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Understanding the fear of the LORD - Proverbs 2:1-5


PROVERBS 2: 1-5 (NIV)1 My son, if you accept my wordsand store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding,
3 and if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.

Lets examine the elements of this proverbial equation:

Personally choose to embrace and internalize the commands of the proverbs (v.1)
+
Exhibit behavior and make choices that reflect an embrace of Godly wisdom (v.2)
+
Plead with God and actively seek out His wisdom (v.3)
+
Understand the value of wisdom and seek it out as if it's the most precious thing there is (v.4)
=
You will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.


It occurred to me as I was thinking about what it means to "understand the fear of the LORD", that this might be talking about how we relate to God. The proverb does not say that we will understand HOW to fear the LORD, but that we will understand the "concept" of fearing the LORD. This seems to be pointing to the subject of our relationship with Him.

Have you ever asked the question? "What do you expect of me, God?" I suppose most Christians have asked some version of this question. I know I have. At the core of the issue, for me anyway, is how I am supposed to properly relate to God. Here's the dilemma... How do I have a close, intimate, loving relationship with my savior, while at the same time "fearing" Him? The dilemma is furthered in that Jesus and God are one and the same, yet somehow distinct. Do we cuddle with Jesus, while fearing God? This can't be right. They are both intimate and able to judge.

I believe this proverb, while originally speaking to those that didn't know of God's son directly, gives Christians today some insight as to how we are to "relate" to Him. I know, as an earthly father, I must endeavor to do do both these things...On one hand, be a loving, intimate father to my sons, while at the same time, they must "fear" me to a degree, as an authority figure, with the power to distribute punishment if necessary. So, I suppose how we relate to God is similar to how we relate to our earthly fathers. We all do not always have the perfect situation with our earthly fathers, so it's good of God to give us wisdom on this subject.

To summarize, this proverb shows us that the more we know about God through the eager and purposeful study of His word and His wisdom, the more we have an accurate picture of who He and what He's like. Then we can know how to have a properly balanced, relationship with Him.


Continue to the next post in my Proverbs study
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