The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
Psalms 111:10 - God’s works are infinite and great, and like the angels that surround His throne (Revelation 4:8), we should never stop praising Him.
Image generated by ChatGPT (OpenAI) using the DALL·E model. “A solitary figure stands on a Judean ridge beneath an immense predawn sky filled with stars, with the first glow of sunrise beginning on the horizon. He looks very small against creation—not frightened, but overwhelmed by reverence. A winding trail begins immediately at his feet and leads toward the sunrise. This would make “fear of the Lord” visually unmistakable as awe, while the path gives us “the beginning of wisdom.”
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”
Psalms 111:10 NIV
Today we take a look at more Biblical wisdom literature, this time from Psalms. We’ve recently studied verses from Ecclesiastes (from King Solomon) and from Proverbs (also written by Solomon, the son of King David). If you find the Psalms as instructive as I do, please feel free to peruse the large and growing collection of them on Heaven On Wheels:
Psalm 111 is another of the acrostic psalms, in which each verse begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. These psalms were not only useful in learning and retaining that alphabet, but in remembering the verses. After a short יָהּ הָלַל (hālal yâ, from which we get “hallelujah”, meaning “Praise the Lord”), the acrostic begins with the word אוֹדֶה (yāḏâ), roughly translated as “I will give thanks”. As Hebrew is read right to left, this word begins with the Hebrew letter aleph or א, similar to the English “a”. As a person who loves words and word puzzles, I find the acrostic psalms to be fascinating.
Let’s jump ahead to the last verse of Psalm 111, verse 10. It begins with the familiar Biblical declaration “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Today, as it was in the days of the Hebrew kings, a proper reverence (fear) of God was seen as the way to true wisdom.
Fear of the Lord is not to be terrified of Him, but to honor and respect Him deeply as the source of everything good and righteous. Having that reverence guides us as believers in moral and spiritual choices. David Guzik of Enduring Word says:
ii. “It is probably a safe bet to say that most people today are not much interested in wisdom. They are interested in making money and in having a good time. Some are interested in knowing something, in getting an education. Almost everyone wants to be well liked. But wisdom? The pursuit of wisdom is not a popular ideal.” (Boice)
iii. “It is not only the beginning of wisdom, but the middle and the end. It is indeed the Alpha and Omega, the essence, the body and the soul, the sum and substance. He that hath the fear of God is truly wise.” (de Superville, cited in Spurgeon)
The second line, “all who follow his precepts have good understanding,” describes precisely the benefits of obeying God. When believers live their lives in line with God’s precepts (which the Merriam Webster dictionary defines as “a command or principle intended especially as a general rule of action”), they possess divine insight which reshapes and guides their lives.
God’s wisdom is both intellectual and transformative: It guides our intellects and changes our interactions with the world at large. Once again from Enduring Word:
i. “Obedience to God proves that our judgment is sound.” (Spurgeon)
ii. “The Psalm closes with words which prepare for the next, as they declare that the fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom, and that such as act according to that fear have good understanding.” (Morgan)
The verse, and Psalm 111 as a whole, ends with a beautiful reminder: “To him belongs eternal praise.” Reverence and honor of God is an eternal calling, something we as Christians start in our worldly life and will continue in our eternal lives. God’s works are infinite and great, and like the angels that surround His throne (Revelation 4:8), we should never stop praising Him.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Today’s prayer comes from Knowing Jesus:
Loving Father, I praise Your glorious name and pray that You would increase my wisdom and understanding of all You are to me with every passing day, for I desire to do Your will in humble obedience to You, for You alone are worthy. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.