Fear and Humility

For Thursday, March 2, 2006
Proverbs 15:33

The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (1:7). Listening to and reading the words of wise men and women will make you wiser. The keener you observe and learn from the experts in their fields, the more you will grown in knowledge and the more skillful you will become. But until you understand what it is to fear the Lord, you will never achieve true wisdom. Without fear of the Lord, you will never know true humility; and without fear and humility you will never know what it is to be honored by the Lord.

How you react to the above statement indicates whether you are on the road to wisdom or not. If you are troubled by the concept of fearing the Lord, then you either are young spiritually, not yet able to grasp the concept; or you are off the road of wisdom altogether, equating fear with being afraid of a mean entity. The truth is that the fear of the Lord has close semblances to being afraid of one who is terrifying, because God is holy, all-powerful, a judge who will bring judgment against the unrighteous. And yet, the fear of the Lord is a delight to those who have grasped it, and they have grasped it because they have come into a true understanding of the God who is holy/terrifying and merciful/loving beyond degree.

Before such a God one joyfully is humble. And we humbly receive instruction from his Word through his Holy Spirit, rejoicing in the holiness and mercy revealed in his Son. If you react negatively to what was said above, pray for the Spirit to open your eyes and your heart to know true wisdom that brings with it true joy.