I am enjoying a one-day break between two copyediting jobs, and thankfully, it's a Sunday, which means an off day from my tutoring job as well. I love both of my employments, but sometimes a girl just needs a break. Today is that day for me.
During this minuscule reprieve, I sought refuge and rest in the Word of God. Best place to find it, if you ask me. A recurring theme in the verses I read this morning was the "fear of the Lord." As those words soaked through my skin and into my heart, it occurred to me once again that the fear here is not that we are necessarily afraid of God, but more than we respect Him with a holy reverence. He is so amazing and absolutely wonderful, how could we not have the utmost respect for Him? May praise and honor for Him spill from our lips.
Here are the verses that got me meditating on the "fear of the Lord" this morning. (All the verses are in the New King James version, as that is the one I read them from.)
"And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the
Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from
evil is understanding.' "
Job 28:28
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
a good understanding have all those who do His
commandments. His praise endures forever."
Psalm 111:10
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Proverbs 9:10
Something that struck me as I was reading these verses is that Solomon (the author of Proverbs) might have learned about the fear of the Lord and how it is tied to wisdom, knowledge, and understanding from his father, David, who wrote most of the Psalms, including the bit I quoted above. I wonder, though, if David had learned it as he studied the life of Job (see first verse I quoted). It's interesting that all three men had such similar thoughts toward the Lord and about wisdom.
What have you learned about the fear of the Lord?
Are there verses that stand out to you when studying this topic?
What other themes of the Bible have really leaped out at you lately?
Join the conversation!
Like this article? Share it.
Want more? Follow by e-mail.
No comments:
Post a Comment