Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Most of us want to be wiser. We want to understand the world around us better. We want to be able to make good decisions. We want to be able to give good advice.
Where Do We Turn for Wisdom?
Where do we turn to for that wisdom? We understand we need to get older, maybe have more maturity, or more experience in life. But I think what we do is we try to consume information. We might talk to people, we might read books, we might get on the internet, we might Google this or that, and all of that is an attempt to get more knowledge so that we will have more wisdom.
The Bible gives us a very different starting point for wisdom. The Bible, this verse in particular, says: wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord.
Understanding the Fear of the Lord
Let me talk for just a minute about the fear of the Lord, because that could easily be misunderstood, because we're not saying be afraid of God. God is not saying to be afraid of Him.
Theologians in the past have made a distinction between two different kinds of fear, and I think it's helpful: servile fear and filial fear. Servile fear is a fear that a slave might have, and it is a fear that would drive you away from someone. It is the fear that Adam had in the garden when he was found out in his sin. It makes us run. It makes us hide. It terrifies us, and we are afraid.
We're not to be afraid of God. We're not to fear God in that way. Rather, it's a filial fear. That's a family fear. That is the fear that a child has for a father who loves him. What it is, is a deep respect. It is a deep reverence.
Fear That Drives Us to God
That fear of God, the fear we have as His adopted sons and daughters—He is our Heavenly Father. That fear doesn't drive us away from God. That fear drives us to God. It drives us to worship Him. It drives us to serve Him. What we're being told here in Proverbs is it leads to wisdom. It's recognizing God for who He is: His mercy, His power, His majesty. Now it's living a life in a state of proper awe and adoration before Him.
When you actually fear God in that way, when His opinion matters to you more than any other opinion, it changes your life. It changes what you watch. It changes what you say. It changes how you treat people. It restrains you and it guides you.
Living a Life of Wisdom
What is happening there? You're living a life of wisdom. It makes you wise because it orients your whole life around the One who actually knows how life works.
Here's a quote from John Bunyan. He said: "The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and they that lack the beginning have neither middle nor end."
The Broken Compass Analogy
I want you to think of a compass that doesn't work. I personally have a compass that doesn't work, and I don't know why I haven't thrown it away. I've got all this backpacking gear and I've got good compasses and I've got a bad one. I found it the other day, and it doesn't work because it doesn't tell me where north is.
If we do not have wisdom, if we do not fear God, then it's like having a compass that doesn't tell us what north is. If you're out in the woods and you've got all the maps you need, but you don't know where north is, all that information is absolutely useless. You need to know the right direction.
That is the wisdom of God that comes from the fear of God. With it, even our ordinary decisions are now informed by the wisdom of God.
This Week
Do you need wisdom this week? I know you need wisdom this week. Start with the fear of the Lord. Not more information, not another opinion. The fear of the Lord.