The Fear of the Lord Is the Beginning of Knowledge (Proverbs 1)

Today, I begin reading Proverbs.

Right at the opening,

these words are placed before the reader:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 (Proverbs 1:7)

Proverbs is often called a book of wisdom.

So one might expect it to begin with a discussion of wisdom and knowledge.

Yet what is spoken first is not knowledge itself.

It is:

“The fear of the Lord.”

Before speaking about knowledge, Proverbs speaks about where one stands.

Before acquiring knowledge,

it is as if we are invited to examine our position.

Whose voice are we listening to?

Could this be where Proverbs begins?

Job and his friends spoke at length.

There were questions.

There was deep reflection.

There were ongoing arguments.

Yet in the end, what remained was not the greatness of human wisdom,

but the reality that the Lord speaks.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”

Proverbs speaks of a beginning—a starting point.

That the fear of the Lord is where knowledge begins.

Before gaining knowledge from Scripture,

before seeking understanding,

Proverbs asks about where we stand.

At this very moment,

are we standing before the Lord who speaks?

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