Articles
The Fear Of The Lord
The Fear Of The Lord
Reading Proverbs brings back memories of younger years. Times are different but the same. Young people still need instruction and advice. They DO listen; the important thing is WHO do they listen to?
The young man addressed in these chapters is a fortunate young man for he has both a father and a mother that has instructed concerning God, friends, character, right and wrong. Time and again we will read about sex, work ethics; choice of friends; and character.
We see the Proverb writer coming back time and again to the ultimate foundation of life: God. The advice given is not just about the father’s opinions, likes, and desires, but is based upon the very character of God.
The fear of the LORD will be spoken of some 19 times in this book*. It begins: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7). Once, we read of the fear of man, but it is contrasted with the fear of the LORD: "The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted” (Proverbs 29:25) As we transition from youth to adult, our understanding and relationship with God become the deciding point of many of our decisions. Those that know and fear the Lord despise evil and walk uprightly. Those that don’t fear God have removed the greatest incentive to follow righteousness.
Your understanding of God will shape your life. In a day where people have either denied the very existence of God or have perverted their understanding of His character, we see evil being proclaimed as good and good as evil. The very things God hates are often paraded as virtues. Reading Proverbs shows that such things are not really new. Have you cultivated a fear of God?
Hugh DeLong
