Word to the Wise: Fear The Lord First

First things first!  There is always a proper order in which things should be done.  A prerequisite (pre-requirement) is something that is required as a prior condition in order for something else to happen.  Very simply, a prerequisite is something that must be done first at the beginning of a process.  We experience a number of prerequisites in life.  After school, finishing our homework is a prerequisite before getting to watch TV or play on the computer.  At supper, eating vegetables is a prerequisite before getting dessert.  In school, completing certain classes is a prerequisite before moving on to the next subject.  If we do not fulfill a prerequisite, we are not allowed enjoy or experience whatever follows.  Prerequisites are not optional, they cannot be skipped over, they must be done first!

So, when it comes to obtaining wisdom, are there any prerequisites? What comes first? 

READ:  Proverbs 1:7, 9:10

Here’s our WORD TO THE WISE for the week from the book of Proverbs:  FEAR the LORD First!  What is the fear of the Lord?  The “fear of the Lord” is a deeply profound REVERENCE and RESPECT for God.  The fear of the Lord is THE mandatory prerequisite before obtaining wisdom!  In the process of obtaining wisdom, the necessary place to begin is with the proper reverence and respect for God.  Before we try to apply any individual proverb to our lives we must fear the Lord.  Fearing the Lord is essential in our pursuit of wisdom, it is the required starting place if we are going to obtain and live a life of wisdom.  Thus, the opposite is true, if we do no fear the Lord, our lives will be void of any godly wisdom.

The fear of the Lord is our MOTIVATION to turn away from EVIL (Prov. 3:7, 8:13, 16:6) – I want my children to have a healthy fear of me . . . not just the possibility of discipline.  I want my integrity and character to influence what good my children decide to do and what evil they decide to avoid.   I want my children to have such a deep reverence and respect for the way I conduct my life that it motivates them to imitate me.  God is the only one who is deserving of reverence and respect, He is holy and His character is perfect.  A healthy fear of the Lord will help us to “turn away from evil”.  What we know and understand about the character of God will be a holy incentive to say “no” to the things that contradict with what we admire about His character.

The fear of the Lord provides CONFIDENCE (Proverbs 14:26) – Our culture teaches us that our confidence (or lack thereof) comes from our self-esteem . . . either our positive or negative view of ourselves.  This way of thinking says that we will experience as much (or as little) confidence as we trust in our own talents and abilities.  The problem is talents and abilities are extremely limited.  We will continually lose confidence because we will continually fail ourselves.  The only way to maintain an unfluctuating, unswerving “strong confidence” is by fearing the Lord.  When we fear the Lord we are not trusting in ourselves, but the One who is able to provide us with whatever confidence we need in any and every situation.

The fear of the Lord brings BLESSING and REWARD (Proverbs 22:4, 28:14) – In our house, allowance is a reward for doing chores and keeping rooms clean.  I’m pretty confident that most weeks allowance is the only reason any work gets done at all!  We are motivated by reward and blessing.  God “rewards” those who fear Him with riches, honor, and life, and He “blesses” those who always revere and respect Him.  Pursing the reward or blessing cannot be what is first, but it is a benefit for those who have feared the Lord first.

CONCLUSION:

Make no mistake about what should be first in our lives . . . the fear of the Lord.  HE is to be our prerequisite before everything else.  In answering a lawyer’s question about what the most important commandment in the Old Testament Jesus answered in Matthew 22:37, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind.”  According to Jesus, loving the Lord is the prerequisite before a single one of His commandments.  It’s pretty clear, God requires HIMSELF to be first in our lives!