Fear of the Lord – To Clean our Hearts and Minds
( Part 2 )
Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge. Proverbs 1:7 So for question number 3, what does Solomon mean by this statement? A certain way not to understand this scripture is to be arrogant and proud! A proud person has a haughty spirit and is full of himself or herself. He or she is so proud that they continue to look down on others they feel are beneath them. This arrogance almost always ends with a great downfall as history shows us with all the “great minds, talented and powerful people” that have fallen. Most of the falls are quick and tragic. To paraphrase Alistair Begg “ As long as you are looking down (at people ) you can not see the Lord who reigns above us all.”
Fear of the Lord is a foundation for all believers and continues throughout our journey in life. Knowledge is not just book smarts, but it is a personal relationship with God and gaining knowledge about Him. We can easily gain some understanding of God, the creator of our world, as we see His creation in the creatures, plants and each unique person we meet. There is much mystery that we will never understand, but we are so thankful for His love for us. A love that sent His son, Jesus, to be the friend of us sinners. By the help of the Holy Spirit for our gaining understanding of the divinely inspired Word of God we will gain the knowledge that Solomon was describing.
Finally, the last question is – What is the “folly” or failure if man does not fear the Lord? A person may have superior academic credentials or artistic talent or be a word class athlete and rejects the existence of the almighty God. One who doesn’t acknowledge the God that has given him or her these abilities is the definition of a fool in Proverbs. Read the words of 1 Peter 4:10-11, “ 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.” We have received certain gifts that as we recognize them we must realize that the ultimate purpose is to use them to bring glory to God. Too often the temptations that surround a person who rapidly becomes famous in this world will cause their focus to “all about themselves ” and God is put to the side, if He was ever acknowledged at all. “Our culture is arguably adrift on a storm tossed sea of disbelief, moral and spiritual confusion.” A. Begg
I encourage pursuing higher education and developing one’s talents to be the best you can be. But education and using our talents without God’s direction and wisdom will not provide the foundation for the peace that comes with knowing God. We must educate ourselves and our children of a world framed by the truth of scripture. Those under our care are so distracted day and night by the trappings of social media in that little device that seems to be attached to their hip. It will not be their career or accumulating stuff and wealth, but that they come to know Christ personally. A relationship that will change their hearts and minds, so that they can use their talents and minds to do wonderful things to the glory of God. We must rely on the Holy Spirit to help us discern all the truth we need to impart to help in their journey and we constantly seek knowledge by our fear of the Lord. Amen