- Pr 2:5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD, and discover the knowledge of God.
‘Then’ directs us back to the scriptures leading up to this verse.
Pr 2:1 If you receive my sayings
If you treasure my commandments within you
Pr 2:2 If you make your ear attentive to wisdom
If you incline your heart to understanding
Pr 2:3 If you cry for discernment
If you lift your voice for understanding
Pr 2:4 If you seek her as silver
If you search for her as for hidden treasures
The result:
Pr 2:5 Then you will discern the fear of the LORD, and discover the knowledge of God.
Notice how these words are certain, there is no question. God will teach us about Himself. He will give us understanding. That truth in itself is crazy amazing!
discern <biyn> to separate mentally (or distinguish), (generally) understand: attend consider, be cunning, discern, inform, instruct, have intelligence, know, look well to, perceive, regard, deal wisely.
1. We will understand the fear of the Lord.
fear <yir’ah> morally, reverence, dreadful, exceedingly, fearfulness.
When we carefully look at each of the words in the definition above, we develop a greater appreciation for the meaning.
morally: a respect for moral principles
reverence: to regard with feelings of respect, exalted, to be in awe of, venerate, a reverent mental attitude
dreadful: fearful expectation or anticipation; apprehension, frightening
exceedingly: to an extreme degree, real
fearfulness: an emotion experienced in anticipation; a feeling of profound respect
God’s promise to us – He will give us the right view of what it means to come before the Almighty God. If you are saved you will experience an overwhelming sense of awe in understanding who God is. Let’s take the time to look at some of God’s attributes. Understanding the fear of the Lord begins with appreciating Who He Is.
God is Light.
1Jo 1:5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
God is Love.
1Jo 4:16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
God is unsearchable.
Job 11:7 “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
Ps 145:3 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.
Ro 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
God is eternal.
Ps 90:2 Before the mountains were born, Or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.
God is all-knowing.
Ps 139:1-6 (For the choir director. A Psalm of David.) O LORD, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost understand my thought from afar. Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down, And art intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, Thou dost know it all. Thou hast enclosed me behind and before, And laid Thy hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
God is everywhere at all times.
Ps 139:7 Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence?
God is always the same, He does not change.
Jas 1:17 Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.
God is Glorious.
Ex 15:11 “Who is like Thee among the gods, O LORD? Who is like Thee, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?
Ps 145:5 On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, And on Thy wonderful works, I will meditate.
God is Most High.
Ps 83:18 That they may know that Thou alone, whose name is the LORD, Art the Most High over all the earth.
God is Perfect.
Mt 5:48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
God is Holy.
Ps 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For holy is the LORD our God.
God is Just.
De 32:4 “The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.
God is the only True God.
Joh 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.
God is righteous.
Ps 145:17 The LORD is righteous in all His ways, And kind in all His deeds.
God is Great.
Ps 86:10 For Thou art great and doest wondrous deeds; Thou alone art God.
God is Gracious.
Ex 34:6 Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;
God is Faithful.
1Co 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.
1Pe 4:19 Therefore, let those also who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.
God is Merciful.
Ex 34:6-7 Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
Ps 86:5 For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon Thee.
God is Patient.
Ps 145:8 The LORD is gracious and merciful; Slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.
God is Jealous.
Na 1:2 A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; The LORD is avenging and wrathful. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies.
There is none beside God, none before God, no one like God, no one good except God.
Isa 44:6 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.
Isa 43:10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, In order that you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.
Ex 9:14 “For this time I will send all My plagues on you and your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is no one like Me in all the earth.
Mt 19:17 And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
What is the fear of God? Acknowledgement of God’s absolute existence which results in a reverence and respect of His moral principles, an overwhelming feeling of wonder and admiration for His character and His work, and a genuine expectation of His perfect love and His certain and righteous judgement.
Take a moment, breathe in deeply and be in awe of the God who has chosen you to be His child. There are no words that express enough gratitude for His grace on your life! My friend, take the time to understand the fear of your Lord.
And [you will] discover the knowledge of God.
Ho 6:3 “So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.”
Lu 11:9-13 “And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. “For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it shall be opened. “Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? “Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
Pr 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Job 28:28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.'”
Jer 32:40-41 “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. “And I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul.
Jer 9:24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, “declares the LORD.
Joh 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.
1Jo 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
If you are not absolutely, head over heels in love with your Savior God, amazed at Who He Is and What He has done, check your heart’s sincerity. If you can read the truths in the Bible about His character and you have no response, question the purity of your motivation.
Jer 24:7 ‘And I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.
If your love for our Savior has waned, if you have been unfaithful in pursuing this most wondrous relationship, and your desire is to rekindle the awe of knowing Him, then keep in mind this comforting truth: even when we have been unfaithful, God’s faithfulness and therefore our hope, endures forever.
2 Tim 2:11-13 It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
