Fear of the Lord: Beginning of wisdom

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Throughout the Old Testament, we find numerous references to “the fear of the Lord.” The scripture posted on the homepage of Logos Bible Software on July 21, 2019, comes from Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 9:10 makes a similar declaration:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding

Here is a dramatic graphic rendering of Proverbs 9:10:

Psalm 111:10 also mentions the term:

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding

The expression thus connects with three primary virtues: “knowledge,” “wisdom,” and “understanding.”

Although many Bible teachers tend to emphasize synonyms, such as “respect,” “reverence,” and “honor,” the term also suggests a deep, serious recognition of someone who “is awesome in power” and who should be looked upon with “fear and trembling” as Psalm 2:11 indicates:

Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.

Another reference from Psalm 19:9 teaches us regarding this vital concept:

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever.

Solomon, in his wisdom, settles the whole discussion regarding humanity and God:

Ecclesiastes 12:13

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

In Romans, Paul discusses the sinful nature of humanity:

Romans 3:10-12:

As the Scriptures say,
“No one is righteous—
not even one.
11 No one is truly wise;
no one is seeking God.
12 All have turned away;
all have become useless.
No one does good,
not a single one.”

He concludes by saying,

Romans 3:17-18:

17 They don’t know where to find peace.”
18 “They have no fear of God at all.”

Once again, the Psalmist concurs regarding those enemies who fought against him:

Psalm 55:19:

God will hear and humble them,
Even He who sits enthroned from old— Selah.
Because in them there has been no change [of heart],
And they do not fear God [at all].

Both Proverbs 9:10 and Psalm 19:9 form the introduction to this poem:

The Beginning of Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

Psalm 19:9

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

 

We begin and stand in absolute awe of You,

Thoroughly washed in the fountain of holiness.

The old has passed away—Behold, You make all things new:

Redeemed and justified by Christ, our righteousness.

As you search the earth, may we find grace in your sight.

We seek to be wise but never in our own eyes.

We stand perfected offspring destined to walk upright,

Beloved ones, whose heart Your Word purifies.

We are filled with knowledge and wisdom from above

And bound by a covenant no one can sever,

For nothing can separate us from God’s love:

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

We are renewed in strength and upheld by God’s Word,

As we pursue wisdom, growing in the fear of the Lord.

Tommy Walker offers this song of worship: “The Fear of the Lord”

Do you want to be wise?

 

From James 3:13 comes the Verse of the Day for September 16, 2016 in the Message Bible:

[Live Well, Live Wisely] Do you want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here’s what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It’s the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn’t wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn’t wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn’t wisdom. It’s the furthest thing from wisdom—it’s animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you’re trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others’ throats.

The King James Version of this verse also begins with a question, followed by this answer:

James 3:13

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

In light of the topic of wisdom, this verse brings to mind a series of teachings posted as blog entries entitled “Words of Wisdom”—a daily dose of “words to the wise.” Here is one of the entries modified and re-posted below:                                                              

Despite the sweet savor of past victories that we desire to linger forever or the bitter aftertaste of former times of seeming defeat that we seek to forget, each day unfolds as a new beginning, an opportunity to make a fresh start. How do we begin? We go back to the beginning.  As we reflect upon wisdom, so brilliantly displayed in the Book of Proverbs, we find that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” poetically expressed in this manner:

 

The Beginning of Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. 

Psalm 19:9

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:

 and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

 

We begin and stand in absolute awe of You,

Thoroughly washed in the fountain of holiness.

The old has passed away—Behold, You make all things new:

Redeemed and justified by Christ, our righteousness.

As You search the earth, may we find grace in Your sight.

We seek to be wise but never in our own eyes.

Here we stand perfected, those destined to walk upright,

As beloved ones, whose hearts Your Word purifies.

We are filled with knowledge and wisdom from above

And bound by a covenant no one can sever,

For nothing can separate us from God’s love:

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

We are renewed in strength and upheld by God’s Word,

As we pursue wisdom, growing in the fear of the Lord.

A perfect accompaniment of this blog entry is the worship song by Tommy Walker: “The Fear of the Lord.”

The beginning of wisdom

The Verse of the Day for October 12, 2015 comes from Proverbs 1:8-9 in the New Living Translation:

[A Father’s Exhortation: Acquire Wisdom] My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.

The Book of Proverbs offers sound advice directed toward a son who is instructed to acquire or lay hold of wisdom. The opening passage from this Book of Wisdom brings to mind the origin of wisdom, brilliantly displayed in the Book of Proverbs, where we find that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” poetically expressed in this way:

The Beginning of Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

Psalm 19:9

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:

and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

 

We begin and stand in absolute awe of You,

Thoroughly washed in the fountain of holiness.

The old has passed away—Behold, You make all things new:

Redeemed and justified by Christ, our righteousness.

As You search the earth, may we find grace in your sight.

We seek to be wise but never in our own eyes.

Here we stand as your people destined to walk upright,

As beloved ones, whose hearts Your Word purifies.

We are filled with knowledge and wisdom from above

And bound by a covenant no one can sever,

For nothing can separate us from God’s love:

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

We are renewed in strength and upheld by God’s Word,

As we pursue wisdom, growing in the fear of the Lord.

A perfect accompaniment of this poem is the worship song “We Choose the Fear of the Lord” by the Maranatha Music.

The beginning of wisdom

Proverbs 9:10 in the Amplified Bible, the Verse of the Day for October 24, 2014, makes a bold statement regarding the origin of wisdom:

The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding.

