“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline” (Prov 1:7). A reverent awe and respect of God’s holiness and power produces a holy fear of deliberately disobeying His revealed will for our lives. Such reverence is absolutely essential if we are to gain a heart of wisdom. And in the NT, Luke emphasizes “to fear God” both in his gospel and in Acts. For to have a holy fear of the Lord produces not only trust and obedience, but also an avoidance of evil. Wisdom as used in proverbs refers to approaching all of life from God’s point of view, believing that everything God says is right and true and the only true standard by which to live. Gaining wisdom is far superior to having silver or gold (3:13-14) and only comes through a sincere relationship with God and a diligent study of the Word of God, yielding our hearts and minds to a work of the Holy Spirit so that our minds become renewed and thereby transform our lives. Only as we fear the Lord are we delivered from all abnormal and demonic fears as we earnestly seek to live righteously in the sight of God. Godly fear is based on conviction that God is a holy God whose nature causes him to judge sin. For example, when the Israelites at Mt Sinai saw God manifest through thunder and lightening and a loud trumpet blast, they “trembled with fear” (Exod 20:18). Moses told them, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning” (20:20). God’s awesome display of power was intended to create a reverential fear that would prevent the people from ignoring God’s demand for obedience to His laws. True fear of the LORD is to cause believers to place their faith and trust in Him alone as their help and shield (Exodus 14:31, Ps 115:11).. Thus fear of the LORD has a sanctifying effect, causing people to obey from the heart and creating security that God will deliver them from judgment at the end of history. So it is the writer of Hebrews wrote, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (10:31). Not having a godly fear will open a door for thinking, speaking and acting in a manner which is contrary to the righteousness to which believers in Christ are called (Matthew 6:33). Those in pulpits across America who denounce the idea of having a godly fear of the Lord are “false prophets” about whom Jesus warns us fourteen times in the gospels. Do not allow yourself to be deceived by “soft” teachings, for we will assuredly reap what we sow according to God’s Word: “Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7,8). So it is that having a holy and reverential fear of the LORD should be viewed as nothing less than a gift received from heaven.
