Recently in youth group, we have begun a new teaching series in which we are studying the topic
of Wisdom. We are beginning in the book of Proverbs, and our first study was on “The Fear of
the Lord,” which the writer of Proverbs calls "The beginning of Wisdom." Proverbs 9:10 says
that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is
insight.” The Fear of the Lord is a confusing phrase, because we often think of the word “fear”
as being afraid, like a fear of heights or a fear of spiders. But when the bible talks about the fear
of God, it isn’t saying that we should be scared or afraid of God. Rather, to fear the Lord is to
live your life in awe and reverence of him, to honor him as the Almighty King and to take him
seriously. Think of how Isaiah responded after he saw the glorious vision of God in Isaiah 6
“And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was
filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of
hosts!” This is a healthy fear of the Lord, to stand before him and recognize his holiness and our
unholiness and to put our lives under his authority because he alone has the power to redeem us.

Practically speaking, how does the Bible say that we should live our everyday lives with a fear of
the Lord? First, to have the fear of God is to obey his commandments. Deuteronomy 6:2 says
“…that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all his
statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your
days may be long.” Awe and reverence for God should lead us to obedience. Second, to have the
fear of God is to have a healthy fear of God’s holiness and his discipline. You remember the
story of Ananias and Sapphira, who lied to God and kept for themselves some of the proceeds
that they were supposed to give to him. God struck them down for their lies, and then the people
responded to God’s discipline with great fear. We see in Acts 5:5 “When Ananias heard these
words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.” God
takes sin seriously. He is perfectly holy and despises sin, therefore we must examine our lives to
see if there is any unrepentant sin, and then confess and repent. Third, to have the fear of God is
to commit and not worship false idols. We find this in Joshua 24:14 “Now therefore fear the
Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served
beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” We are to fear the Lord by taking him
seriously, not sharing him with other Gods but worshipping him wholeheartedly.

Last, to live in the fear of the Lord is to recognize that he is always watching and to know that
we will all have to give an account to God for the way that we live. I posed this question to our
students: How do you act around your friends when you are alone versus when your parents are
in the room? We act different when we know our parents aren’t looking because we think we
have more freedom that way. But if you knew that your parents were always watching, how
different would your actions be? There is never a time when God is not looking. He is always
watching and he knows what we are up to. Proverbs 5:21-“For the ways of man are before the
eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths” This should drive us to obey what God has
commanded. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom because if we worship and obey Him
and put our lives under His authority, we will begin to see our life through his eyes. We will
know His will and what he desires because we are connected to Him and doing what He says.

Oswald Chambers once wrote “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you
fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” I realize this isn’t
exactly a cozy message, but I encourage you to examine your life and ask, do I fear the Lord?