FEAR THAT KNOWS THE LOVE OF GOD
"The fear of
Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge" Prov. 1:7
In these words we have a
declaration of the fundamental principle of Hebrew wisdom that is PHILOSOPHY.
This book is one of the three Wisdom books in the Old Testament. The others are
Job and Ecclesiastes. The first six verses of this chapter reveal the purpose
of the book. It was written to TEACH WISDOM and that rather in its APPLICATION
TO LIFE, than in theory. It consists of—
(1) A series of addresses on wisdom delivered by a father to
his son;
(2) Two collections of Proverbs; and
(3) Two discourses in the realm of Wisdom, one by Agur, the
other by Lemuel.
Throughout, the purpose is PRACTICAL, rather than THEORETICAL.
Here, after the introduction or preface, and before the series of addresses,
the THEORY is stated in one inclusive definition. It is of importance to any studies
of this book that this fundamental and inclusive definition should be rightly
apprehended; and in order to that, we halt with the word rendered BEGINNING. In
the King James Version we find a Marginal alternative suggested, viz., "the principal
part," and the English and American revisers marginally suggest
"the chief
part." Why this reading was relegated to the margin remains a
mystery, for there is no doubt that this is the real meaning of the Hebrew
word. The other truth emerges later (9:10).
The fundamental fact, then, is that in all KNOWLEDGE, all UNDERSTANDING OF LIFE, all INTERPRETATION thereof the fear of Jehovah is the principal thing, the
chief part, the central light, apart from which, the mind of man gropes in darkness, and misses the way. Whether in
prosperity or adversity, in light or in darkness, in life or in death, in
order to intelligent apprehension, and true conduct, there must be THE FEAR OF
JEHOVAH, and that fear must be the proper kind of fear (See article FEAR IN THE
UNKNOWN GOD-Eccl. 5:7). See also
later article on Prov. 9:10. Proper
fear knows the love of God (Rom. 5:5).
That is the sum total of WISDOM.
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