Wisdom, Reverence, Knowledge and Understanding

Wisdom, Reverence, Knowledge and Understanding   Proverbs 9:9-11 9Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser; teach a righteous man (one upright and in right standing with God) and he will increase in learning.  10The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding.   11For by me [Wisdom from God] your days shall be multiplied, and the years of your life shall be increased. Walking in wisdom is important. So, we should probably look at how we get the Wisdom of the Lord and the understanding that goes along with it. In verse 10 Solomon says- reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning or chief part of Wisdom. He is not talking about being afraid of God, he is talking about having such a respect and awe of Him that we live our lives governed by His principles and His Word. Let’s relate it to something natural so we can better understand. I was talking with a friend one day and she was telling me about her childhood. She said her mother was the one who disciplined the children. Her father however, never had to discipline her one time. She had such respect and awe for him that she never disobeyed him, she never talked back to him, and she lived her life according to the guidelines he had set up in the home. She wasn’t afraid that he was going to beat her. She wasn’t afraid that he wasn’t going to love her, and she wasn’t afraid that he was going to yell at her. She had a healthy fear of him and so she governed herself to conform to her father’s expectations of how she should act. That is what the fear of the Lord is like. We should have such a respect for our heavenly Father, that we make right choices and right decisions. Not because we are afraid of being disciplined, but simply because we love Him too much to step outside of His plan. What does this have to do with Wisdom? Everything. Psalm 37:23 says 23The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. When we are following God’s will for our lives, He will order our steps and guide our paths. If we are obedient to what He tells us to do, every move we make will be under His guidance, and He won’t steer us in the wrong direction. The second thing we see in this passage is that knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding. When we study the things of God- reading  His Word, meditating on it, and observing to do what it says- we will gain insight for whatever situation or circumstance comes across our path. Understanding the Wisdom of God is simple if we look to the Word. It gives us a blueprint for how we should live our lives. How we should act, how we should think, how we should talk, everything is found in the Bible. If we learn what the Word says and apply it to our lives we will have a greater understanding of God’s Wisdom.