[Some commentary was divided into smaller paragraphs for ease of reading.]
As I was reading the Word this morning, I decided to read some commentaries on the following verse because I have come to see it as the most foundational concept of the Christian life. Because the Christian’s entire life of faith rests on this, it is extremely important to know what it means.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
MacArthur Bible Commentary:
The fear of the Lord. The overarching theme of this book and particularly the first nine chapters is introduced—reverence for God (see Pro_1:29; Pro_2:5; Pro_3:7; Pro_8:13; Pro_9:10; Pro_14:26-27; cf. also Job_28:28; Psa_34:11; Act_9:31).
See Introduction: Historical and Theological Themes.
This reverential awe and admiring, submissive fear is foundational for all spiritual knowledge and wisdom (cf. Pro_2:4-6; Pro_9:10; Pro_15:33; Job_28:28; Psa_111:10; Ecc_12:13).
While the unbeliever may make statements about life and truth, he does not have true or ultimate knowledge until he is in a redemptive relationship of reverential awe with God.
Note the progression here: (1) teaching about God; (2) learning about God; (3) fearing God; (4) knowing God; and (5) imitating God’s wisdom. The fear of the Lord is a state of mind in which one’s own attitudes, will, feelings, deeds, and goals are exchanged for God’s (cf. Psa_42:1).
John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,….
Here properly the book begins, and this is the first of the proverbs, and an excellent one; it is such an one as is not to be found in all the writings of the Heathens.
By “the fear of the Lord” is not meant a servile fear, a fear of punishment, of hell, wrath, and damnation, which is the effect of the first work of the law upon the conscience; but a filial fear, and supposes knowledge of God as a father, of his love and grace in Christ, particularly of his forgiving love, from whence it arises.
[For example] Psalm 130:4; it is a holy, humble, fiducial fear of God; a reverential affection for him, and devotion to him; it includes the whole of religious worship, both internal and external; all that is contained in the first table of the law, and the manner of performing it, and principle of acting:
this is the first of all sciences to be learned, and it is the principal one; it is the basis and foundation of all the rest, on which they depend; and it is the head, the fountain, the root an source, from whence they spring; and unless a man knows God, knows God in Christ, and worships him in his fear, in spirit and in truth, according to his revealed will, he knows nothing as he ought to know; and all his knowledge will be of no avail and profit to him;
this is the first and chief thing in spiritual and evangelical knowledge, and without which all natural knowledge will signify nothing; see Job_28:28;
but fools despise wisdom and instruction; the same with “knowledge” before; they do not desire the knowledge of God, and of his ways and worship, but despise it, make no account of it, but treat it with contempt; especially the knowledge of God in Christ, in which lies the highest wisdom, for this is “life eternal”, John 17:3;
they despise Christ “the Wisdom of God”, and the Gospel, and the truths of it, which are “the hidden wisdom” of God; and all “instruction” into it, and the means of it; they despise the Scriptures, which are able to make a man “wise unto salvation”; and the ministry of the word, and the ministers of it:
such sort of “discipline” (n) was this, as the word signifies, they dislike and abhor; and especially “correction” or “chastisement” (o), which is also the sense of it; suffering reproach and affliction for the sake of wisdom, a profession of Christ and his Gospel; and they are fools with a witness that despise all this;
such fools are atheists, deists, and all profane and wicked men. The Septuagint render it, “the ungodly”; and such sort of men are all along meant by “fools” in this book.
F B Meyer – Through the Bible Day by Day
“THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE”
Notice the perfect balance of each clause, and the duplication of the one thought in the two clauses of each verse.
Wisdom as used in this book is more than intellectual learning or cleverness. It represents a moral quality, the result of a pure and a true life.
We are conscious that many simple-minded people, who have little enough book-learning, are remarkable for sagacious advice, insight into character, the wise reading of events, an intuitive knowledge-all based on the fear of God.
The headlines of Scotch copy-books used to be taken from this book. Certain it is that the young who ponder and practice these maxims can hardly fail of a successful career.
Albert Barnes – Notes on the Bible
The beginning of wisdom is found in the temper of reverence and awe. The fear of the finite in the presence of the Infinite, of the sinful in the presence of the Holy (compare Job_42:5-6), this for the Israelite was the starting-point of all true wisdom.
In the Book of Job_28:28 it appears as an oracle accompanied by the noblest poetry.
In Psa_111:10 it comes as the choral close of a temple hymn.
Here it is the watchword of a true ethical education.
This fear has no torment, and is compatible with child-like love. But this and not love is the “beginning of wisdom.”
Through successive stages and by the discipline of life, love blends with it and makes it perfect.
Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments:
The fear of the Lord — That is, reverence for and obedience to God; is the beginning of knowledge — The foundation and source of it; without which all other knowledge is vain and useless.
