The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1: 7
There is a theme that runs through Scripture and underlies every great piece of human literature as well: Good Guys vs Bad Guys. In Proverbs, this eternal battle is often characterized as a conflict between the “wise” and the “fool.” (See our discussion under the post, “The Big Picture.”)
I need to provide a cautionary disclaimer here: In my view, Proverbs is a mirror, not a magnifying glass. Its purpose is to guide you and me. To show us the difference between wise and foolish behavior. Not to act as a checklist to determine who is good and bad. Jesus cautions against this kind of behavior. Jesus says:
“But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
(Matthew 5: 22)
Jesus reminds us that judging people is best left up to God. However, we are given instruction so that we can judge between what is wise and foolish behavior. God teaches us the difference using word pictures that describe the two kinds of people. More to the point, God tells us in this verse that He is the beginning of knowledge.
Application: Use today’s Proverb as a starting point. Choose knowledge. Fear the Lord enough to want to learn His ways.
Food for Thought: What does the phrase, ”beginning of knowledge” mean?
I think in context it is saying that the starting point to godly wisdom and knowledge is God. He has all knowledge. If we fear Him we can learn from Him what is true knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 9:10) as opposed to a false knowledge or wisdom which is often adopted by the world. We cannot serve two masters. We will likely fear or revere or embrace either the knowledge of God or the knowledge of the world. The correct starting point for true knowledge and wisdom is embracing the Lord.
Rich,
Thank you for insightful comment. I like your point that God has “all knowledge.” His knowledge includes all things seen and unseen. As Jesus demonstrated time and again throughout our reflections on the Gospel of John, he knows what goes on in the heart of people. All of this to say that there are many things only God can know. Given that God has knowledge we cannot have, we are wise if we lean on that knowledge and trust him to guide us.