The Fear of the Lord (part 1)

The Scriptures have much to say about the fear of the Lord. Theologians have called it the reverential awe of God that a believer has for the Lord. This is partially true. 

Proverbs 9:10-11 tell us:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you. 

Psalm 111:10 reads

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever. 

Proverbs 15:33 adds,

The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.

Here is what God says to us in Proverbs 2:1-11,

Listen to His voice and heed His instruction, ‘My son, my daughter, 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. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly; He guards the paths of justice, And preserves the way of His saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice, Equity and every good path. When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul, Discretion will preserve you; Understanding will keep you.

Job 28:20-28 tells us valuable information about wisdom in a poetic way,

From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all living, And concealed from the birds of the air. Destruction and Death say, ‘We have heard a report about it with our ears. God understands its way, And He knows its place. For He looks to the ends of the earth, And sees under the whole heavens, To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure. When He made a law for the rain, And a path for the thunderbolt, Then He saw wisdom and declared it; He prepared it, indeed, He searched it out. And to man He said,  Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,  And to depart from evil is understanding.

Finally Proverbs 1:7 reminds us that,

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

In order to have good knowledge you have to start with the fear of the Lord. Truth and true knowledge are despised by those in the world and so God says in Romans 1:22 …professing themselves wise they became fools.