In light of the topic of wisdom, this verse brings to mind a series of teachings posted as blog entries entitled “Words of Wisdom”—a daily dose of “words to the wise.” One of the entries is modified and re-posted below:                                                                      

Despite the sweet savor of past victories that we desire to linger forever or the bitter aftertaste of former times of seeming defeat that we seek to forget, each day unfolds as a new beginning, an opportunity to make a fresh start. How do we begin? We go back to the beginning. As we reflect upon wisdom, so brilliantly displayed in the Book of Proverbs, we find that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” poetically expressed in this manner:

The Beginning of Wisdom

The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

Psalm 19:9 (AMP)

The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding.

Proverbs 9:10 (AMP)

 

I begin and stand in absolute awe of You,

Thoroughly washed in the fountain of holiness.

The old has passed away—Behold, You make all things new:

Redeemed and justified by Christ, my righteousness.

As You search the earth, may I find grace in your sight.

I seek to be wise but never in my own eyes.

Here stands a perfect man, one destined to walk upright,

A beloved son, whose heart Your Word purifies.

I am filled with knowledge and wisdom from above

And bound by a covenant no one can sever,

For nothing can separate me from God’s love:

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

I am renewed in strength and upheld by God’s Word,

As I pursue wisdom, growing in the fear of the Lord.

A perfect musical accompaniment to this blog entry is the song “The Perfect Wisdom of Our God.”

“We Choose the Fear of the Lord” by the Maranatha Music also relates to the beginning of wisdom.

The fear of the Lord

Here is a dramatic, graphic rendering of Proverbs 9:10, the Verse of the Day for October 24, 2013:

The verse opens with “the fear of the Lord,” a phrase that brings to mind another verse from Psalm 19:9:

 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

Listen to Integrity Music’s offering of Psalm 19:8-10 which contains a reference to “the fear of the Lord.”

Both Proverbs 9:10 and Psalm 19:9 form the introduction to this poem:

The Beginning of Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

Psalm 19:9    

                                                                                                                                                                                                            
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:

and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 9:10

 

I begin and stand in absolute awe of You,

Thoroughly washed in the fountain of holiness.

The old has passed away—Behold, You make all things new:

Redeemed and justified by Christ, my righteousness.

As You search the earth, may I find grace in your sight.

I seek to be wise but never in my own eyes.

Here stands a perfect man, one destined to walk upright,

A beloved son, whose heart Your Word purifies.

I am filled with knowledge and wisdom from above

And bound by a covenant no one can sever,

For nothing can separate me from God’s love:

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

I am renewed in strength and upheld by God’s Word,

As I pursue wisdom, growing in the fear of the Lord.

 

Proverbs 9:10 and Psalm 19:9 both provide points to ponder as we begin this new day.

“Words of Wisdom”—a daily dose of “words to the wise”–Day 9

This blog entry is another in a series featuring a daily dose of “words to the wise,” poetically expressed from the Book of Proverbs.

Despite the sweet savor of past victories that we desire to linger forever or the bitter aftertaste of former times of seeming defeat that we seek to forget, each day unfolds as a new beginning, an opportunity to make a fresh start. How do we begin? We go back to the beginning.  As we reflect upon wisdom, so brilliantly displayed in the Book of Proverbs, we find that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” poetically expressed in this manner:        

The Beginning of Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

Psalm 19:9    

 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:

 and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.   

Proverbs 9:10

 

I begin and stand in absolute awe of You,

Thoroughly washed in the fountain of holiness.

The old has passed away—Behold, You make all things new:

Redeemed and justified by Christ, my righteousness.

As You search the earth, may I find grace in your sight.

I seek to be wise but never in my own eyes.

Here stands a perfect man, one destined to walk upright,

A beloved son, whose heart Your Word purifies.

I am filled with knowledge and wisdom from above

And bound by a covenant no one can sever,

For nothing can separate me from God’s love:

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

I am renewed in strength and upheld by God’s Word,

As I pursue wisdom, growing in the fear of the Lord.

A perfect accompaniment of this poem is the worship song “We Choose the Fear of the Lord”  by the Maranatha Singers, another dose of “Good Medicine” from the shelves of Dr. J’s Apothecary Shoppe.

“Words of Wisdom”—a daily dose of “words to the wise”–Day 3

With the dawning of a new day, I begin by reflecting on wisdom, asking, “Where do I begin?”

“This is the day that the Lord has made. . .” and I am rejoicing and celebrating His goodness, as I begin my day by reflecting upon wisdom, as I read from the Book of Proverbs once again. Here is another blog entry, a poem, a “Word of Wisdom–a daily dose of words to the wise poetically expressed from the Book of Proverbs.” Today I am once again thinking about wisdom and asking, “Where do I begin?”

The Beginning of Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

Psalm 19:9

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom:

And knowledge of the holy is

understanding                                       

Proverbs 9:10

 

I begin and stand in absolute awe of You,

Thoroughly washed in the fountain of holiness.

The old has passed away—Behold, You make all things new:

Redeemed and justified by Christ, my righteousness.

As You search the earth, may I find grace in your sight.

I seek to be wise but never in my own eyes.

Here stands a perfect man, one destined to walk upright,

A beloved son, whose heart Your Word purifies.

I am filled with knowledge and wisdom from above

And bound by a covenant no one can sever,

For nothing can separate me from God’s love:

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.

I am renewed in strength and upheld by God’s Word,

As I pursue wisdom, growing in the fear of the Lord.

Thanks for stopping by and partaking of this blog entry, another daily dose of “Words of Wisdom,” more “good medicine” placed on the shelves of “Dr. J’s Apothecary Shoppe.”

This blog entry is another in a series featuring “a daily dose of “words to the wise, poetically expressed from the Book of Proverbs.”