The Beginning of Wisdom

"Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," is what the book of Proverbs has to say about fear of the Lord.

But what is this fear? Sometimes, the way God is portrayed, I think we picture practising this fear as though we were ants running from a cruel and vengeful deity. But surely such a fear is inconsistent with the generous and loving God Jesus tells us about, the one who so loved the world He gave it His only begotten Son.

I think we get a glimpse of this fear in its proper context in Ezekiel 2:2:

The heavens were opened,
and I saw visions of God.
When I saw this, I fell on my face,
And I heard the voice of someone speaking.

Reading this passage, I try and put myself in Ezekiel's sandals. What happens when the sky opens up, and insignificant mortal me catches a glimpse of the eternal and omnipotent God who created everything I know, and all the other things I do not? I imagine that I tremble in awe of the eternity now so plainly on display. I imagine my heart breaks at the incredible beauty laid bare before me, so terrible in its relentless purity. And worst of all, I imagine the incredible pang of shame at my own inadequacy, all the times that I acted against the will of the great light before me. But the light in question will reach out and gently fill me with its kind forgiveness, and renew me with vital purpose.

Fear of the Lord is not fear of a smiting - it is the plain and simple recognition that God is awesome, vast, beyond comprehension, and beautiful beyond any compare. It is the intimidating presence of one so high that, as Darlene Zchech might put it, "Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your name."

Next time someone asks you if you are "God fearing," ask yourself if you would be stunned, amazed, and humbled to be in the magnificent presence of God. You will surely be able to answer, "Yes! I certainly am!"