The Fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING OF WISDOM
BY JEFF KEATON
“ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
F or some time now, I have been making the case that failure to teach children that God is the Creator of all things produces a lack of respect for and fear of God in our children and society at large. I will go so far as to say that even many in the church suffer from this malady. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts my parents gave me and my siblings was a healthy fear of God. From my earliest days, I knew that God was the ultimate source of authority and power in the universe. I knew that He had set an absolute standard to which we would be held accountable. I knew that if I were to reject His incredible offer of forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ, I would have to pay the full and horrible price for my sins. I knew there was a heaven to gain and a hell to shun. I knew that He wasn’ t the“ man upstairs” and that His holiness was the guarantee of His justice and righteousness. I knew that He is high and lifted up, seated on a magnificent throne, surrounded by millions of beings who worship Him at every moment. We need a revival in our families, churches, and schools regarding who God is.
Recently, I was reading through the book of Psalms and came across some powerful words in verses 6-9 of chapter 33:“ By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their hosts. He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deep in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him! For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”
Right after the verse states that God is the one who created all things by the word of His mouth, we are commanded to fear the Lord and stand in awe of Him.“ For he spoke, and it came to be!” When we recognize God as the Creator of all things, it does something to us. It produces a holy awe and respect for the Lord like nothing else.
24 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW