THE FEAR OF THE LORD

"Surely there is a vein for the silver, and a place for gold where they fine it.  Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone.  But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?  Man knoweth not the price thereof; neither is it found in the land of the living.  The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me.  It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.  It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire.  Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?"  (Job 28:1, 2, 12-16, 20).

In this 28th chapter of the book of the Bible that is named for him, Job is merely vocalizing something which men have wondered about since the beginning of their history on earth.  "Where shall wisdom be found?"  If metals, both precious and common, can be found in secret veins that run through solid rock; then is there a secret place where wisdom can be found?  Can we go to that place and collect it like men mine gold or silver?  It is clear that we can't purchase it.  All of the wealth of the world would not be sufficient to buy one ounce of wisdom.  So where does Job conclude that it can be found?  "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding."  (Job 28:28).

We cannot hope to grow wise in this life if we don't trust what God has to say about things.  His assessment of a situation is the final word; and if He warns us to stay clear of certain things, then we proceed at our own risk, and will suffer the consequences of our actions.  On the other hand, we find that God rewards those who diligently seek Him, and enriches their lives in innumerable ways. 

The fear of the Lord is only the beginning of wisdom.  In order to achieve perfect wisdom we must learn to love God.  The more we walk with the Lord, the more we discover how lovely He is; and then we keep His commandments because we love Him and want to please Him, rather than because we fear Him and have to keep them.  As we increasingly fall in love with Jesus, we find that our love displaces the fear; and our love is perfected little by little.  "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.  He that feareth is not made perfect in love."  (1 John 4:18).

Ultimately, perfect wisdom is found only in Christ Jesus our Lord.  The more we get to know the Savior, the more we grow in wisdom and understanding.  We find that He is "made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."  (1 Corinthians 1:30).  In fact, we find that in the Lord Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.  (Colossians 2:3).  They are hidden much like the veins of gold and silver are hidden in the mountains.  They are not apparent without much searching and digging.  Likewise, the wisdom of God in Christ is not apparent to the world at large.  Man may seek it in science and philosophy, but he will not find it there.  It is hidden in Christ.  As we search and dig into the Word of Truth, it is there that we discover true Wisdom and the understanding to apply it to our circumstances. 

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good standing have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever."  (Psalms 111:10). 

"For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous.  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."  (1 John 5:3, 4).

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