Proverbs 1:7
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Thoughts from Dayna Spaulding
Dive Deeper
Behind the Scenes
This is another one of those verses that I have wrestled with over the years. I remember reading it and other verses that talk about fearing the Lord and the picture of me cowering in the corner comes to mind. I hear the word fear and I think of a negative emotion.
Add to that, there are verses that seem to contradict this. Verses like 1 John 4:18 which says “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear…” Or 2 Timothy 1:7 which says, “For God has not given us a spirit fearfulness…” So how do we reconcile the fear of the Lord being something good in this passage and yet other verse that paint fear as something God came to free us from?
This is where context and understanding of the text becomes incredibly important. Hang tight with me for a minute while I geek out on you with a short little Hebrew lesson. In Hebrew there is something called a construct relationship. Basically, when there are two nouns that appear one after another, there is a relationship of possession between the two. The second noun possesses the first noun.
For instance: The hand of God- God possesses the hand, not the hand possessing God. Or The word of God- God possesses and is the originator of the word, not the other way around. Do you see how that works?
Now let’s jump back to our text… In this verse we are told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is one of these construct relationships. God is the possessor of the fear that we are reading about. It’s not my fear, but God’s fear. Hm… that’s interesting. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t think God could be afraid.
Well, that’s where accurate contextual translation comes in to play. The word used here in Hebrew is yira which literally translates “flowing of the gut”. It’s the feeling you get when you are overwhelmed with something that is bigger than yourself. It’s the response to a moment, an idea, an experience or a thing that you literally feel all throughout your body. It’s the intersection of mind, body and soul in response to something beyond yourself.
With that meaning in mind, this makes a lot more sense. The fear of the Lord is no longer about my response to Him, but what flows from Him. It’s about the overwhelming, gut-churning, breathtaking vastness of God. It’s about Him who is far above me. And the “fear” that I need in order to attain it comes from God and not my own reaction to Him. It is the place I sit in perfect awe, bathed in the greatness of the Lord, allowing all of Him to wash over all of me. It’s a surrender, a letting go, and a receiving.
Make it Real
So now understanding this verse better, how do we apply it to our lives? Well, first we have to realize that it starts with God and not us. It’s not about me somehow gaining wisdom or knowledge. Instead it’s about a surrender to Him who has everything I need.
I get this mental picture of someone sitting in the dark, clashing rocks together to make a spark, so hungry and desperate for some small portion of light. That’s you and me. We’re striving and pushing to clang our rocks together hard enough to make a momentary flash of light. But it’s short lived and inefficient.
But this verse is talking about putting our rocks down and stepping into the overwhelming flooding light of Christ. It’s about realizing that I am a really poor source of light, and all my efforts amount to barely a flicker. But light, wisdom, truth, and goodness eternally flow from my Lord. When He is the source, there is no shadow, there is no darkness. And there is more than I could ever need. It’s abundant and all satisfying. I picture sitting in the perfect glow of a warm light that floods every nook and cranny. Can you feel it?
The fear of the Lord which leads to knowledge starts when we put our rocks down and turn to the Lord. It’s not about being afraid or pulling away. It’s just the opposite. It’s about leaning in harder. It’s about beholding Him in all His brilliance and basking in the light of the Son. It’s about letting go of my pride or that which says I can do enough, be enough, or say enough.
Where do you need to put your rocks down today? Where do you need to stop turning to your own efforts or your own understanding to create a flicker of light? How can you choose to turn to Christ alone, bask in the light of that which flows eternally from Him, and allow Him to be your source today?
Crystal Garnett
ACF Digital Discipleship Team Lead
End in Prayer
Lord,
I am without words. Your vastness and Your brilliance overwhelm me. You are so magnificent! Oh, how far above me are You! And yet, You care about me! I am undone! Lord, how could I ever need anything else? You are the source of all that I need. Lord, help me today to put down my rocks and stop striving in vain to produce something that You provide in full! Teach me what it means to rest in your light and your love. Teach me the awe and fear that leads me to sit at Your feet. Lord, I am forever Yours!
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen