“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” This single verse stands as the doorway to the Proverbs—narrow yet opening into the vast halls of divine wisdom. It is not fear as the world knows it—the kind that cowers and flees—but the holy awe that bows before the majesty of God. It’s an invitation to Eden pre-Fall. It’s the trembling reverence of a child before the loving discipline of a father—the stillness of the soul that knows it stands before the Almighty. Here, wisdom does not begin in books, degrees, philosophy, or debate, but in worship. You cannot know anything rightly until you know God rightly. And to know Him rightly is to fear Him. Those who do not fear God reach for the forbidden fruit.
The world scorns this fear. It paints God as either the distant, cold deity of deism or the harmless mascot of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (i.e., American Christianity), refusing to kneel before Him, let alone repent. But the Scriptures teach us true knowledge begins with humility. The fear of the Lord teaches you that you are not the center, and that wisdom flows not from your heart but from God’s mouth. This fear leads you to the foot of the cross, where the Judge becomes the Savior, where wrath meets mercy and knowledge meets love. The more you grow in this fear, the more you grow in grace, for only the contrite heart can be taught. Only the humbled soul can be wise.
“But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Not all folly is loud or obvious. Sometimes, it sits in a church pew, arms folded, heart closed, refusing to sing hymns or repent after hearing the Law. The fool is not simply the one who sins but the one who refuses correction. He rolls his eyes at the Word, shrugs at the preacher, scoffs at the Law, and yawns at the Gospel. But the wise, even when they stumble, rise again to listen. They welcome reproof like water on a dry tongue. For them, correction is not condemnation but care. It’s the Lord laying them down beside green pastures and leading them beside still waters (Psalm 23:2).
Therefore, let your heart be taught to fear the Lord. Not once, but daily, for the fear of the Lord is not a lesson learned and left behind; it is the posture of the soul in the presence of God—bent low, hands folded, ears ready. The fear of the Lord is the soil in which all wisdom grows. From that soil blooms love, patience, justice, discernment, and faith. The fear of the Lord is not the end of joy but its beginning, because in fearing Him you finally see He is good. And in seeing, you are made wise.
The Lutheran Column 