TO CHEW ON: "The fear of the lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7
My first thought as I read this key verse at the beginning of Proverbs is 'worldview.' It seems that Solomon is saying that the knowledgeable, wise, educated-in-what-is-true person sees life through what we call a worldview of the fear of the Lord.
What is a worldview? Nancy Pearcey talks about it in her book Total Truth:
"... understanding how worldviews are formed, and how they guide or confine thought, is the essential step toward understanding everything else. Understanding worldview is a bit like trying to see the lens of one's own eye. we do not ordinarily see our own worldview, but we see everything else by looking through it. Put simply, our worldview is the window by which we view the world and decide, often subconsciously, what is real and important or unreal and unimportant" - Nancy Pearcey, Total Truth, Kindle Location 425.
What does it mean to have a 'fear of the Lord' worldview? Leslyn Musch describes it well in her "Truth-In-Action-Through Proverbs" article:
"Learning to walk in the fear of the Lord is learning to live in awe and reverence of God. It is foundational to our walk of faith. God is loving and full of grace and mercy, but He is also all-powerful, awesome, holy, righteous and sovereign over all things" - Leslyn Musch, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 842.
We can test whether or not we have a fear-of-the-Lord worldview by looking at the way we live our lives, and answering questions like:
- Who are we more concerned about pleasing, the people around us, or God?
- Which road do we choose when the path of following God splits from the path of pleasing self or others?
- On what do we spend our time and money?
Is it possible that we don't fear God as much as we think or say that we do?
PRAYER: Dear God, please open my eyes and inform my understanding in the things that offend You and please You. Help me to see where I am kidding myself, saying I fear You but living differently. Then help me to line up my attitudes and actions with the truths in the Bible. Amen.
MORE: Examples of Bible characters who feared / didn't fear God.
- DID: Nathan the prophet feared God as shown by his obedience to turn around and change his message to David when God told him he had said the wrong thing - 1 Chronicles 17:1-15.
- DIDN'T: David neglected to follow God's instructions when moving the ark, putting it on a cart instead of having the priests carry it on their shoulders in the way God had said. When a man touched the ark to steady it, he was killed - 2 Samuel 6:1-9
- DID: When the Jewish leaders told Peter and John to stop talking about Jesus and preaching in His name, they expressed their fear-of-God worldview clearly: "'We ought to obey God rather than man'" - Acts 5:29.
Can you think of more?
PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 148
The Bible Project VIDEO: Proverbs (Read Scripture Series)
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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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