What is the Fear of the Lord? Listen and I will teach you the FEAR OF THE LORD! It is the beginning of WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING

 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge Prov. 1:7

All wisdom (understanding and knowledge) begins with the fear of the Lord.  Do you want wisdom?  life? and good all of your days? Listen and pay attention!

Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
 Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
 Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
 Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.  The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

And His ears are open to their cry.
 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. pS 34

According to Psalm 34, Fear of the Lord is defined by these 6 keys:

• Keeping your tongue from evil
• Your lips from speaking deceit
• Departing from evil
• Doing good
• Seeking peace and pursuing it

An awesome promise follows :There is NO want to those who fear Him…those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. When you walk with the Lord, there is no reason to fear, He promises that you will have all you need. To Fear the Lord is more than just reverence, it’s living in obedience to Him and His Ways. It is to run from evil, seek the Lord, it is the beginning of wisdom and understanding. If you want wisdom, pay close attention.

Am I living, walking, talking, thinking, acting in the Fear of the Lord?????

•  Am I seeking Him? -really really seeking Him – not just an occasional sit down with coffee in the sanctuary
• Is my heart right or have I put my “serving” and busyness in the way? Am I walking with Jesus?
• Are my words pleasing to Him?
• Are my thoughts in line with His Ways?
• Is my mind stayed on Him?
• Do I make an effort to live in peace with people around me or am I quick tempered and impatient?
• Do I stay away from evil? What music am I listening to? Are the movies and television shows I watch righteous and pleasing to the Holy Spirit in me?
• Do I do my best to live right? never lie, slow to anger, loving others, putting others before myself?
• what books am I reading?
• Am I mixing occult practices in with my walk with the Lord ?- (somebody is… you need to stop)

Sometimes the “Fear of the Lord” is put off to the side while we rush around in all our busy duties and traditions. Maybe we think we already have the fear of the Lord because we said the sinners prayer and go to church. However! As we read scripture, we see that there is an intentional effort that must take place on our part. When the bible says “Seek Him”, that means we may have to put aside our wants like tv and entertainment to truly seek Him.  We have to watch our words too, that takes an effort, or at least it does for me. How about being a peacemaker? If that comes easy to you, maybe you’re not around enough people – because, at least in my life, it takes an effort to put on my shoes of peace. There will always be a battle within us – the flesh vs. spirit, but we need to let God’s Spirit lead us into righteousness. We must begin living a life in the Fear of the the Lord. It takes a disciplined life to live right. Behave!

***NOT ONLY DO WE AS FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST NEED TO FEAR GOD, BUT OUR CHURCHES NEED TO FEAR GOD  – Even though many churches seem to lack this foundation – you can make a difference. Reverence His Sanctuary, Stay Silent before Him and keep His house a house of Prayer ***

I want to grow in wisdom, do you? I want to grow in understanding and knowledge just as King Solomon did. In order for us begin, we must first master the Fear of the Lord.  It is the beginning of knowledge, it is to hate evil, it is a fountain of life, it leads me away from evil, its the beginning of wisdom – it’s more precious than all the world could offer.

Let’s define  “Fear of the Lord” through scripture:

1. is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding Job 28:28
2. Is clean (pure) , enduring forever Ps 19:9
3. Is the beginning of wisdom, understanding belongs to those to who his commandments Ps 111:10
4. Is the beginning of wisdom, understanding belongs to those who know the Holy One Pr 9:10
5. Is the beginning of knowledge Proverbs 1:7
6. Is to hate evil prov 8:13
7. Is a fountain of life that turns us away from the snares of death pr 14:27
8. Is the instruction of wisdom pr 15:33
9. Is the key to a long life pr 10:27, pr 19:23, a life of honor and riches pr 22:4
10. Leads us away from evil Pr 16:6
11. In Isaiah 11:2, part of the 7 fold spirit, this being the foundation
12. Is the instruction of wisdom – (it takes a disciplined life) Prov 15:31-33

Do you want to understand the Fear of the Lord? Do you want to find knowledge and be given wisdom by the Lord ? (pr2)Then you must:

• Treasure His commands
• incline your ears to wisdom
• apply your heart to understanding
• cry out and ask for wisdom, discernment and understanding
• seek wisdom and understanding as you would seek a hidden treasure

PROMISES WHEN YOU SEEK THESE TREASURES: (pr2)

WISDOM WILL ENTER YOUR HEART  ( I so need that)
DISCRETION WILL PRESERVE YOU   (hello, I need that too)
YOUR WAYS WILL BE PRESERVED    (I love this promise)
YOU WILL UNDERSTAND JUSTICE   (don’t we all need this?)
YOU WILL UNDERSTAND RIGHTEOUSNESS  (one righteous man can make a difference)
YOU WILL BE DELIVERED FROM THE WAY OF EVIL  ( Amen!)
THE LORD WILL BE A SHIELD ,  GUARDING YOUR PATH (Ps91-He Protects me)
DELIVER YOU FROM THE IMMORAL WOMAN (and all temptations)

Proverbs 2:1-16

 My son, if you receive my words,And treasure my commands within you,
 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,And apply your heart to understanding;
 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,And lift up your voice for understanding,
 If you seek her as silver,And search for her as for hidden treasures;
 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
 He guards the paths of justice,And preserves the way of His saints.
 Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.
 When wisdom enters your heart,And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
 Discretion will preserve you;Understanding will keep you,
 To deliver you from the way of evil,From the man who speaks perverse things,
 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness;
 Who rejoice in doing evil,And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
 Whose ways are crooked,And who are devious in their paths;
 To deliver you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words,

Hear the Word of the Lord: 

 And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.  But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.  And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, ‘This is your kindness that you should do for me: in every place, wherever we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”” GEN 20:11-13

Now these are the last words of David. Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel:  “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,  And His word was on my tongue. The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me:‘ He who rules over men must be just,Ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises,A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth,By clear shining after rain.’ 2 Samuel 23:1-4

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.2 Cor 7:7

 Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied. Acts 9:31

  Let us together revisit these life changing verses and begin a journey to gain wisdom or to continue growing in wisdom. Stop and consider your ways, decide today to make a new change that your heart would be filled with a priceless gift  – Wisdom from God.  Wisdom to make the right choices, wisdom in our words, understanding justice, new gifts and abilities, right thoughts, new ideas and knowing how to live a life pleasing to our God, our Father and our Creator.

  Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Honor His Name, Reverence His Sanctuary, Walk in the Fear of the Lord

Don’t know which way to go? Start here with the Fear of the Lord and He will fill you will wisdom as you go forward. Jeremiah 6:16 says to Stop at your crossroad, look around, ask for the old godly (ancient) way and then go! walk in it, there you will find rest for your soul.

In Deut 17:7- Moses was giving the people instructions for life and in this passage, Moses gives the rules to follow if they they decided to have a king. One of the rules for a king was that he is to read God’s laws everyday all through His life – he was to write his own copy and “read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God…..” to observe them, that his heart not be lifted up above others, that he would not turn aside from the commands and that his life would long for him and his children.

• More on Fear of the Lord:
  https://atomic-temporary-33710632.wpcomstaging.com/2012/05/11/the-fear-of-the-lord-vs-the-fear-of-man-who-do-you-fear/
• https://atomic-temporary-33710632.wpcomstaging.com/2015/02/08/fear-god-not-man-fear-of-the-lord-defined/