| Our verse to DATE the Word on January 7 (1/7) is Proverbs 1:7 |
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| Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. |
| After laying out what one will receive from reading the Book of Proverbs in the first few verses of chapter 1, we come to the KEY verse of Proverbs and quite frankly a KEY VERSE FOR OUR LIVES. The reader is now introduced to the FEAR OF THE LORD and is told that doing this will bring one knowledge/wisdom. The reader is also confronted with a challenge as this verse introduces a person known as a FOOL, who does not want to have wisdom and understanding. Thus, as one reads this KEY verse one must decide whether they will FEAR THE LORD or be a FOOL. One will FEAR GOD and will RECEIVE knowledge/wisdom, which is heavenly insights for earthly living. The other is going to REJECT God and RESIST RECEIVING the wisdom and understanding He provides for how to live life. To help you make a wise choice let us look at what the FEAR OF THE LORD is and WHAT A FOOL is. The FEAR OF THE LORD is an ATTITUDE toward God. The idea of FEAR is not that one is AFRAID but rather one is in AWE. To live in the FEAR OF THE LORD one begins with the acknowledgment that there is GOD. The fool, on the other hand, will say in his heart there is NO GOD. The one who FEARS GOD knows there is GOD and that he is not a god! The acknowledgment of there is GOD is followed up with AWE and ADORATION with also a recognition of His AUTHORITY. The fear of the Lord brings about a REVERENCE for God and a RESPECT of God. As one fears the Lord, they recognize that the CREATOR knows what is best for the created. The one fearing God wants to know what God has to say about living life and they want to know so they can DO IT to get the most out of life on earth. Before talking about the fool, it is worth noting that the fear of the Lord is mentioned in 4 of the 5 books of wisdom. Job 28:28 And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, Ps 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Ecclesiastes 12:13 will tell us that life takes on meaning when one fears God and keep His commandments. In Proverbs, the treasure chest of wisdom, the fear of the Lord is mentioned 14 times. When seeking to understand life and find satisfaction with life Proverbs 19:23 tells us the key is the FEAR OF THE LORD as it LEADS TO LIFE and those who have this attitude toward God will abide in SATISFACTION! The fear of the Lord is also mentioned in the New Testament, specifically in 2 Corinthians 7:1 where the believer takes action to cleanse themselves from sinful living in response to the FEAR OF THE LORD. Our verse though tells that there is another type of person who DESPISES wisdom and understanding. They despise what God has to say about how to live. They want no part of learning from God’s perspective how to live because in their minds they know what is right and best. This person is called a FOOL. The fool can be defined as one who is DULL and/or hardheaded, and stubborn. Some might think of a fool as dumb or naïve but in reality, it is far more as a fool is RESISTANT to learning. They believe they know, yes, IT ALL and you can’t teach or tell a know-it-all anything. It is one thing to not know something and make bad choices. It is another thing completely to have the information available and resist the information, resisting to a level of despising, despising to a level of SUPPRESSING THE TRUTH. (Romans 1:18) Friends, there is God, and you are not Him. You must decide if you believe this truth. The fool is going to say in his heart NO GOD. If you decide you believe there is God, then you have to follow that decision up with how you respond to Him. The Wisdom books say FEAR THE LORD. As you recognize there is God (and you are not god) and you have a reverence and respect for God that leads to submitting to His authority all kinds of blessings come your way. Verse to DATE the Word on January 7 (1/7) is Proverbs 1:7. It says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” So, what camp are you in? Are you the FOOL who says there is no God or are you a GOD-FEARING person? Continue Strong with REVERENCE for and RESPECT of ALMIGHTY GOD And remember to DATE THE WORD |