Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever! Psalm 111:10 Everyone wants to be wise, but fear is rarely valued as a positive virtue. Fear is typically associated with running away, living in paranoia, or lacking any kind of stability. Jesus repeatedly told His disciples to not be afraid, so why would the writer of this psalm note that “fear of the Lord” is the foundation of wisdom? Isn’t fear the opposite of faith? What if this “fear” isn’t quaking at the thought of God but is a humbling, unsettling grasp of God’s holiness and power? The accounts of God showing up among the people in the Old Testament are truly fear-inspiring, but God was also very careful to avoid terrifying people. Even when Moses reflected the glory of God he veiled his face. God doesn’t use His glory and power in order to terrify you into submission. Jesus reaches out to you in love, saying, “Do not fear” (Luke 12:32). However, if you begin to imagine that you’re wiser than God, capable of controlling your life, or free to do as you please, the fear of God’s power and holiness can offer a helpful correction. Should God choose to show up, you’ll have a fearful reminder of how unwise your life choices have been.
Greetings, Thank you for sharing this Nick, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10 looking at Psalm 130:4 But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared. the following is taken from Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible and sheds some more light on the fear mentioned in your post and the wisdom that comes with it. Bless you ....><> -------------------------------> Psalm 130:4 But there is forgiveness with thee,.... And with God only; not with angels, nor any of the sons of men; and which flows from his grace and mercy, through the blood of his Son. It appears to be with him by his promise of it in covenant; by appointing his Son to shed his blood for it, and exalting him as a Saviour to give it; by proclaiming it in the Gospel; and by the numerous instances of it, both under the Old and under the New Testament. Or, there is "a propitiation with thee"; as the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it: God had found out Christ to be the propitiatory sacrifice for sin, and the ransom of his people; and set him forth in his purposes and decrees for that end; and which was made known by the sacrifices of the law, typical of it; and in the fulness of time he sent him to be the propitiation for it, and he is become so; and has made reconciliation for sin, and reconciled his people to God by the sufferings of death; and reconciled all the divine perfections of justice and holiness, grace and mercy, together, in the salvation of men; and is now an advocate the Father for them, pleading the propitiatory sacrifice of himself before him; that thou mayest be feared; were it not for pardon, and the hope of it, men would be desperate; and, having no hope, would resolve upon taking their swing of sin, and be entirely negligent of the worship and service of God: was there no forgiveness of sin, there would be no more fear of God among men than there is among devils, for whom there is no forgiveness; there might be dread and trembling, as among them, but no godly fear: yea, if God was strictly to mark iniquity, and not pardon it, there would be none to fear him, all must be condemned and cut off by him; but, in order to secure and preserve his fear among men, he has taken the step he has to pardon sin through the propitiatory sacrifice of his Son; and a discovery, and an application of his grace, teaches men to fear to offend him; influences them to serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear, and engages them to fear him and his goodness, and him for his goodness's sake, Titus 2:11, Hosea 3:5.
and from the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges that thou mayest be feared: God forgives in order that men may fear Him. Man might dread a stern unforgiving God, but he could not fear Him with that devout reverence which is the animating spirit of Old Testament religion (Deuteronomy 5:29), and which still finds its place in the New Testament as an element in the relation of man to God (1 Peter 1:17). Cp. the plea for pardon in Psalm 79:9, “for thy name’s sake,” and 1 Kings 8:39-40; Romans 2:4. {read the pop up Scriptures}
I love how this just adds another component that brings us back to Jesus! Thanks for sharing this expository reading brother! With the Love of Christ Jesus. YBIC Nick <><