Where Wisdom Commences

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Scripture:

Psa. 111:10     The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
        all those who practice it have a good understanding.
        His praise endures forever.

Observation:

This Psalm is an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet and declares praises to God. In this final verse we really come to a foundational concept. Wisdom commences with a fear of Jehovah.

A healthy respect and understanding for who God is must be foundational for everyone’s faith. Not only is it something that we must understand but it must inform our daily practices. A healthy respect and fear for the place of God in our lives creates boundaries for the way in which we live our lives. This leads to good understanding, not just about God, but about the way in which things in the world are designed to operate. When we live into that kind of understanding then we ourselves will show wisdom, for it will be his wisdom that is revealed in us. When his wisdom is revealed in us, then praise for him, to him, and about him flows in and through us.

Application:

We don’t hear much about the fear of the LORD these days. It’s not one of those major topics of conversation, nor is it something that is preached about with great frequency. Anything that we may take to have a negative connotation seems to be content that we avoid. However, in doing so we don’t have a full understanding of the Scripture, nor of God.

There is mystery when it comes to understanding God, and mystery brings us to a place where we cannot explain it all. When we arrive at a space where we are unable to explain away the things that we encounter, there we find God. It is in this space that we develop a healthy respect, or fear of God. It’s not a fear of the wrath of God, it’s a respect and fear of the unknowingness of God. It’s this understanding that he is great and I am very, very small in the great scheme of things. But when I begin to respect his greatness, then I can become more and more dependent upon him. He is good and great and greatly to be praised!

I become wise when I realize that I don’t know it all! My dependency upon him grows on a daily basis when I accept my own limitations. Praise the Lord! This is just where wisdom commences but can then blossom and grow.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for who you are and for inviting us into your divine wisdom.  Amen.

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