Mark well this sentence, reader: all wisdom, which is not founded in religion, in the true and genuine fear of God, is empty and unprofitable, and will be found such in the time of affliction, in the hour of death, and at the day of judgment.
But fools — Wicked men, or men devoid of true religion, called fools throughout this whole book, despise wisdom and instruction — Are so far from attaining it, that they despise it, and all the means of getting it.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible:
Proverbs 1:7-9
Solomon, having undertaken to teach a young man knowledge and discretion, here lays down two general rules to be observed in order thereunto, and those are, to fear God and honour his parents, which two fundamental laws of morality Pythagoras begins his golden verses with, but the former of them in a wretchedly corrupted state.
Primum, deos immortales cole, parentesque honora – First worship the immortal gods, and honour your parents. To make young people such as they should be,
I. Let them have regard to God as their supreme.
1. He lays down this truth, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Pro_1:7); it is the principal part of knowledge (so the margin); it is the head of knowledge; that is, (1.) Of all things that are to be known this is most evident, that God is to be feared, to be reverenced, served, and worshipped; this is so the beginning of knowledge that those know nothing who do not know this.
(2.) In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by the instructions that are given us unless our minds be possessed with a holy reverence of God, and every thought within us be brought into obedience to him.
If any man will do his will, he shall know of his doctrine, Joh_7:17. (3.) As all our knowledge must take rise from the fear of God, so it must tend to it as its perfection and centre. Those know enough who know how to fear God, who are careful in every thing to please him and fearful of offending him in any thing; this is the Alpha and Omega of knowledge.
2. To confirm this truth, that an eye to God must both direct and quicken all our pursuits of knowledge, he observes, Fools (atheists, who have no regard to God) despise wisdom and instruction; having no dread at all of God’s wrath, nor any desire of his favour, they will not give you thanks for telling them what they may do to escape his wrath and obtain his favour.
Those who say to the Almighty, Depart from us, who are so far from fearing him that they set him at defiance, can excite no surprise if they desire not the knowledge of his ways, but despise that instruction.
Note, Those are fools who do not fear God and value the scriptures; and though they may pretend to be admirers of wit they are really strangers and enemies to wisdom.
II. Let them have regard to their parents as their superiors (Pro_1:8, Pro_1:9): My son, hear the instruction of thy father. He means, not only that he would have his own children to be observant of him, and of what he said to them, nor only that he would have his pupils, and those who came to him to be taught, to look upon him as their father and attend to his precepts with the disposition of children, but that he would have all children to be dutiful and respectful to their parents, and to conform to the virtuous and religious education which they give them, according to the law of the fifth commandment.
1. He takes it for granted that parents will, with all the wisdom they have, instruct their children, and, with all the authority they have, give law to them for their good. They are reasonable creatures, and therefore we must not give them law without instruction; we must draw them with the cords of a man, and when we tell them what they must do we must tell them why. But they are corrupt and wilful, and therefore with the instruction there is need of a law. Abraham will not only catechize, but command, his household. Both the father and the mother must do all they can for the good education of their children, and all little enough.
2. He charges children both to receive and to retain the good lessons and laws their parents give them.
(1.) To receive them with readiness: “Hear the instruction of thy father; hear it and heed it; hear it and bid it welcome, and be thankful for it, and subscribe to it.”
(2.) To retain them with resolution: “Forsake not their law; think not that when thou art grown up, and no longer under tutors and governors, thou mayest live at large; no, the law of thy mother was according to the law of thy God, and therefore it must never be forsaken; thou wast trained up in the way in which thou shouldst go, and therefore, when thou art old, thou must not depart from it.” Some observe that whereas the Gentile ethics, and the laws of the Persians and Romans, provided only that children should pay respect to their father, the divine law secures the honour of the mother also.
3. He recommends this as that which is very graceful and will put an honour upon us: “The instructions and laws of thy parents, carefully observed and lived up to, shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head (Pro_1:9), such an ornament as is, in the sight of God, of great price, and shall make thee look as great as those that wear gold chains about their necks.” Let divine truths and commands be to us a coronet, or a collar of SS, which are badges of first-rate honours; let us value them, and be ambitious of them, and then they shall be so to us. Those are truly valuable, and shall be valued, who value themselves more by their virtue and piety than by their worldly wealth and dignity.
To read other commentators on this verse, click the following link:
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/proverbs/1-7.htm
I used E-sword Bible software for this post. It is a free download for personal computer, and costs $2.99 at the app store. It offers a dozen or more translations of the Bible; at least that many free commentaries; a few Bible dictionaries and other things; also, you may purchase additional commentaries like MacArthur’s commentary.
I also added the LSB, the new Legacy Standard Bible developed by MacArthur’s Bible Seminary.
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If E-sword does not appeal to you, then Bible Hub, linked above, has most of the same stuff without charge.