Fools despise the kinds of things we have considered so far in Prov. 1:1-6. They have contempt for careful thought and painstaking approaches to the decisions of life. Why and how does the fool despise wisdom? Perhaps we can get some understanding from what this proverb does not say.
It does not say that the beginning of
wisdom is to love yourself. Many think
that self-love is a key to wisdom,
believing that if we care enough for ourselves we will pay the price of
wisdom. They think we will always do what
is best for ourselves. Proverbs does say
that the way of wisdom is, in fact, the most healthy and rewarding way of
life. But that is insufficient as a
place to start a search for wisdom.
Times will come often when we will not care enough about ourselves to
overcome laziness or weariness or loneliness (when wisdom takes us on a
solitary path). It will be too easy to
confuse “self love” with “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the
pride of life” (1 John 2:16).
It also does not say that the
beginning of wisdom is to fear evil. We may forego some pleasure because we fear
where it might lead us if we become addicted to it. But this also comes up short because it again
tends toward “self” as the fundamental motivation for gaining wisdom. It is good to respect the consequences of
evil, and Proverbs will say this. But
the “passing pleasures of sin” (Heb. 11:25) will be too deceptive and seductive
and we will seldom value the “reproach of Christ” (Heb. 11:26) sufficiently to
choose the path of the cross.
The life-long search for wisdom that
will yield all its marvelous fruits will only be possible if the fundamental
basis for that search is found outside of us.
It must involve a Person, Someone to whom we are connected, One who is
real and present. It must be Someone to
whom we recognize accountability, Someone who has a claim upon us because we
are His. He must be wise Himself, having
an intricate understanding of us and our surroundings. He must be willing to communicate that wisdom
to us. It would be wonderful if it was
Someone who loved us, was patient with us, and who would chasten us when we go
astray. The beginning of wisdom must
take us to the LORD, the Maker of
heaven and earth!
The reference to God as LORD translates the Hebrew
“Yahweh.” It is the Name of God by which
Israel understood all the things we have said about God and more. He is Personal, the only true God, the
covenant God who chose Israel.
But let us note: it does not say “The
LORD is the beginning of
wisdom.” It says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom.” To fear the Lord is to have a
deep, solemn, reverential recognition of God’s presence at all times, coupled
with a deep desire to honor Him. It knows
that He is “the Judge standing at the door” (Jas. 4:9). It affirms that “there is no creature hidden
from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we
must give account” (Heb. 4:11). This is
not the end of wisdom, but it is the beginning.
Without the fear of the Lord you will
not have sufficient reason to seek wisdom nor to live wisely. Are you at the starting line? Do you fear God?
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