It is good to remind ourselves again that wisdom is the principal thing (Pro 4: 7). It should be our pursuit as God’s people. You cannot live successfully on the earth without it. Wisdom helps us not to act and live foolishly. Those who are wise don’t make a fool of themselves. They consistently make choices that justify their wisdom. Wisdom then is a lie preserver.
The question before us today is “where can wisdom be found?” Where does it come from? You cannot get it from the store. You cannot get it from the marketplace. You cannot get it from the grave. Age does not make one wise. There is an interesting monologue in the book of Job 28: 12-28 on wisdom, I encourage you to spend some time reading it. Here is an excerpt:
But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
Man does not know its value,
Nor is it found in the land of the living.
The deep says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
It cannot be purchased for gold,
Nor can silver be weighed for its price.
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
In precious onyx or sapphire.
Neither gold nor crystal can equal it,
Nor can it be exchanged for jewelry of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of coral or quartz,
For the price of wisdom is above rubies.
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
Nor can it be valued in pure gold.
“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.’
Interestingly, many people are looking for God’s wisdom from the wrong place. The good news is that God knows the way of wisdom and has revealed it to us. He says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111: 10, Pro 9: 10). It is also the foundation for knowledge (Pro 1: 7).
In other words, if you want to be wise, if you want to live wisely, if you want to operate in wisdom, you must know and practice the fear of God. The question is therefore, what does it mean to fear the Lord?
“One of the missing links in our churches today is the absence of God’s fear. God’s grace does not replace, has not replaced, and will not replace His fear. Also, His love will not replace His fear. In fact, His love should drive us to fear Him all the more.”
It does not mean to be afraid or scared of Him. It does not mean to run away from Him or go into hiding when you see Him coming. Or cover your hears because you don’t want to hear Him speak to you. It does not mean to be terrified of Him.
The fear of the Lord is a deep reverence for Him. It is acknowledging Him in all your way ways. It is the deep respect that is born out of love for Him. The fear of God is the foundation for our heartfelt worship. When you put God first in everything you do and live by His word, you are exhibiting wisdom. You must walk in the fear of God just like the apostles did (acts 9: 31). In fact, the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life should help you fear Him (Isa 11: 2).
That means because we fear God, we take Him seriously. We don’t put Him on the back burner. He is not our number two, He is the only one. We honor Him with our lives and everything we have. We cherish His presence.
When we fear God, we hate sin in any way, shape, or form. We run from every appearance of sin. We don’t live a compromised life. We walk humbly before Him. The fear of God causes us to want to do what is right at all times.
“If you want to be wise, if you want to live wisely, if you want to operate in wisdom, you must know and practice the fear of God.”
God’s fear causes us to tremble at His word (Ps 66: 2 & 5). We value His word. We live by His word. His word causes our hearts to repent. One of the missing links in our churches today is the absence of God’s fear. God’s grace does not replace, has not replaced, and will not replace His fear. Also, His love will not replace His fear. In fact, His love should drive us to fear Him all the more.
When we are dealing with God, everything does not go. God’s fear brings us to His standard. He does not and will not lower His standard to accommodate us; instead, He empowers us to meet His standard through His grace. When we understand the fear of God it will be easier to operate His wisdom because His fear keeps us from evil. Proverbs 16: 6 says: “by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.” That means if you are not in awe of God, you will not turn away from evil.
The fear of the Lord empowers us to obey Him. Remember this: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil” (Pro 3: 7, AMPC).
Love and fear (deep reverence and honor) are two sides of the same coin. They work hand-in-hand. There is no way you love someone passionately and not have an ounce of respect for them. God asked the children of Israel a question in the book of Malachi 1: 6-8
A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is the [reverent] fear due Me? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise My name. You say, How and in what way have we despised Your name? By offering polluted food upon My altar. And you ask, How have we polluted it and profaned You? By thinking that the table of the Lord is contemptible and may be despised. When you [priests] offer blind [animals] for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and the sick, is it not evil? Present such a thing [a blind or lame or sick animal] now to your governor [in payment of your taxes, and see what will happen]. Will he be pleased with you? Or will he receive you graciously? says the Lord of hosts (AMPC).
Have you seen the correlation between having a relationship with God, honoring and fearing Him? Pastor Derek Prince once remarked: “wisdom is not cleverness—because cleverness can be compatible with evil. The fear of the Lord is incompatible with evil.”
Our prayer today is that God will teach us the fear of the Lord.
Prayer: Lord, teach me your fear and help me to have a deeper reverence for you in Jesus’ name. Amen!
