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2012 New Year Message – III

THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM

Proverbs 1:1-7; 2:1-5
Key Verse: 1:7

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

On January 12, 2010, most of us woke up to the shocking news of the horrible earthquake in Haiti. Millions of people lost their loved ones and homes. Then, just nine months later, an earthquake of almost equal magnitude struck New Zealand’s second largest city, Christchurch. Many homes were also destroyed. But surprisingly, not a single life was lost. People were wondering how two comparable earthquakes could have such different effects. Some people said that Haiti’s inferior infrastructures and shoddy building codes were to blame. It’s true that buildings with secure foundations have a better chance of survival during an earthquake. So it is spiritually. Our life in the world is full of trouble. We know that we will not live a trouble free life this year either. However, today’s passage teaches us that the fear of the Lord is the solid foundation for our lives in this world. Today’s key verse, 1:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom. Let’s think about what “the fear of the Lord” means and the blessings of having the fear of the Lord, and how we can have the fear of the Lord in our lives.

Look at verse 1. “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel.” The book of Proverbs is a collection of proverbs, most of which are spoken by King Solomon (chapters 1-9, 10-22:16 & 25:1-29:27). Solomon was the son of King David and the third king of the United Kingdom of Israel. He was the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem. He was well known for his great knowledge, wisdom, wealth and power. According to 1 Kings 4:32 Solomon spoke more than 3,000 proverbs and composed 1,005 songs. Solomon was believed to be the main author of the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs. He was also famous for his broad understanding in trading, music and science. What a talented and wise person he was! However, the sins of his idolatry, turning away from the Lord and having so many wives and concubines eventually led to the kingdom of Israel being torn apart in two.

Verses 2-6 show what the purpose of the book is. Look at verses 2-6. “For attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young – let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance – for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.” This is a pretty long statement. However, the first phrase “for attaining wisdom and discipline” seems to be the main point of the book. “Attaining wisdom and discipline!” We are inundated with a flood of information and knowledge through the benefit of Information Technology. We may have a lot of head knowledge and information and still lack in wisdom and discipline. Education is important, but the goal of education should not be gaining information and knowledge, but gaining wisdom and discipline.

What is wisdom? Wisdom (hokmah) basically means “skill.” In fact, wisdom is the ability to use knowledge. But we need more than knowledge. We need wisdom in our relationships and responsibilities. We know that we are supposed to love one another. And yet, so many of us are not successful in our relationships with each other because we don’t have proper communication skills. Even in marital relationships, a lot of couples don’t really know how to communicate with one another to be lifelong friends, partners and soul mates. Our relationships often get entangled in the stress and demand of daily life, and puts distance between us.

When I got married, I found that my wife and I were so different. She was extraverted and I am introverted. She collects information through sensing and I collect information through intuition. She is more thinking oriented. I am more feeling oriented. She has to have a clear goal and plan things. I am more casual and open minded and ready to change. Since we were so opposite we complement each other. But it was often so hard to accept the differences between us. The problem is that I didn’t have proper skills to handle my anger and frustrations in my relationship with my wife. I mainly vented out of my charged emotion, anger and frustration, using harsh words to my wife. As a result, I ended up hurting her. Even though I felt so sorry for what I did, I was helpless. Proverbs 15:1 reads, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  This is so true. Yet, I didn’t have the wisdom/skills to express myself in a different and constructive way. Now, after 32 years of my marriage, I still find myself so different from her. Recently I have attained some wisdom how to say in emotionally intelligent way. Instead of saying “You make me so angry” I say to her, “Honey, I feel frustrated when you do that to me.” And my wife likes it so much better. Actually, we are now learning how to communicate with one another.

Saint Peter said in his letter, “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindles; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8) I hope and pray that this year we may not only grow in faith but also attain practical wisdom and all spiritual virtues in Jesus so that Christ Jesus may bear good fruits through us.

Look at verse 7. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” The phrase “the fear of the Lord” is repeated at least 18 times in the book of Proverbs. So we can almost say that “the fear of the Lord” is the controlling principle or the foundation on which we should build a life of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is not a fear of punishment. The fear of the Lord is a refusal to participate in evil (Job 28:28). The fear of the Lord actually protects us from sinning against God, against others and against ourselves. It also means to seek God and listen to God’s wisdom. We look to the word of God as the source of our wisdom. Psalm 112:1 reads, “Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” Psalm 128:1 also reads, “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who talk in his ways.”

