THE BENEFITS OF FEARING THE LORD

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. Mortals put an end to the darkness; they search out the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness. Far from human dwellings they cut a shaft, in places untouched by human feet; Far from other people they dangle and sway. The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire; lapis lazuli comes from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold. No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon’s eye has seen it. Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there. People assault the flinty rock with their hands and lay bare the roots of the mountains. They tunnel through the rock; their eyes see all its treasures. They search the sources of the rivers and bring hidden things to light.

But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living. The deep says, “It is not in me”; the sea says, “It is not with me.” It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli. Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold.

Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds in the sky. Destruction and Death say, “Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.” God understands the way to it and He alone knows where it dwells, for He views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When He established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He confirmed it and tested it. And He said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

Job 28:1-28

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

If someone asked you what wisdom was, how would you describe it? Would you start by defining it as a combination of intellect and life experience producing an uncanny ability to know the right things to say or do at any time? After all, don’t wise people say wise things and make wise choices so often that we gain a deep respect for their abilities?

From a worldly perspective, this would be an acceptable explanation of wisdom. Webster’s dictionary says wisdom is an “accumulated philosophic or scientific learning” or the “ability to discern inner qualities and relationships” or simply “good sense”.

One thing is certain. Although definitions may vary, people for the most part know what wisdom is. What is more difficult is attaining it.

So how do we get wisdom?

Again, the world would say through academics and/or lifelong experience - but what does God’s word say?

We find the answer in Job, Chapter 28.

Note how Job goes into how man goes about trying to find things of value, often going to great lengths to acquire it. Indeed, the most valuable metals produced by the earth are readily available with a little effort. Man can find them and reap their rewards.

Not so with wisdom. For the words of Job tell us that man cannot find it as it can material items of value nor can it be bought with anything of high value. Consider these words:

“But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? No mortal comprehends its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living. The deep says, “It is not in me”; the sea says, “It is not with me.” It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed out in silver. It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or lapis lazuli. Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold.”

OK…so God’s word tells us we can’t find or buy wisdom anywhere on earth?

So where does it dwell?

Again, for the answer let’s look at the word of God:

“Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds in the sky. Destruction and Death say, ’Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.’ God understands the way to it and He alone knows where it dwells, for He views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. When He established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when He made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He confirmed it and tested it. And He said to the human race, ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’

We can’t find wisdom on earth because only God knows where it dwells and only He knows the way to it.

So, in accordance with God’s word, if a person wants to discover wisdom, they have to go to the only One who knows where it dwells. The way to wisdom is through God who defined wisdom this way in addressing the “human race”:

“The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

Now we’re getting somewhere. God gives us insight into finding wisdom as only He can for only He knows where it dwells. The beginning of attaining wisdom starts when we fear the Lord (see also Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10 and Isaiah 33:6). In other words, we are to have such a deep reverence and respect for God and His power, that we wouldn’t consider relying on our own sinful desires or our own intellect to get through life. Instead, everything we do – every action, spoken word, and thought is processed through God first to test it and see if it is proper in accordance with His word, will and way. This behavior results in righteous living, approved and ordained by God as we allow Him to lead and guide us. And when we live in righteousness, we shun sin and it is then that we show God and others that we understand what wisdom is.

So fearing the Lord brings us to wisdom. Are there any other benefits? God’s word reveals several more:

1. Purity.

“The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.” Psalm 19:9

Living in reverence to the Lord by following His word, way and will leads us to purity in the way we live – the place God desires for us to be.

2. Knowledge.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”  Proverbs 1:7

No truly intelligent person would ever turn their back on God’s wisdom and leadership. The knowledge we need to get through anything in life comes from God and God alone.

3. A fountain of life leading to longevity.

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life.”   Proverbs 14:27

“The fear of the Lord adds length to life.”  Proverbs 10:27

God rewards His faithful servants who respect Him and strive to live righteously in accordance with His word, will and way.

4. Humility.

“Humility is the fear of the Lord.”  Proverbs 24:4

A deep respect and reverence of the Lord spawns from a submissive mindset where we humbly place God first in all things ahead of ourselves.

Wisdom, purity, knowledge, long lives to live, and humility. All these benefits come to those who willingly submit to God and allow His word, will and way to rule in their lives.

Have you found true wisdom? If not, you should start to fear the Lord.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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