“Fearing the Lord is the beginning of moral knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
— Proverbs 1:7
Fear is a word with three main meanings: terror, awe, and respect. Occurs many times with all three meanings, but that doesn’t mean we can pick and choose which meaning we like best. Fearing God is perhaps best exemplified at Mt Sinai (Ex 20). Israel both shrinks back in terror which ultimately leads them to honor His commands (at least they say they will).
Too often we make this phrase more palatable and say it’s “just” reverence/respect. Everyone who “met” God in OT fell on face, ran and hid, etc. There were storms, earthquakes, winds. Probably because he usually showed up in judgment cause people were not being wise.
No, I don’t think God wants us to be afraid of Him, but if we knew who He was, we naturally would. This is only one aspect, though. Of course, He’s also father, friend, king, etc. Take each book as it is.
Moral knowledge includes idea of experiencing the making of wise choices, not just head knowledge. This idea is throughout Proverbs. Those who have a healthy view of God have more skill at life. Those who have an irreverent view of God and an unhealthy view of themselves are not skilled at life.
Genre of Proverbs: General, timeless principles—not all the time guaranteed promises
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