The Fear Of The Lord Is The Beginning Of Wisdom
Attention should be taken to differentiate between the two different uses of this word. When you first look at the word fear, an emotion surfaces in the mind of danger or apprehension, but the fear spoken of in the scriptures is an emotion of respect, learning, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is recognized partially as a duty to God. ( Psalms 111: 10; Eccl 12: 13; Isa 11: 2-3; Luke 1: 50) In these scriptures fear is spoken of as being equivalent to worship, reverence, and awe. It is also described as a godly fear (Heb 11: 28). It is an essential attitude of mind we must have to stand toward an All-Holy God. On the other hand we learn that fear is something that is unworthy of a child of God and perfect love casteth out (1 Jn 4: 18).
When Adam sinned, his first reaction was fear, he became afraid and wanted to hide from God (Gen 3: 10). The effects of sin is fear. Sin destroys the confidence a child of God should have toward a loving Heavenly Father, and generates a feeling of shame and guilt. Ever since the fall of Adam God has been teaching His children not to fear but to seek repentance and ask forgiveness with full confidence of receiving it. The effect of repentance draws a child of God back to the influence of a loving Heavenly Father.
Job was a perfect and upright man and feared God and hated evil. How did Job, who had lost all his wealth, his family, suffered physical illness, have his wife taunted him about remaining faithful to God, and his friends scorned him, but through it all Job testified to them of his faith in God. Job knew the Lord God he worshiped. He knew all the things he had were gifts given by the Lord. Job's knowledge of eternal life enabled him to suffer all things in mortal life, and because of his knowledge of God he grew in wisdom. Job's fear of the Lord gave him the wisdom to know what choices he needed to make under his circumstances. He chose to stay true to God and not blame or curse God for the trials of life he was experiencing. His blessing in the end was an increase of all he had lost.
We learn from the scriptures that knowledge leads to wisdom. Charles Lindbergh said that in his young manhood he thought science was more important than either man or God, and that without a highly developed science modern man lacks the power to survive. After World War II, however, he went to Germany and saw what bombing had done to that country, which had been a world leader in science. There, he says, I learned that if his civilization is to continue, modern man must direct the material power of his science by the spiritual truths of his God. (Romney, Ensign, July, 1983; Reader's Digest, February 1964, pp. 9596.)
An auto mechanic, before he can work on a vehicle, must learn and study the vehicle to gain all the knowledge he needs in order to have the wisdom to repair it. We learn that wisdom is the product of knowledge. Wisdom leads us to make sound judgment based on our knowledge.
To gain wisdom, we have to gain a knowledge of the only true and living God. We have to trust God and believe what he says. The Psalmist gave us the answer when he said, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Psalm 111: 10) He did not mean to have fright, be dismayed, but he meant to have a profound reverence for the Lord.
Is it any wonder why the Lord revealed to Isaiah that in the last days the wisdom of men would perish (Isa 29: 13-16). Why would this happen? Because men would be lost in their own knowledge and they would not know the only true and living God, nor understand his ways.
Much knowledge has been given regarding the effects of divorce on the family and all the evils that surface because of the increased breakdown of the family. It is evident in our nation and world. If this generation compared themselves to the generation of great grandparents, we would find we have drifted and have lost our bearings, despite all the knowledge that has been given, the divorce rate has increased. The wisdom to solve this breakdown of the family has not been utilized because the knowledge that has been given has not been productive. When the 10 virgins were asked to prepare for the wedding feast only five of them used the knowledge given them and prepared their lamps with oil, while the other five did not use the knowledge given them and were unprepared. When the day of the wedding feast came only those five who had gained wisdom were allowed in. and the foolish were turned away.
To gain the wisdom we need we must turn once again to the Lord. Be willing to submit ourselves to his will and be obedient to his commandments. A story of Admiral Perry trying to get to the north pole stated that he and his sled dogs had gotten on an iceberg. Every day he would check his bearings and find that he was more southward than northward. He didn't realize he was on a iceberg moving southward. We find today that many of us are moving further away from our goal then we realize. We have the knowledge we need to move us forward, but we lack the wisdom. The Lord wants us to succeed. Through the written word he has given us knowledge and when we apply ourselves to studying and prayer we gain understanding and can be taught the truth of all things and gain the wisdom we need to draw us ever closer to our goal of salvation.
There are countless stories in the scriptures of righteous men who fear the Lord, Moses, who conversed with the Lord face to face; Abraham, who became a father of many nations; Enoch, and all the inhabitants in the city was taken up to the Lord because of their purity attained from obedience. When we have fear of the Lord in our lives we desire to do no more evil. Just like Job we hate evil and desire only to be obedient to the commandments the Lord has given us. From this we grow in understanding, we gain knowledge, and attain wisdom.
Because of the traditions and philosophies of men mingled with scriptures, the children of God have lost the knowledge of the one and only true living God. Through inspiration, righteous men, were able to write the scriptures into the English language so that individuals could study them and come once again to the knowledge of Deity. Each person has the duty to fear the Lord and find wisdom to know that Christ came to this earth, was crucified, atoned for our sins, and was resurrected, and He lives.