“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” (Proverbs 1:7 KJV) Wait a minute! In my previous blog post I pointed out that 365 times the Bible tells us to “fear not,” so if we obey those warnings will we remain ignorant? NO! Does this verse contradict those others? NO! The Bible is the infallible true word of God! There can be no contradiction. So, the problem is found in the English language and the solution is found in context. The first definition of fear in the Webster dictionary is the strong negative anxiety the Bible warns against 365 times, but then it also defines it as awe or reverence as to God. So, the word fear in the above verse in Proverbs obviously means awe or reverence.
The Bible is God’s autobiography. It tells us who God is, what He has done and what He can and will do in the future. The awe and reverence we experience as we read the Bible or hear it preached is just the beginning of our knowledge of Him. We increasingly feel that righteous form of fear as we enter His presence with prayer and worship. His holiness and sovereignty over us make it easy for us to obey and follow Him. Our Christian life continually draws us closer and closer to Him until we are called into His presence for eternity.