisdom, but rather wisdom based on God’s power. Paul speaks of God’s wisdom as being a mystery that has been hidden from the foundation of time. I gather from James 3 that earthly wisdom is evidenced by lifestyle and deeds. In describing Heavenly wisdom, James writes in 3:17-18. "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."

As for five characteristics of wisdom, I’ve taken this from our class notes, practical sagacity, mental acumen, and functional skill, but it also includes moral, upright living which stems from a right relationship with the Lord.”

I have been blessed to have a very good and wise friend J. For years J has hosted a Bible study in a tent adjacent to her home here in the Arizona desert. These Bible studies are held on Thursday morning and this year J took advantage of the opportunity to have two highly revered evangelical pastors take over her class time. No pride of authorship here as she not only welcomed these guest speakers, she also provided an environment in which we could all learn. . Jay is a purveyor of great wisdom and is an outstanding servant of God. 

Often when I had a problem and/or felt the need for guidance I talk to J and she always listens quietly and gently guides me towards a decision/ conclusion. Jay has given me emotional support at times when I really needed it.