by Valerie Williams

Created on: October 09, 2009   Last Updated: October 23, 2009

Wisdom is taught throughout the Scriptures as something that man needs to obtain; that it is more desirable than rubies; that fools lack wisdom but the wise are restored by it. Solomon, when asked by the Most High God what God should give him, asks not for riches or long life, but instead asks for wisdom. David tells us that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. What does he mean by this? This article will discuss what David means by this statement, using the Scriptures to come to a clearer understanding of David's words, what wisdom is, how we can obtain it, and how to apply it to our lives.

To begin to understand this passage, we must first understand what it is to fear God. This word, fear, in the Hebrew language is YIR'AH, which literally means to reverence. So, to fear God is to reverence, or show respect, to him. How, though, does one show respect to such a holy God? David gives us a clue as to how we can accomplish this in the second half of this verse, in which he says a good understanding have they all that do his commandments (Psalm 111:10). This is significant because it appears that David is making direct correlations between reverencing God, finding wisdom, and keeping the commandments of God. If we now understand that showing reverence to God is to show respect to him, to honor him, to love him, then the obvious question is how does one do this? We can see that Solomon was promised, not only wisdom, but riches and honor, as well as the lengthening of his days, as long as he continued to keep God's statutes and commandments (1 Kings 3:14). Is this God's wisdom, keeping his laws and statutes? Or did the wisdom come from Solomon himself? Scripture says that the wisdom Solomon received indeed came from God (1 Kings 4:29); it was not man's wisdom. Man's wisdom is faulty and fallible, but God's ways are higher than our ways, his thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). But the question still remains: is this the wisdom David is speaking of, wisdom through God's laws?

In Deuteronomy, we find God admonishing the Israelites to keep his commandments, and judgments, warning them not to add to or take anything away from his instructions. He tells them to do these commandments and to keep them, for it is their wisdom and their understanding in the sight of all the nations (Deut 4:5). In Psalm 119:104, the writer seems to give justification to this definition of wisdom when he says that through God's precepts, or laws, man gets understanding,

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