The Beginning of Wisdom

Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10 both affirm the foundational importance of the fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is the correct understanding of reality. Wisdom is the ability to rightly apply knowledge, leading to godly living - a life according to God's design.

The teacher in Proverbs also affirms that the fool despises wisdom and instruction. Of course, no fool thinks he is a fool. But every person who despises godly living is a fool. Every person who despises God and His Word is a fool. The trap of being a fool is that he thinks he is not a fool because he is wise in his own eyes; he is successful according to his own standards.

Our society today is a factory of fools. People from childhood are taught to follow their hearts, to do what makes them feel good and to follow their own dreams and plans. People grow up thinking that they can be whatever they want. The height of foolishness. This is worldly wisdom.

Parents should be teaching their kids to fear the Lord and to be obedient to Him. God is the maker and sustainer of reality; there is no true knowledge apart from Him. And everything works according to God's design, so there is no good life apart from God's will and plans.

Wisdom begins when you fear the Lord and understand that if you want to become wise, you need to ask Him. But you need to ask with faith, being sure that God created human beings to be wise and that He is pleased when we seek wisdom in Him.

The reason many people do not fear God, do not trust him and do not ask Him for wisdom is that they don't know Him. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. So, if you don't know where to start, start by seeking to know God, and we can only truly know God through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the door through which every wise person in history has to pass. And so must we.

Nino Marques