Where to begin? Isn’t that the question most of us have when we are looking to increase wisdom and knowledge? We look at the pile of books at the library or book store, or we search the seemingly never-ending list of topics with which to learn on the internet. If we are honest, most of us think to ourselves, “Where should I begin?”
Well, in the Bible, we have a clear point to begin at. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Now, we have a new question: “What is the ‘fear of the Lord’?”
To ‘fear the Lord’ is to reverence Him. Moral life begins with reverence and humility before our Maker and Redeemer. Reverence is much more than sitting quietly in church. It includes obeying God in the way that we speak and the way we treat others. David said in Psalm 34 that a person who fears the Lord doesn’t lie, turns from sin, does good, and promotes peace (Ps. 34:13-14). And the Bible often connects the fear of the Lord (love and reverence for him) with obedience. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Fear God, and keep His commandments.” Jesus said in John 14:23, “If a man love me, he will keep my words.” So before we can begin to seek knowledge and wisdom, we have to start with humility before God.
Leading up to the big idea in Proverbs 1:7, we have four purposes for seeking knowledge and wisdom. But before that, let’s biblically define knowledge and wisdom, and let’s see the difference between the two. We need both, and they are connected to one another. You can have knowledge without wisdom, but you can’t have wisdom without knowledge.
Knowledge focuses on correct understanding of the world and oneself as creatures of the magnificent and loving God. It is seeing ourselves in relation to other people or objects. God created everything, and one thing that is unique to us is that we can have logical, rational thinking that includes abstract feelings and emotions. We aren’t robots carrying out tasks. We aren’t mere biological matter carrying out actions based on basic instinct. We think about how our actions have cause and effect, and we alter our patterns of life to have different outcomes based on those possible effects. Knowledge is knowing things.
Wisdom is the acquired skill of applying that knowledge rightly. It is the skill in the art of godly living. We can’t have wisdom without knowing something. Wisdom is the application of the knowledge that we have gained whether it be reading God’s Word or listening to others who have learned things in their own lives. We can apply this wisdom in four steps according to Proverbs 1:1-7.
First, we begin with the truth of God’s Word. Verse 2: “To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding.” We have to have the subject of the knowledge to begin with. The Scriptures give us a foundation to work with, and it is the very foundation with which everything in life is built from. The very first words of the Bible are “in the beginning.” This is where we start.
Secondly, we study and search the scriptures diligently. Verse 3: “To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity.” We don’t just read the scriptures for the simple act of reading. We consume it. We take it in and mull it over. We think through the principles and concepts. We see the relationship between what is being read and what we are experiencing at any given moment in our lives. Some of the ideas that we read will be difficult to understand without reading other portions of scripture related to those concepts, but that is why we need to search it out. It is foundational and exceedingly worth while to get into God’s Word.
Thirdly, we hear from reputable teachers to gain greater insight. Verse 5-6: “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understand shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise and their dark sayings.” We are not left to fend for ourselves. We live in community with other believers for our own good. We can learn from each other. We learn from others who have diligently searched the scriptures to understand them and relate to their surroundings with wisdom.
And lastly, we teach others what we have learned. Verse 4: “to give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.” We don’t just learn all of this for ourselves. We pass on this learning and knowledge on to others, just as others passed on their knowledge and wisdom to us. It is a prevalent concept to think of ourselves as our sole focus of gaining understanding and insight. In this broken world, the focus is on ‘self’. “What do I get out of it?” “How do I get more?” “What is my reward?” But in reality, we all need to help each other. That is a common theme in the Bible. Unity and caring for each other well.
In the second half of Proverbs 1:7, it states, “but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Do you want to see what sets people apart? Notice those people that you just can’t tell anything to. These people seem to “know everything”, and you can’t correct them without being told “I know that.” Or these people want to argue that something is one way, when it is not that way at all. Some people just want to argue about anything. One example that I can think of is telling a teenager how adult life really works. It is funny… sometimes. Then as they grow into adulthood, taking on a new job, a car, relationships, etc., they see that what you were teaching them really is the way it is. Most, if not all, of us have been there.
The beginning of knowledge is the fear of the Lord. When we recognize that we don’t know everything, when we come to God in a humble posture, when we understand that we are created and not the Creator, we can begin to listen and learn. And as we listen and learn from our Sovereign God, we can pass that knowledge and wisdom on to others, loving God and loving others well.
Gotta go fill up my cup…..
Coffee with Candee 