Being wise is different from being humanly smart and clever. Human cleverness actually has to do with evil. We can be humanly wise by carefully observing nature and human behavior. But only those who have the fear of the Lord can be truly wise because God is the truth and the source of all wisdom. Wisdom that does not come from heaven is earthly, unspiritual and of the devil. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure, then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, and bears good fruit, impartial and sincere. (James 3:15-17) Therefore, James 1:5 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” In fact, there are so many blessings of the fear of the Lord. And the fear of the Lord is the foundation for gaining God’s wisdom.

1. The fear of the Lord does not make us timid or weak. The fear of the Lord actually gives us strength. When we fear the Lord, we don’t have to fear anything else. The fear of the Lord is a remedy for all other ungodly and unhealthy forms of fear. It’s like the saying “A man who is intimate with God will never be intimidated by man.”
2. Those who have the fear of the Lord can enjoy a long life. Proverbs 10:27 read, ““The fear of the Lord prolongs days. But the years of the wicked will are cut short.” It does not say that how long we will live. But it says that we will live longer and healthier than if we would have lived without the fear of the Lord.
3. By having the fear of the Lord, our life can find satisfaction and offer less distraction from evil. Proverbs 19:23 reads, “The fear of the Lord leads to life. And he who has it will abide in satisfaction; He will not be visited with evil.” What a blessed life we can live with the fear of the Lord? The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life (Prov 14:27). Proverbs 22:4 even adds more blessings, “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life.”  Before studying this passage I didn’t realize that the fear of the Lord in me brings such abundant blessings from God. I also learned that without the fear of the Lord we are not the true children of God or the genuine disciples of Jesus.

Some people think that we don’t need the fear of the Lord since we have been saved from God’s wrath. But that’s a misunderstanding. Of course, we don’t need to be afraid of punishment. Yet, we still need to fear of the Lord. In fact, 1 Peter 1:17 reads, “Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” One of the best words to describe the fear of the Lord is reverence. It’s an affectionate reverence that results in humbly bowing to the Father’s will, and a godly desire not to sin against Him, because we know that God’s wrath is so awful and His love is so awesome. We love the Lord so dearly and deeply respect Him as God our Father.

Ephesians 5:15-18 reads, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wife, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”

Saint Paul said that we should be filled with the Holy Spirit. The evil influence is spreading wide and growing like a cancer in the world. It’s hard not to be tempted since we also have our evil desires. Without the fear of the Lord, we can neither survive as Christians nor can we become the salt and light of the world.

The fear of the Lord has an amazing and close connection to the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. As we read Acts chapter 9:31, we see a combination of the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit in the early church. Acts 9:31 reads, “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord.”  Here, we may even say that the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit cannot be separated. And as a result, the people of the early church were edified and they multiplied. Perhaps, the key to church growth is the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit. The fear of the Lord, God’s wisdom and the Holy Spirit are not separable.

Then let us think about how we can have the fear of the Lord and be filled with the Holy Spirit? Proverbs 2:1-5 shows us step-by-step how to get the fear of the Lord. Read 2:1-5. “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” There are 4 “Ifs” for receiving the fear of the Lord in these verses. These are all closely related to our attitude toward the word of the Lord. 1) If we accept the word of the Lord with respect, 2) if we listen to the word of God intently, 3) if we pray to understand the word of the Lord, and 4) if we search God’s words hidden treasure, then we will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. This is the reason that we should continue to study the word of the Lord more sincerely.

Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. But although people know God, they neither glorify him as God nor give thanks to him, but their thinking becomes futile and their foolish hearts are darkened. (Romans 1:20-21) Having the fear of the Lord is not just to have correct head-knowledge about God. It’s to have a right relationship with God our Father. Even though we call ourselves God’s people, we often find very little fear of the Lord in us. By nature, we are self-seeking. Although we have desire to seek God, we are often distracted by ungodly culture and sinful desires that we only become self-seeking.

Why some people become so evil? It’s not because they were born more evil than others. It’s because they refuse to have the fear of God in their hearts (Ro 3:18). Without the fear of the Lord, we cannot fight the spiritual battle against evil. The fear of the Lord is the fountain, shield and foundation of our life in this world. Through the channel of holy fear of the Lord, all the blessings from heaven can enter into our lives. Therefore, let us earnestly pray that each of us may have the fear of the Lord this year. And through the fear of the Lord, may we grow in His image and be able to live truly happy, successful, meaningful and healthy lives that glorify Him. May the Holy Spirit continue to strengthen us, comfort us and fill us with His wisdom so that each of us may be able to carry out His will, and the body of Christ may be edified and grow in numbers this year.