One of my favorite verses is found in a section of Proverbs that teaches us about wisdom. It was one of my first memory verses and I liked it initially because it was short and easy to memorize. But after reading it and meditating on it, it became a favorite for other reasons as well, which I’d like to share with you now.
Proverbs 9:10
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
For me, this verse captures the essence of God’s message to us in a very compact but powerful way.
The first key word that hit me was FEAR. Fear is a learned behavior. We fear things based on personal experiences or from what we are taught by others.
There are good fears and bad fears. Good fears are fears that keep us alive and healthy. Fear of falling. Fear of dangerous animals. Fear of pain and injury.
Bad fears are typically found in the category of phobias. Phobias are actually more anxiety than fear, but regardless can be very crippling. I’ve seen people become literally paralyzed with fear when faced with their phobia.
And then there is the Fear described in Proverbs 9:10. Fear of the LORD.
Before I was saved I was troubled by the term “Fear the LORD”. It added to the confusion I had about religion. I thought God should be nice. Why would you fear him? On the few occasions when I would join friends for church, I always felt fear of death because they seemed to always talk about the end of the world and how it was right around the corner. That scared me, so fearing the Lord made perfect sense.
As an unsaved young man, I was probably more right than I knew. The unsaved should fear God’s judgment. It’s not going to be pretty. However, as a saved man, reborn unto Christ, fear takes on a new meaning. Fear of the LORD is also learned behavior, but it refers to a reverent respect for God.
We learn this fear by studying Scripture. We learn this Fear through General Revelation or the observance of His Hand in nature. We learn the Fear through the teachings of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us.
As we read further into the verse, we find that Fear of the LORD is the BEGINNING of Wisdom. In the Hebrew root word for “beginning”, one of the definitions is “inheritance”. Fear of the LORD is a gift from the Holy Spirit.
The next keyword we’ll discuss is Wisdom. We gain wisdom as we grow through the process of Sanctification. As I researched the root meaning of wisdom I found it to be a very complex word with many related meanings.
1. Skill in war. Wisdom helps us in our war against sin.
2. Administration. Wisdom teaches us to treat others as Christ treats us.
3. Shrewdness. Wisdom teaches us discernment towards false teaching.
4. Prudence and Ethics. Wisdom teaches us good judgment, common sense and the ability to know right from wrong.
In Proverbs 8:22-31 we learn that Wisdom came first before the beginning. Before He created the Heavens and the Earth, Wisdom was there. Respect and reverence for God is a gift of the Holy Spirit, through which we learn how to equip ourselves for every good work. Fear of the LORD is the beginning of our quest for Wisdom.
This brings us to Knowledge of the Holy One. To know God is to know His character. It is the knowledge of all things ethical and divine. Knowledge is also defined as learned behavior and wisdom gained living in the world. This must be viewed as secondary knowledge. Although we certainly benefit from worldly knowledge, it’s more a necessary evil. We must know the enemy if we are to fight against it.
In the context of this verse, the primary definition of knowledge is literally, “Fear of the LORD”. It is the prevailing knowledge we gain through the teachings of the LORD. This is the knowledge we value highest, and through which all other knowledge is filtered.
Knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Understanding is intelligence. How we apply what we’ve learned. In the ESV, insight is used in place of understanding. Insight is literally defined as “see inside”. Understanding God is to attempt to see inside him. I say attempt because we can only see what God chooses to reveal to us. We can’t hire a private investigator to dig up dirt on God. We can’t peek over his fence to see what goes on behind closed doors.
Can we ever attain full knowledge and understanding of God? No. If we were to achieve full understanding, we would no longer need to lean on God.
Proverbs 3:5 teaches us to “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” We must trust that the LORD has revealed exactly what we need, and nothing more.
So then, what can we learn from Proverbs 9:10?
Continue to seek knowledge and understanding with the goal of applying what we learn through fellowship, teaching and counseling.
Seek to know everything about God, but accept that we can not. Knowledge of Scripture is not enough. We must be obedient and practice what we learn.
Peter Davids wrote in his book, New International Biblical Commentary: James: “No matter how extensive one’s scriptural knowledge, or how amazing one’s memory, it is self-deception if that is all there is. True knowledge is the prelude to action, and it is the obedience to the Word that counts in the end.”
Let’s pray.
Father God, thank you for the gift of wisdom. Thank you for your patience with us as we seek to gain knowledge and understanding. I pray that our hearts are always open to your guidance as we learn, and when faced with worldly knowledge your ways will always prevail. I pray that as we gain wisdom we remember it is not by our works this is done, but by your mercy and grace. In the precious name of our Lord Jesus we pray. Amen.
