The Fear of the Lord: The Starting Point for Wisdom (Proverbs 1:7)
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Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
As we start a new week, let’s start with the beginning of Proverbs and where it starts with wisdom. And Proverbs 1:7 tells us exactly that – the foundation of all wisdom, all knowledge, begins with the fear of the Lord.
The book of Proverbs is known as the book of wisdom and lays out for us what wisdom is incredibly well. I’ve been on record again and again – hopefully every day in this devotional series – pointing out how every verse points to Jesus, because He is, as 1 Corinthians tells us, “the wisdom of God.” Jesus is wisdom, and Proverbs points us to Him.
That leads me to why Proverbs 1:7 is so important. It doesn’t answer the “what” for wisdom; it answers the “how.” How do we get wisdom? Where do we begin, where do we start?
Thankfully, this verse is very straightforward on where to begin to pursue wisdom. It says the beginning of wisdom, the beginning of knowledge, is found in the fear of the Lord.
Now what does that mean? What does it mean that this beginning of knowledge is found in the fear of the Lord?
Well, on a simple level, it means wisdom isn’t something you just pick up like a self-help book – it’s not a checklist of life hacks. It comes only through a relationship with the Lord. It does.
You can’t have wisdom without having fear of God.
You can’t have wisdom without revering Him and His Word.
You can’t have wisdom without knowing Him.
You just can’t.
I’ve said before that thinking that you can have wisdom without having God is like thinking you could take on hell with a squirt gun. You ain’t going anywhere with that thinking.
This verse fires me up because too many people – including myself at times – approach Proverbs like a book of tips and tricks. But it’s much more than that. This book of the Bible, like them all, but especially Proverbs, connects wisdom to Christ, not to some moralistic way to live your life.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge… fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
So if fearing the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, what happens when people reject it?
There are those who walk in wisdom, following Jesus, living in the fear of Him, and then there are those who reject it. Proverbs calls them fools – not because they’re unintelligent, but because they reject the very thing that leads to life.
But why? Why exactly do fools despise wisdom and instruction?
Well, it’s very simple. Proverbs 15:21 says, “Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense.”
And that’s why fools despise the gospel. We’ll look more into that tomorrow, but that’s why fools despise Jesus, why they reject Him and His wisdom – it’s because the gospel and the person of Jesus Christ propose to save them from what they love!
Fools despise wisdom and instruction because it proposes to save them from what they love.
They love sin and hate the one who can deliver them from it. It’s like someone who loves eating junk food but refuses a doctor’s advice to get healthy. The truth isn’t the problem – their love for their habits is. That’s why people reject Jesus. They don’t want to give up what He calls them to leave behind.
But here’s the beauty of the Gospel: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He didn’t wait for us to be wise – He became wisdom for us.
Now to close back on the first half of the verse, the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. That’s not a suggestion – that’s the foundation of everything.
So today, let’s ask:
Do we truly fear God? And if we don’t, what’s stopping us?
Let’s pray.
