WITH ALL DUE RESPECT
Proverbs 1:7 NKJV
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
No, I do not know who the great harlot is from Revelation chapter 17. I'll just play it safe and go to the Proverbs.
Our proverb for today is a solemn piece of wisdom with a far reaching impact. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." That's quite a statement. You may be thinking of people you know who are considered brilliant and have no regard for God. But stop and think about it for a moment. Someone who is brilliant in this life, with no regard or fear of God, has not even acknowledged the One who gave them life in the first place. They have no regard for the One who created the world they are privileged to live in. All they can see, and most certainly all they cannot see, has been created by God. It was God who gave wisdom and insight to man. It was God who gave man a brain and the ability to think. And it was God who has given men the choice to believe in Him or ignore Him. These highly intelligent people have not even acknowledged the source of life. And their knowledge will one day be obsolete. Just think, how smart will these people be considered in a thousand years? No, the beginning of knowledge is to acknowledge our Creator and the One who gives us life and breath.
This proverb goes on to discuss foolish people. Of course, Solomon was not trying to be polite when he simply calls them fools. But I am going to stay with calling them foolish people. Primarily because I have been foolish myself. I am not looking for an amen here, but consider what foolish people do.
Foolish people despise wisdom and instruction. The Scriptures use despise differently. In the New Testament, Paul told Timothy not to let anyone despise his young age. Despise in this context was to think lightly of, to look down upon. When we use 'despise' in a modern context, it often refers to an intense dislike. I despised the spinach my mother made when I was young. She put cream cheese and chives in stewed spinach, and it was awful. I despised it then and am old enough to refuse it now. Despise in our proverb for today is to show disrespect or contempt for. The WordBookdictionary says despise is "lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike." When it comes to godly wisdom, I believe many fall into the category of lack of respect. I am thinking of people who are already believers, people who have made Jesus their savior, but do not have respect for His words. This lack of respect can be seen when God's Word directly addresses and contradicts human will and behavior. People who have no regard for God can be contemptuous and scornful of His Word.
Hopefully, we all know better than to receive counsel from someone who despises the wisdom and instruction of God's Word. And even more hopefully, we all should beware of thinking too lightly and not having respect for God's wisdom, even when it goes cross-grain with our thoughts and desires. We aim to be wise and not be foolish. So we are continually adjusting to the wisdom and instruction of God's Word, despite our feelings or what conventional wisdom declares. Out of a great reverence for God, we have a great reverence for the wisdom and instruction in His Word.
PRAYER
Lord, forgive me when I have not shown You the respect You deserve. And forgive me when I have disregarded the wisdom and instruction of Your Word. I desire to be a person who is wise in Your sight.