Proverbs 9:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Insight
Perhaps you are saying, We’ve had this verse before. Yes, when the little fellow was in the home, the first lesson he was given was the fear of the Lord. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7). Now he has entered the college of life and the college of wisdom; he is in his freshman year of the university of understanding, and this is his first lesson: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” That is where we all start. If you haven’t started there, you haven’t started, my friend. A man is a fool (which is what this book will say) to live without God in this world. In our contemporary society we are so concerned with safety—safety on the highway, safety in the home, security in old age. We carry insurance for all these things, and we make sure our premiums are paid up. That is the wise thing to do. But, my brother, what about eternity? Are you making any plans; do you have insurance for that? Oh, how foolish it is to live this life without God! “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” 1
Application
Is the approval of your friends keeping you from experiencing God’s will for your life?
Motivation
Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3
Holy fear begins when I shrink in importance and He is elevated in praise. – TWEET IT
Prayer
Father, forgive me for failing to live in holy fear before a holy God.
1. McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: Poetry (Proverbs) (electronic ed., Vol. 20, p. 91). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.