Holy Reverence

Read Proverbs 1 today!

I have been studying Proverbs and looking forward to the devotionals that will come out this month.  Honestly, as I study the Proverbs I start to think this is a pretty big task.  It’s almost impossible to do an in-depth study of the entire book in just a month.  The Proverbs are filled with nuggets of truth to apply to our lives.  In fact, there are 500 Proverbs.  That’s a lot to study in a month, so I’ve decided I will share with you the main themes in Proverbs.  I will pull out the things that will help us gain understanding and grow in wisdom before the Lord.

Do you know that the word proverb means “to be like”?  The Proverbs are filled with wisdom on how to be like Christ.  How can we have a godly character that stands the test of time?  Each Proverb dives in a bit deeper on this subject.

The Hebrew word for wisdom means “skill in living.”  The purpose of Proverbs is to give each one of us the skill for living life from God’s perspective.  We find that wisdom begins with a fear of the Lord.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

~Proverbs 1:7

The fear that is mentioned in this verse is better known as a reverence and respect of God.  Let’s compare this verse with a few more in the Proverbs.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

~Proverbs 9:10

Through a healthy fear of the Lord we gain wisdom and understanding.  Are you in awe of God?

“The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.”

~Proverbs 10:27

Our reverence of God adds years to our lives.  We put Him first and all that He desires, so that our lives are not dependent on this world and its temporary treasures!

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.”

~Proverbs 14:27

A healthy fear of God brings a fountain of life.  We have abundant life through Jesus Christ and wisdom tells us that without Jesus we will truly perish.

“Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil.”

~Proverbs 16:6

Even evil will be avoided when our eyes are on the Lord and we revere the things we find in His Word.

Let’s take a further look at this tomorrow!

Dear Father God, I pray that we will be a people who stand in awe of Your works.  May we have a healthy fear of You, knowing all that You have done and all that You continue to do.  May we approach Your throne with boldness and with a reverence that You deserve.  May the fear of You truly be the beginning of wisdom for us!

In Awe of God,