Proverbs 1:2-7

The Fear of the Lord as the Foundation of Wisdom.

Intro: It is so good to be back here at Haven on the Rock. This is a unique time for you this week to be in an environment that supports you and wants you to succeed. It may sound cliche, but everyone here wants you to experience all that God has for you. Your willingness to place your phone out of sight for a few days, to ‘binge’ if you will the bible for a few days, and to form friendships with new people this week really is an opportunity for you to simply ask this question: What am I doing with my life right now?

This is not about what you want to be when you grow up, what your parents or counselors want to be, but who God wants you to be. So, to begin our time this week, let’s just take a moment and pray for God to give us insight into who He is, how he loves us, and how he wants to bring us into a growing relationship with himself. Would you take a moment to pray for courage and honesty?

Transition: Now, let’s jump into our first talk of the week.

I recently heard a story about two men who shared a hospital room together. One of the men was very ill and he could only sit up in a reclined position for his oxygen intake. His recliner/bed was next to the only window in the room, and through it he could see the outside world. The other gentlemen had had an extensive back surgery and was forced to lay completely flat all day, everyday. The fear was that the least bit of movement would paralyze him for life. So these two guys would talk some throughout the day, and the one near the window would often talk about what he saw outside. He would often see people at the park across the street and all manner of activities (go into a few details). The other gentlemen would here of this, and since he could only stare at the ceiling, he would close his eyes and imagine the scene being descibed. The joy of this conversation would delight him and was the highlight of his day. One day, the man with the breathing issues passed away in the night. Once the room was emptied and taken care of, the man lying flat asked a nurse if she could move his bed near the window. She did, and though he risked paralysis, he wanted to see the park across the street outside the window. He mustered his strength and took a chance. He could life himself enough for a brief glance, and to his shock, all he saw was a brick wall. When the nurse came back in, he explained all that had been described and she looked quite puzzled. She said that the man who had died not only had oxygen issues, but he was blind. (Adapted from GK Chesterton)

This story illustrates well how often feel about the world we see around us. We read stories in the bible, or hear bible stories about God’s goodness and greatness and love, but we often look ‘out of our windows’ and see what appears to be the opposite.

Question: Why does it seem that the world we want to see appears more like a brick wall and not a picturesque park?

One of the ways the bible illustrates this very point is through a collection of statements, called Proverbs, that served to make those who claimed to follow the Lord think in such a way as to live with wisdom. In fact, there are 4 books in this part of the bible that are called wisdom literature (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes). Each of these designed to highlight some of the ways we process through what we see, feel, and experience. We often ask questions that seem impossible to answer (why, how), we process the ways we experience life in relation to our understanding about God, and we often wonder how to navigate life when it seems that there isn’t a clear cut decision to make. Our study this week will embrace these challenges so that God can grow our faith in him, even when answer seem distant.

So, where do we start with such a big undertaking?

Proverbs 1:2–7 “To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 2:5 “then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

There are several other scriptures in the book of Proverbs that explicitly states that the foundation of true wisdom is the fear of the Lord. This naturally brings up a few questions for us to consider.

1.) What does it mean to fear the Lord?

2.) Why is the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom?

3.) How do we properly, and practically, fear the Lord?

Transition: Let’s start with the first question.

1.) What does it mean to fear the Lord?

EXEGESIS: In our text, the writer of Proverbs tells us that the goal of this book is for those who claim to be the people of God to learn how to live with insight, knowledge, discretion, prudence, and instruction. Essentially it is asking of everything a person may say, think, or do - it is asking - is this wise? The structure of wisdom is not compliance or mere know-how (How to read a map, when to take medicine, or what I can or cannot say at work). Rather, its learning to navigate the complexities of life with competence and understanding in light of the goodness and grace of God. It isn’t a passive idea or concept, but as we’ll see over the next few days - it is a call to search out and maneuver through thick and thin.

The means by which this happens is through the fear of the Lord. This phrase catches us off guard because we immediately go to the idea of dread, punishment, and terror. The idea of fear in this context is this: it is reverence and awe when confronted with the reality of who God is. The Proverbs aren’t statements to hold over our heads as punishment, but rather they shine a light on the goodness and grace of God. The fear of the Lord is cast as the shoes worn by those who see the world not as it is, but as God designed it to be.

APPLICATION: To know Him, and to seek Him is to stand in awe of Him. Wisdom doesn;t happen because we know an answer to a question, or can read a map, or remember historical facts. True wisdom for navigating the complexities of life, when there doesn’t appear to be a clear answer, is found in a relationship with the God who made us, formed us, and calls us to himself.

2.) Why is the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom?

EXEGESIS: If the ‘what’ question is answered by looking to the majesty and glory of God, then the ‘why’ question is answered in the not so pleasant reminder that things are not as they should be. In fact, one of the ways we can describe the book of Proverbs is that its a book of shadows and puzze peices. Shadows because as we will see over the next few days that we all long for a world where money, relationships, sex, work, politics, and more all shined with virtue and goodness. The statements in Proverbs show us the opposite (give a couple of brief examples). The framework and foundation for wisdom, then, is when there is a re-centering of our attitudes, actions, and affections.

APPLICATION: The reason we have to start with the fear of the Lord is because not only is there shadows how the world ought to be, but in these shadows we see our own tendency to trust in ourselves. We overestimate our abilities to think, to know, and to surmise. The fear of the Lord reorients us back to our truest place of flourishing and growth - to the One who created us.

3.) How do we properly, and practically, fear the Lord?

EXEGESIS: Over and again, the book of Proverbs startles us into asking if something is done with foolishness or wisdom. It present scenario after scenanrio of everyday actions that either point to the One who created us, of whom we delight and stand in awe. Or, we are presented with what feels like all to familiar scenarios of making good things ultimate things (give examples).

APPLICATION: The only path of true wisdom is not found by looking inward, but outward. It’s looking to the One who not only created us, but who actually came into our world and became not just a teacher of wisdom, but wisdom with a capital W.

Jesus Connection:

Mark 6:2 “And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?”

Jesus is our wisdom. In other words, the greatest way we express our awe of God is by looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. He showed us the true wisdom of God by dying for all of our sins. He showed us true wisdom through his resurrection from the dead. He shows his wisdom by inviting us to have a seat at his table. The world isn’t as it should be, but he is a God who, through Jesus, is making all things new.