Breaking news...The Beginning of Wisdom
... is fearing my Father?
I don't know about you, but my walk with God, and in many ways the way I live, is summed up by Proverbs 9, verse 10.
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
But do I really need to fear my God in order to understand Him and have wisdom as a characteristic in my life?
As the verse suggests, "the beginning" is a great place to start our walk together, for the beginning of wisdom and knowledge of the Holy One starts here...
Going Deeper
Importantly, 'fear' in this scripture is not about being scared of God.
It is the Hebrew word Yir’ah (meaning 'reverent fear', i.e. a state of respect toward a superior borne out of their awesomeness, which causes wonder and astonishment!)
Then we get a series of three words, all incredibly closely related in Hebrew thought, but none out-ranking the other in importance. All of these are considered essential in our walk with God:
- Wisdom (Heb. Chochma) - Being practical in life and your walk with God
- Knowledge (Heb. Da’at) - From the Hebrew root Yo’da. For any of you Star Wars fans out there this is an interesting link with the wise Jedi Master, Yoda. Hebrew Yo'da is knowledge based on personal, experimental and experiential knowledge - not simply 'intellect'.
- Understanding (Heb. Binah) This is spiritual, not human / natural perception.
Importance Within Judaism
These three concepts are highly important within Rabbinic Judaism, and indeed should be for all of us today who want to walk an authentic life according to the Word of God.
The Chabad Lubavitch are a familiar site on the streets of Israel, New York and many other major cities.They consider these three concepts to be of utmost importance. Indeed, the very name Chabad is an acronym of these three Hebrew words:
- "Ch“ - Chokhmah “wisdom"
- “B” - Binah "understanding"
- “D” - Da’at "knowledge"
If we take the time to look closer at the beauty of the original Hebrew used in Proverbs 9:10, we can see the full impact of the words coming through. Here's my own translation:
“Respect for awesome YHVH is the first step to finding sharpness in practical matters. Personal, experimental experience of the Holy Holy leads to understanding that does not rely on human senses.”
~ Proverbs 9 v 10 ~
A Question
What is your view of God? Do you see Him as a far-distant, uncaring despot - or do you know Him as a caring Father who weeps with your hurts, laughs with you in your happiness, and genuinely wants the best for you?
The God of Israel wants to be known. That's why He has spent so much time and effort revealing Himself through His word, and down through history in His Chosen people.
Maybe it's time we all stopped to think. Again. About who He is?
Respect, after all, is the key to finding wisdom, understanding and knowledge.
