Over the past several weeks we have seen that the Proverbs of Solomon are filled with wisdom for many different aspects of life, including our work, friendships, words, and attitudes. But ultimately, the Proverbs point us to one central teaching: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. In other words, not only do the Proverbs show us what it looks like to apply wisdom to certain areas of our life, but they also point us to the root of all wisdom, which is the fear of God.

Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” To fear the LORD is to recognize who he is and to have an accurate understanding of what he is like. To have the fear of God within us means that we recognize that he has the right to punish us for our sins and that his choice to save us through faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest act of grace that has ever been shown. To fear him is to give him the reverence and awe that he rightfully deserves and to show our reverence for him by living according to his standards.

But we do not fear him with the same kind of fear we feel in the presence of great evil, for there is absolutely nothing evil in God. We recognize that we are completely helpless before God and totally at his mercy. To say he is greater than we are is the understatement of the ages. How could we not fear the great, holy God of the Universe? And according to our verse, to fear God and give him the proper reverence and honor is the beginning of knowledge. That means that if we do not understand who God is, we do not rightly know anything else. God is the starting point and the reference point for all knowledge. If we get him wrong, we get everything else wrong too. 

Additionally, Proverbs 9:10 tells us that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Here we learn that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. If we do not understand God rightly we neither know anything else properly nor do we know how to use knowledge and apply it to life. What this all makes clear is that if God is not at the center of our life and if we do not understand him as he reveals himself to us, we mess up everything else in our lives. Put God at the center of your life. Understand who he is and know who we are in relation to him. He is the God of the universe and we are his servants. Fear God and give him the glory he deserves.