I attended a men’s Bible Study this week that is working their way through the book of Proverbs. I decided to read through it at home as well.

The first chapter tells us right off the bat that these were written by Solomon, who was given wisdom by God (1 Kings 3:1-15).

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Fear means more than being afraid. The fear of the Lord means we respect Him for who He is. I like to use electricity as an analogy here. I respect electricity, because I know that it is powerful and can hurt me if not used properly. But I am not afraid to plug something into the wall to take advantage of its power.

While God is powerful and able to condemn us, He is loving and chose to reconcile us to Himself instead. He tells us what we need to know and believe to be forgiven. Jesus paid for the sins of the world. That is the knowledge we need above all else.  God wants us to have knowledge and the wisdom to use it properly. Too many despise this wisdom and the discipline that tries to instruct us in it.

Proverbs 1:10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them.

There is profound wisdom in these words, but they are so difficult to follow. Even the wisest man who ever lived, the one who wrote these words, had trouble heeding this admonition.

Lord, you have led us to faith that gives us the certainty of forgiveness and life. Help us to use the wisdom you have given so that we live lives that show our gratitude to you.