The beginning of Wisdom

“Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7

King Solomon inspired by the Holy Spirit says, Get wisdom! Acquire it because wisdom is the most important thing. The following verse gives us a good picture about the importance of wisdom.

“If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.” Ecclesiastes 10:10

Wisdom is the ability given by God to live life skilfully – which includes making wise decisions, to use your resources efficiently and to live an honourable life in the eyes of God.

Lack of wisdom causes the man to use more strength because his ax is dull. In order to find true success, you need the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is far above and superior to the wisdom of this world.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10

Let’s see the same verse in Amplified version,

“The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.” Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The starting point and the essence of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Wisdom doesn’t work for believers. It works for those who fear the Lord. It doesn’t matter how long you have been a believer. What matters is do you fear the Lord?

The fear of the Lord doesn’t mean to be afraid or scared of the Lord. As the Amplified version says, it is reverence for the Lord. The fear of the Lord is having deep honour and genuine respect for the Lord which causes you to worship Him and regard Him as truly awesome. Reverence for the Lord compels you to give tremendous weight to the Word of God. Everything that is connected with the Lord becomes of utmost importance to you.

Once a believer holds such high reverence for God in his daily walk, God’s divine wisdom is activated in him. You cannot hide the genuine fear of the Lord. It will manifest and the world will see it. If the world doesn’t see it, it is because there is no reverence for the Lord within. Let me show you some examples from the Word.

1. Joseph operated in divine wisdom and through God’s wisdom He preserved the world. His reverence for the Lord made him an active partaker of God’s wisdom.

“And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her. But it happened about this time, when Joseph went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the house was inside, that she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand, and fled and ran outside. And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside,” Genesis 39:7-13

It was the fear of the Lord – his genuine adoration for the Lord that caused him to run away from Potiphar’s wife. He wasn’t concerned about His career, He was in love with the Lord. He was possessed by the Most High God.

2. Daniel’s wisdom is often spoken about. The display of God’s wisdom in his life is rooted in His deep and genuine reverence for the Lord. His life of reverence impacted King Cyrus and inspired Him to open the way for the Israelites to return to their own land.

“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.” Daniel 1:8, 17

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“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” Proverbs 8:13

The genuine reverence for the Lord develops in you a hatred for evil, a hatred for pride, arrogance and the evil way. You abhor and keep away from you a perverse mouth. You love what the Lord loves. You hate what the Lord hates. You want to listen to the Lord eagerly and you want to passionately obey Him. Your only desire in life is to please Him and bring Him glory. This is the life of a person who has the fear of the Lord as his or her greatest treasure.

You cannot grow in the fear of the Lord unless you grow in the knowledge of the Lord.

“Because they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord, Proverbs 1:29

In order to have deep reverence and genuine respect for the Lord, you must know the Lord. In simple words, you must have an abiding, growing and deep revelation of who Jesus is. As you grow in His knowledge, your adoration and reverence for Him will rise.

“but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” II Peter 3:18

Can you respect someone you don’t know? You must know the Lord. You must devour His written word. You must take quality time to meditate on His Word. You must make yourself available for Jesus centred teachings. As you labour on the written word of God with an objective of knowing Jesus, you will receive an impartation of the spirit of the fear of the Lord from the Holy Spirit.

“My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, And lift up your voice for understanding, If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, And find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:1-5

Remember, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. As your reverence for the Lord becomes genuine, deeper and greater, you will tap into the wisdom of God. God’s wisdom will make you an undeniable success!

You are victorious in Christ!