Welcome to Proverbs. Written by Solomon, the son of King David; the wisest man to ever walk the face of the earth. His wisdom however was not of human origin; it flowed to him and through him from the all knowing eternal God.       If Bill Gates counseled you on your finances would you listen and follow his instructions? You get the idea; what is being shared is from the One who knows……so listen; listen as if your life depended upon it.

v. 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction

Nobody wants to fear. Everybody wants things peaceful and easy. Bumper stickers and T-shirts proclaim, “No Fear”. People since the beginning of time have been willing to embrace a God of love but have resisted the same God who is also a Righteous Judge. Fear causes us to run from something or it causes us to submit to it. Running from the LORD is obviously not God’s goal; but living before Him with the greatest amount of awe and respect is. “No fear” is therefore a very dangerous place to be, specifically with God. Pay close attention to this one little word that the world would rather not hear; it is the very first step on the road to discovering who God is. Fools will however, despise wisdom and instruction.

v. 8 My son, hear the instruction of your father and do not forsake the law of your mother. The first chapter of the book of wisdom gives the first and most important place where wisdom is to be taught: in the home. Now, picture this:

v. 9 For they (the godly instruction of father and mother) shall be an ornament of grace on your head and chains about your neck. This ‘ornament’ is something beautiful. It is not heavy and cumbersome, but I believe that it carries weight enough and the significance necessary to accomplish what is intended in a child’s life…..IF, they hear and forsake not.

~As a parent, what is your instruction like? Do your children sense the leadership of God as you give it, knowing how important it is to you and for them? Do they hear?

Right away in chapter one, the warnings of rejecting the instruction to fear the LORD are massive. Listen to what God tells all of us. V. 24: Because I have called, and you refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded….. v.28-32: Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me diligently, but they shall not find me: for they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: they would have none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the waywardness of the simple shall slay them, and the complacency of fools shall destroy them.

~Do you truly understand the utter urgency of viewing God properly? Of submitting to Him completely?

Answer these questions as honestly as you can. But regardless of what your answer is, there is something we must be very careful NOT to miss at the end of this first chapter. It is the incredible mercy of our loving Father: V.33: But whoever hearkens unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be secure from fear of evil.

Do you see it? We either fear God properly OR we live life with a different kind of fear……it is one OR the other; we don’t get the option of refusing to fear the LORD and then not having to fear anything else. The fear of evil and of wickedness and of a life outside of the will of God is the only other choice.

For Today: Do you personally have the reverential awe and respect; the ‘fear’ of the LORD which is the beginning of wisdom? This approach to God is the first step on the fantastic journey to finding the knowledge of who He is….we absolutely cannot miss it. Will you take it today if you haven’t already?