Begin Here

June 21–Psalm 147-Proverbs 1

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”(Proverbs 1:7).

We don’t. In our self-focused, self-confident flesh, none of us grasps this wisdom. Fear of the Lord is NOT our first principle. It is NOT where we begin.

Like Eve, our starting place is self. FOMO (fear of missing out), or fear of pain, or fear of rejection, drives us. Proud people, we crave control and credit and comfort, rather than Christ. These are our first values. Self is where we begin.

When God, in grace, calls us to repent (meta noia, “to think again, re-think”), He invites us to the original relationship with Himself. He intends a return to a new “first fact”. God is! God is true beauty! God is true value! Our rights and needs are not first. HIS rights, HIS glory are. In repentance we rebuild life on a foundation of respect and fear for God. “Start here!” says the Holy One.

Some people say that grace removes the danger of judgement. I don’t believe it. “No condemnation” does not mean “no consequences”. Note God’s posture toward those who reject His instruction in v. 28-29. Grace is a gift that freely reconciles us to God through the work of Christ. It does not, however, change the road that He intends us to walk, nor the consequences if we refuse. The fear of the God’s discipline is a healthy place to stand.

If “PRAISE the Lord!” (150:6) is the last and lingering lesson of the book of Psalms. “FEAR the Lord,” is the first lesson of the book of Proverbs.

What would life be if my first thought every day was His approval, His glory? What if, by grace, I came to a deep humility before Him? A fear of His discipline? “It would be the beginning of wisdom,” says Proverbs.

“The church. . .enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit”(Acts 9:31).

“Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due Thee?”(Psalm 90:11).