Thread by @GPrater85015

#GeraldsDevotional
Fear God – The Beginning of Wisdom?

In yesterday’s devotional, I explored the idea that there is no fear in love and that God’s perfect love casts out fear. Yet the bible also teaches us in Proverbs 9:10 that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.” Is this a contradiction? I would submit to you that it

is not at all a contradiction and here is my reason for you to consider.

It is ironic that Proverbs 9:10 was written by Solomon whom God blessed with great wisdom. When we look at the whole of Solomon’s life, we see that he lived a life of great excess with somewhat of a selfish

focus. He had great riches and bought whatever he wanted and what should we remember and take note of all of his wives? What does God’s Word say about family and husbands and wives? See 1 Timothy 3:2. No, in spite of all of his wisdom, Solomon’s life was far from perfect. Yet at

the end of his life as he reflected back on it, Solomon gave us one final word of wisdom at the end of Ecclesiastes. This word (our devotional scripture for today) talks about that same fear from Proverbs 9.

This use of fear does not have the same meaning as being scared or

afraid. Solomon is talking of fear as in reverence or respect. We fear Him in this manner when we recognize and honor Him for who He is and how great He is. We put things into perspective recognizing how He is all-powerful, all-knowing, just pure and holy, and most importantly,

WE ARE NOT. With that understanding, we honor Him, fall down on our knees and worship Him along with all of the rest of His creation and the angels (the heavenly host). We are driven to do this not because we are afraid of punishment, but because we are in awe of Him and His

character.

Finally, the fear of being afraid of being zapped or punished by Him is a central theme in the good news of the Gospel. Jesus took that punishment so now we don’t have to be afraid at all of our Father and can run BOLDLY to His throne, even when we make mistakes.

We run to Him, once again, in awe of His character and incredible love for us. There is no fear (fright) in that kind of fear (reverence).

These are the final words of Ecclesiastes, Solomon’s ultimate advice to his son after reflecting back on his life:

13 That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. - Ecclesiastes 12:13
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