Words from a Branch

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 ESV             Those who would reject the fear of the Lord as the foundation of their philosophy, and would dethrone theology from her rightful place as queen of all sciences are indeed foolish. The rest of the book of Proverbs will detail their folly, but to summarize they do themselves harm. They are fools not because they displease God, though they do, or because they miss the fullness of truth, again they do; but because they inevitability secure their loss and destruction they are fools. This second half of 1:7 is then both a true statement and a warning. Would you be a fool? Then receive wise instruction and fear the Lord.             It is this fear of the Lord which humanity in its folly is prone to despise. Few if any like to be thought of as foolish or uned...

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge… Proverbs 1:7A ESV               There is an order of operation in our quest for knowledge and understanding. That order begins with a faith in God, a strong faith which inspires us to reverential fear. This sort of faith is able to seek reason. There are two reasons this is so; first, the proper foundation of reasoning is laid. Anyone who has studied logic will know that even a sound argument made from false premises cannot succeed in arrive at truth. Second, the attitude for the search is established which keeps the human mind on the right path. Reverential fear demands that we proceed with caution, and that we yield to God’s revelation. More than this it should, and when genuine I hold that it does, move us to ask God’s guidance. These two guards set in place over our thoughts the right perspective to learn, grow, and understand.      ...