I’m sure the title of this article may have caught your attention. Sean, what do you mean that you should start with fear in order to get wisdom???
In the Bible, in the book of Proverbs, the author talks about this connection:
“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”
Proverbs 1:7
You may or may not believe in God and you may or may not value the Bible. But bear with me, if you will. Tradition tells us that when he was young, God asked King Solomon what he wanted and he asked for “wisdom” which God found very pleasing. It is thought that Solomon compiled many of these proverbs early on in his reign as King of Israel.
So, what does the fear of the Lord even mean? When looking at the original languages, this fear can denote everything from terror to respect to reverence to awe.
So, how and why would terror, respect, reverence, or awe of God be the foundation of all true knowledge or wisdom (other passages refer to the connection between the fear of the Lord and wisdom)?
This is a great question! I used to wonder the same thing. If there is a God and He is so loving, why would he want us to be scared of Him and how would that lead us to true knowledge or wisdom?
When I look at our very individualized, celebrity-based culture, such words can be quite a clash. How dare anyone tell me I’m not wise? Or tell me how to receive true knowledge or wisdom? I’ll be the arbiter of that, thank you VERY MUCH! There is something inherently offensive about someone or something making a claim on us human beings when we feel so powerful. I believe the advent of the internet with instant access to information in the form of data, podcasts, videos, etc. has only heightened this sense of mastery over our world.
Yet this is what scripture says! You may wonder: what basis do you have to give credibility to scripture? That’s also a fair question, though it’s beyond the scope of the point of this article.
So humor me for a moment. Let’s just say we’re not the center of the universe as in the Big Kahuna, the Ultimate Being, etc. Even if you don’t believe in God, you’d have to concede that simply put, there’s plenty we don’t know!
If there’s plenty we don’t know, that ought to bring some humility to you.
What if there was a possibility that there is a powerful being, a God, who does know a lot – or better yet, knows everything? Would it then behoove us to recognize Him? To look up to Him? To seek to get to know Him? After all, He’d be the source of it all.
In doing so, in my experience… something interesting happens. Not only is someone more likely to humble themselves, but they are more open to correction and therefore to growth.
This of course stands in stark contrast to the fool who wants exactly the opposite. The Proverb verse tells us the fool hates “wisdom and discipline.”
So, in conclusion, there seems to be a connection between fearing, respecting, reverencing this possible God and having true knowledge or wisdom.
Am I saying you have no wisdom if you don’t believe in and know God? No, not necessarily. I know many people who don’t necessarily claim a belief in God who recognize they are not the center of the universe and are open to correction.
But, what I AM saying is that if you’d like to have true knowledge, it may be worth considering getting to know this possible God. It may just be that you’ll not only be more humble but you’ll learn more that way.
James 1:5 “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you.” Clearly, the pre-requisite for this type of ask is that you believe that He is.
If you’d like to learn more about who this God is who Solomon writes about, I’d love to share more!
