Jun 11-17, 2023

Dr. "Joey" Alan Le

Proverbs 1:7

THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE;
FOOLS DESPISE WISDOM AND INSTRUCTION.

Proverbs 1:7 may be the most important statement in the whole book for it pinpoints the source of wisdom: The LORD.

FEAR does not mean terror but a reverence or respect that produces a submissive attitude toward God. Fear of God implies a recognition that He exists, that He knows all about us, and that He will reward or discipline based upon His knowledge. Those who truly fear God have put these insights into practice and have made choices that reflect their submission to the LORD. When was the last time you made a choice with the knowledge that God was watching over you?

LORD translates the special name by which God made himself known to His people—Yahweh. By using this name, the writer calls to mind the special relationship that existed between God and Israel. To fear … the LORD meant submitting to a God who had already made known His love to them. It means reverence within a relationship (Lennox 44). What is your preferred way of addressing God? How does that reflect your relationship with God?

BEGINNING is, literally, “head,” suggesting a fountain from which wisdom flows, a posture that enables true wisdom to be obtained. Only with such fear can the thirst for wisdom be satisfied. This is the only lens through which reality can be seen (Lennox 44). It is not a beginning like the first stage of a rocket which is cast aside after it has served its purpose. Rather, the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom in the same way in which a foundation is the beginning of a house: everything that comes after the foundation is built upon it (Newheiser 28). Can you give an example of how godly wisdom guided you rightly?

While many pursue KNOWLEDGE as an end in itself, this verse suggests that God designed wisdom as a by-product of our relationship with Him (Lennox 45). How intuitive is this statement to you?

DESPISE is an emotional word, a word of contempt and relational aloofness. It is the arrogance of being above instruction, too smart for it, too good for it, too busy for it. Such a “fool” might be a gifted person, but he does not feel the need for moral cleansing. How many times this week have you acted like the fool of Prov 1:7, despising wisdom and instruction?

What then is the fear of the Lord? It is not a cringing dread before the Lord. It is not a guilty “Oh no, here comes God. I’m in for it now.” When is this kind of fear appropriate or inappropriate?

• The fear of the Lord is openness to him, eagerness to please him, humility to be instructed by him (Prov 15:33).

• The fear of the Lord is a willingness to turn from evil and change (Job 28:28). The fear of the Lord is surrender to his will (Gen 22:12).

• The fear of the Lord is one way we love him (Deut 6:2, 5).

• The fear of the Lord is when we realize, “I am not the measure of all things. I am being measured.”

• That reverence toward God, perhaps surprisingly, builds our confidence and flows out as a “fountain of life” into everyone and everything we care about (Prov 14:26, 27).

• It takes us to that place of maturity where no one has to follow us around with a tedious list of do’s and don’t’s, constantly telling us what to do. We are motivated from deep within. We know what is right, and it is what we love, because it is of God (Ortlund 30-31).

Which of these descriptive statements resonates with you most?

Intimate Knowledge

Here is an example. I know about the president of the United States. I can list information about his accomplishments and his political stance, but I do not actually know him. I lack a personal relationship with him. Those in the president’s immediate family and his close associates know him. If we were in the same room, I would quickly recognize the president, but he would not know me. Although I’m a citizen of the United States and know about him, I could not speak to him as though he were my friend. That would be inappropriate and even disrespectful. I would still be under his jurisdiction and authority as president and under his protection as commander in chief, but his authority over me would not automatically grant me intimacy with him (Bevere 176). This is true for my knowledge of celebrities, athletes, etc. 

An intimate relationship and friendship with God will not even begin until the fear of God is firmly planted in our hearts. We can attend services, come forward in answer to every altar call, read our Bibles daily, and attend every prayer meeting. We can preach great and motivating sermons, work hard in the ministry for years, and even receive the respect and admiration of our peers. But if we do not fear God, we are only climbing the rungs of the religious ladder (Bevere 177). How does this convict and/or encourage you?

Fear and Revelation

Read Gen 22:1-14. What did Abraham’s fear of God prove?

Abraham proved his fear by esteeming God’s desires as even more important than his own. God knew that if Abraham passed this test, he would pass them all (Bevere 180). Has God ever asked you to give up something precious to you?

With the completion of this test, God revealed a new facet of Himself to Abraham. He revealed Himself as Jehovah-Jireh, which means “Jehovah Sees.” No one since Adam had known Him in this manner. God revealed His heart to this humble man who had become His friend. The Lord was revealing to Abraham the things that to other men were yet “secrets” of His heart and character (Bevere 180-181).

Yet it is important to understand that God did not reveal Himself as “Jehovah Sees” until Abraham had passed the test of holy fear. Many claim to know the different characteristics and attributes of God’s nature, yet they have never obeyed Him in the hard places. They can sing, “Jehovah-Jireh, my provider, His grace is sufficient for me …” But it is only a song until He is revealed through obedience as such. Until we pass God’s test of obedience, such statements proceed from our heads and not our hearts. It is when we venture into the hard, arid wilderness of obedience that God reveals Himself as Jehovah-Jireh and friend (Bevere 181). Do you have a personal example of how your obedience led to a greater intimate understanding of God?

To fear God is to obey Him, even when it does not seem to be to our advantage. When we fear Him, He calls us friend and reveals the why, or the intentions and desires of His heart. We come to know Him not by His acts but His ways (Bevere 183). Explain this paragraph in your own words.