Back To the Beginning
Proverbs 9:10-12 NKJV
10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone."
These verses spell out a foundational truth that is vitally important. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. And knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. In our current culture, wisdom and understanding are at a premium. The advent of the internet and now AI has made knowledge so readily available that it has created a false sense of wisdom. Because we have so much information at our fingertips, we have mistaken that for wisdom. But wisdom is different.
Wisdom and understanding are different from information and knowledge. Wisdom and understanding involve the ability to use knowledge in a skillful manner. For example, you can know all about the basics of good communication in a marriage. Wisdom and understanding show you how to apply that knowledge to your marriage. You can know all about how to formulate a business plan. AI will help you develop a sound strategy. But you'll need wisdom to know how to actually implement that strategy for your business.
The writer of Proverbs, Solomon, was considered the wisest man who ever lived until Jesus surpassed him. And the wisest man stated that a reverence for God is where true wisdom begins. If we think about it, God is the source of all wisdom and knowledge. Nothing is hidden from Him; there is nothing that surprises Him. He is the Creator of the universe, and His wisdom is light-years ahead of us. So to reverence Him is the wisest thing we can do. To ignore Him or treat Him with no respect is not wisdom. Someone may have a high IQ but not have wisdom if there is no fear of God.
And the wisdom that comes from reverencing and knowing our Heavenly Father pays off in big benefits. Days that are not fruitless and years added to our lives. I'd like some of both, thank you. If we gain wisdom from God, it will help us. God's wisdom can help us deal with the problems we face in life. God's wisdom can give us the right perspective about our life here on earth. God's wisdom creates in us a knowing that this life is not all there is. And true wisdom says we don't just live for now, but we are aware that there is a life to come.
God's wisdom will bless our lives individually. And rejecting God's wisdom creates a burden we would rather not bear. The good news is that God's wisdom is available to all of us. The starting place is a reverence for God.
Prayer
Father, thank You for Your wisdom that is higher and greater than what man can offer. I look to You and Your wisdom first.