The Beginning of Wisdom

Written by Suzanne Benner

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”(Proverbs 1:7)

Beyond the connection between fearing God and righteous living, the Bible presents a tight link between the fear of the Lord and wisdom.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding.” (Psalm 111:10)

“The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” (Job 28:28)

“A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil.” (Proverbs 14:16)

“The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom.” (Proverbs 15:33)

Once we’ve accepted that we need to fear the Lord, we pursue the path of wisdom. At the same time, seeking wisdom helps us understand what it means to fear God.

The Hidden Things of God

"Blessed art thou...for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 16:17)

Remember when you went to school and learned your ABCs? You learned them by using your five senses and your logical abilities to gather information and sort it out. That kind of knowledge is called natural knowledge and it's the only kind most people know anything about.

But in the kingdom of God, there's another kind of knowing. One that works its way from the inside out instead of from the outside in. It's called revelation knowledge.

My Favorite Teacher

"Watch out if you get Miss Linder," said a boy in fifth grade. "She's the meanest teacher in the school." I was in third grade then and didn't worry about Miss Irma Linder. But when I entered fifth grade, I was assigned to her class. 

She was tough. Mean. Demanding. She had eyes that saw everything we did, even with her back to us. But despite it all, Miss Linder was my favorite teacher in grade school. I learned more from her than any of the others. She had a way of making me want to learn. When I did less than my best, I had the feeling that I had let her down as much as I had let myself down. 

Since then, I've had other teachers I've loved or admired. But there's no question about my all-time, lifelong favorite teacher. His name is Jesus. Even his enemies called him "teacher" (rabbi) and recognized his great skill of communicating truth to his hearers. 

When I talk to my Favorite Teacher, I hear myself begin sentence after sentence with, "Teach me...." Those are sincere words and express my heart's desire. I want to learn and I believe my Favorite Teacher wants me to learn.