The first step in learning

Proverbs 1:7
 
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
 but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1:7)
 
         The book of Proverbs has to do with knowledge, not simply information. The role of the proverb is to take information and show in a crisp and effective way how it relates to life. Solomon holds that there is but one entrance to real knowledge and that is “fear of the Lord.” So important is this basic truth that the phrase is repeated fourteen times in his book of wise sayings.
But what does it mean to fear the Lord? Probably the best translation of the Hebrew term is “reverential awe.” However, it captures a wide range of meaning, going all the way from shrinking back in terror to drawing close in awe. (Alan Ross in the EBC). It is the controlling principle of knowledge, the entrance to true understanding. Put simply, it says, “to have knowledge, you must first have reverence for the Lord” (TEV). There is no other way. To fear the Lord is the direct opposite of living as a “fool” (mentioned 34 times in the book).
         As we work our way through the book, discussing four or five proverbs in each chapter, we will be reminded of basic truths we probably have been aware of for a long time. What makes Proverbs so rewarding is that those same observations come into focus and become divine instruction on how to carry out our daily life. New life is breathed into ideas that earlier on hadn’t impressed us as being the mind of God. It is when we read a proverb as one who fears the Lord that we realize that God himself is speaking to us, helping us to understand how best to meet the challenges of the day. God becomes our personal guide to understanding!
         The second part of the verse speaks of the fool, one who has “no respect for wisdom and refuses to learn” (TEV). Solomon characterizes them as given to mocking (1:22), un willing to accept good advice (10:8), immoral (10:18), always thinking they are right (12.15), unwise (14.13), proud (30:32), and on and on goes the negative description. It is an incredible privilege to realize that as we read and reflect on any one of Solomon’s proverbs, God is there, wanting to teach us something of real value for life. Humility allows wisdom to be recognized and adopted, but the failure to stand in awe of God, who he is, what he has done, and what he says, blocks the path to genuine understanding. True knowledge is for those who stand in fear of the Lord.