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You may already be familiar with one of the most amazing stories of wisdom ever told. Two women brought an infant son to the king, each claiming to be the true mother. They both claimed that the other woman had suffocated her own son in the middle of the night by rolling on top of him without realizing it. And, having suffocated her own son, she was trying to steal the other woman’s son, claiming it to be her own.
The king called for a swordsman to cut the baby in half and give half to each woman. The first woman said, “Fine with me! If I can’t have him, I don’t want her to have him either.” The second woman screamed in horror and begged the king to give the son to the first woman.
The king, revealing his wisdom, said, “Give the baby to the second woman. She is the mother.” When the people heard about the judgment the king handed down, they were stunned! The implications of this kind of wisdom were actually frightening. It was as though the king could peer into their souls. There was no pulling the wool over this man’s eyes!
The king who handed down this judgment, of course, was Solomon, and this story is told in I Kings 3. Solomon was regarded as the wisest man who ever lived. His wisdom was a supernatural gift from God. When he was crowned king, he asked God not for worldly wealth or military might, but for wisdom. God was pleased with this request and granted it in greater measure than any other human being except Jesus Christ.
Wouldn’t it be great to have that kind of wisdom? How would your life be different if you had this kind of wisdom? Think about how good our decisions would be! Where does this kind of wisdom come from? Who can give us the kind of discernment, discipline, and skill for living? Where can we find this kind of guidance for our relationships, our work, our play, our money, and our futures? Where can we find wisdom?
The Yellow Brick Road to Wisdom: “Fear the Lord!”
Do you remember when Dorothy’s house was lifted off the ground in that terrible Kansas tornado? Do you remember when the house landed in Munchkin Land, killing the Wicked Witch of the East and throwing the munchkins into jubilant celebration? All Dorothy wanted to know was “How do I get home?” The Munchkins didn’t know. They told her that she needed to go to the Wizard of Oz, he would know how to help her get back to Kansas.
But Dorothy didn’t know the way to Oz. The Munchkins told her to “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.” The Yellow Brick Road began at the very place where Dorothy’s house landed, spiraled out like a bull’s-eye, and headed toward Oz. “Stay on it”, they said, “and you will eventually get to Oz.”
There was one road to Oz. It began right there. To stay on it would take her to Oz. To depart from it would take her anywhere but Oz. If you want to get to Oz, you have to follow the Yellow Brick Road!
The same is true for attaining wisdom! There is a Yellow Brick Road to Wisdom. Solomon points it out to us right here at the beginning of the book of Proverbs.
The Proverbs of Solomon (Proverbs 1:1-6)
The opening superscription in the first verse in the book of Proverbs is like the Title Page at the beginning of a book. We are told the title of the book “Proverbs”, the author of the book “Solomon son of King David”, the purpose of the book, and the basic type of literature we are going to read. Proverbs are short pithy statements of general truth.
You have heard proverbs before. Most of us use them all the time. For instance, you have heard, “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks”—which simply means that we tend to get set in our ways as we get older. “All that glitters is not gold”—means that the most attractive thing isn’t always the most precious thing. “Practice what you preach”—means that if you’re going to give advice to others, be sure you follow it yourself. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”—means that if you never try to do anything, you’ll never get anything done.
The next few verses outline the purpose of the book. Solomon recorded these great sayings so that his readers could attain wisdom and discipline, understand words of insight, acquire a disciplined and prudent life, do what is right and just and fair, give prudence to the simple and knowledge and discretion to the young. If I could boil all of these purpose statements into one sentence it would go like this: the purpose of the Book of Proverbs is to impart wisdom for living the best life possible!
So, on one level, the Book of Proverbs is a sort of a Yellow Brick Road to Wisdom. By reading it, meditating on it, memorizing the sayings, and putting them into action, we will grow in wisdom and live a better life! Some of us have not lived with very much wisdom so far in our lives. Maybe you have made some poor decisions and are still living with the consequences today. If this is you, this study of the Book of Proverbs will be an opportunity to gain wisdom, learn from your mistakes, and make better decisions, and as a result of all of this, you will live a better life in the future!
Likewise, maybe you have lived a fairly wise life thus far, and you think you have life figured out. Well, look at what verse 5 says “let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” Regardless of how wise we are (and most of us think we are wiser than we actually are), there is always more wisdom to be gained. Even in the best lives, there is always room for growth and improvement! The truly wise never graduate from the school of wisdom!
Do you want to be wiser? Do you want to make better decisions? Do you want more joy? Do you want to be more like Jesus? Do you want to live a better life? Sure you do! Well, follow the Yellow Brick Road to Wisdom! Read! Study! Meditate! Memorize! Apply the Book of Proverbs!
The Fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10-12)
After Solomon introduces the Yellow Brick Road to Wisdom by outlining the book’s major purposes, he points out the ultimate source wisdom. The Yellow Brick Road to Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord! Verse 7 is the crescendo of the introduction and the thesis statement for the whole Book of Proverbs. Wisdom cannot be attained apart from the fear of the Lord. It is the unmistakable and irreplaceable starting point for wisdom. The phrase “the fear of the Lord” is repeated 14 times throughout the Book of Proverbs and is one of the major concepts for God throughout the Old Testament. In this verse “the fear of the Lord” is contrasted with the fool that despises wisdom and discipline. In 9:10-12, “the fear of the Lord” is associated with long life and blessing.
So, what exactly does it mean to “fear the Lord?” On one hand, it does not mean to be frightened or terrified by God. Some of us were raised in religious contexts where we were only taught about the wrath and judgment of God; we never heard about God’s love and mercy. God is not some cosmic school principal with a giant wooden paddle in his hand and a sinister grin on his face waiting for us to do something naughty so that he can punish us.
On the other hand, to “fear the Lord” means much more than simple respect for God or comfortability with God. There is a sense in which we need to be awestruck by his omnipotence and his authority, his sovereignty and his supremacy, and his might and his majesty. When it is understood properly, “fear” is actually a wonderful word to describe our proper disposition toward the Creator of the universe. To fear the Lord means to acknowledge and act like he is higher than us!
There are three words I would like to use to unpack the meaning of the fear of the Lord. Relationship! Reverence! Reliance! To fear the Lord means to have a relationship with the Lord, a reverence for the Lord, and a reliance upon the Lord!
Relationship with the Lord
First, to fear the Lord means to have a relationship with the Lord. Notice what it says in 9:10—“knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” He simply means that for someone to fear the Lord, it is necessary to have a personal relationship with the Lord. Wisdom begins with a real relationship with God. This relationship is initiated through faith in Jesus Christ (the Holy One) and is maintained through a life of obedience, worship, and prayer. It is impossible to fear the Lord without having a relationship with the Lord.
This is just like human relationships! For instance, I fear my wife! Do you know why I fear my wife? Because I know her and she knows me. If I didn’t know my wife like I know my wife, I wouldn’t fear her, but since I know my wife like I know my wife, I fear her.
It is the same with God! Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Do you really fear the Lord? Not only does this give us eternal life in the future, but it is also the starting point for gaining wisdom and living a better life now.
Reverence for the Lord
Second, to fear the Lord means to have reverence for the Lord. Again, this is more than simple respect. Reverence encompasses respect, awe, admiration, adoration, worship, and commitment. A lot of people pay lip service to God but they completely ignore life service to God. Reverence is an active disposition of worship toward God.
Do you really revere God? Do you really believe that he knows what is best? Are we actively worshipping him—not just in church each Sunday, but every day? When we really revere God, then we know that we really fear him. When we really fear him, we will gain his wisdom and live a better life!
Reliance upon the Lord
Thirdly, to fear the Lord means to rely on him. He is the creator and sustainer of everything in the universe. He calls his people to put their confidence in him rather than trusting in themselves. Fearing God means to be dependent upon God.
Are we more apt to rely on God or ourselves? We are conditioned to just “believe in yourself” and “trust in yourself” and everything will be great. These are some of the most heretical anti-Christian statements ever made. God wants us to rely on him, not ourselves! This is a good barometer in which to check our fear of the Lord!
The reality is that it goes completely against our sinful human nature to fear God. It is more consistent with our nature to trust in our own strengths and rely on our own abilities to get us through life than to depend on God. It is more natural to establish and maintain relationships with other people than it is God. Especially in our culture today, it is more popular to revere movie stars, sports heroes, and celebrity personalities than God. When was the last time you saw Jesus’ picture on the cover of Sports Illustrated or People Magazine?
Think about it! We all fear something! Instead of fearing God, many of us fear the wrong things in life. Many fear failure, but few fear the God who never fails! Many fear abandonment, but few fear the God who never leaves us nor forsakes us. Many fear loneliness, but few fear the God who never leaves us alone! Many fear pain, but few fear the God who endured the pain of the cross. Many fear death, but few fear the God who overcame death on the third day! The great devotional writer Oswald Chambers once said, “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.”
What do you fear? Or rather, who do you fear? If you want a better life, you need wisdom? If you want wisdom, you must fear the Lord! Follow the yellow brick road to wisdom! Follow the yellow brick road! Follow the Yellow Brick Road! Follow the Yellow Brick Road! Follow, follow, follow, follow! Follow the Yellow Brick Road! Follow the Yellow Brick! Follow the Yellow Brick! Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Wisdom!