“Gold” from Proverbs
The fear of the Lord.

Pro 1:7 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.

The book of Proverbs is a book written by the third king of Israel, it was written by Salomo.
This book has 31 chapters. It can be read through in one month. What about it!!
Take the time to read a chapter a day and it will help you to gain some heavenly wisdom. It will give you gold!!!

In this first chapter we find the following words, words that should cause us to think and consider.

1. The fear of the Lord.

Fear is a word that most often has a bad connotation. Fear carries the meaning of being afraid.
When we are afraid of someone it will cause us not to want to be in their presence. What about the word here used by Salomo, what does it mean?

Fear: H3374 yir-aw' Feminine of H3373; fear (also used as infinitive); morally reverence: - X dreadful, X exceedingly, fear (-fulness).

This word fear, as it is used in this context means “to have a moral reverence'. It does have to do with healthy respect. Healthy respect does not create a bad fear on our part. No, healthy fear leads to respect. And respect leads to a good listener. And so Salomo wants his own son to listen to him and to his mother.

Take two families with fathers and sons. In the first family the son recognizes his father for his position as the head of the family, being the older one with more experience. His son will learn to respect his father and do as he says. Why? Because he knows that his father is the one that gave him life and he is older, out to be doing things for him that are good, even though at times it will hurt him. However, he knows that the hurt will lead him to a better life. He knows that his father loves him and does what he does out of love.
In the second family there is a son who disregards that fathers position.
What will become of him? He will be the one that gets himself into trouble. Healthy respect is crucial in our lives on many levels.

It is like with our traffic-laws, when we have a healthy fear for traffic-laws it will bring us much good. It will keep us safe and brings us to where we are going. Then when we do follow the rules of traffic, we protect ourselves and we protect the other. When we see a police-officer we do not have to be afraid. On the contrary, we know that they are our friends and will do us only good.

What about a warm heater, when we have a healthy respect it will cause us to keep a certain distance and it will serve us to be warm. When we do not have the respect we will come to close and get burned and if we are afraid of it it will have us stay away from it and end up being cold.

So, it is with the respect that we need to have for God. Perfect respect leads to doing His will, leading His will leads us to a healthy life and a life of peace.
Recognizing His rule and sovereignty causes us to follow Him.
It is the same as with the heater, when we respect the heater it will cause us to be at the right distance and it will serve us.
And so are God's laws, Gods laws are there to protect and to keep us safe.
Let us stay close to God and be safe. Let us learn to respect Him, do His will and live in peace, hope and joy.

The true question in all of this is another one and that is, how well do we know Him!!!
When we know Him well we know that He is out for our good, when we do not know Him He might look unto us as someone that is not caring and loving.

So, how well do you know Him?

See, if we do not know what a heater can do for us, it will cause us to stay away from it or it will cause us to come to close, neither approach will do us much good.
But it all has to do with knowing what a heater is. Knowing it will cause us to be at the exact right distance and be warm and filled.

So many people always fail to understand that Gods laws and principles are for their ultimate good. As traffic-laws are for our and the others ultimate good, so are Gods laws and principles good for the soul. For our own and for the others best interest. Then we are all winners!!

2. He called and is still calling.

Pro 1:24 Because I have called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man hath regarded;

God, in His tender care, has been reaching out. A father in his care will reach out to his children, but how many children will recognize their fathers true intent??
Many do not until later.

However, as God is a far more perfect Father then out earthly father, we do need to consider Him for who He is.
(Hebr. 12: 9- 10)
God is calling everyday, God is calling constantly but many do not want to hear and sit at His feet and learn from Him.

Isa 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

Isa 55:2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which
satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

We can come to Him, sit at His feet and be filled.
Why would you not?

He wants to fill you with fatness and then to live. Like a shepherd looks after his sheep, so has God is looking out for people to come to Him and be filled.
He made us, He knows what is best for us. God is the only one who can truly fill us.
He has all the power to do so.

3. To what end?

Pro 1:33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, And shall be quiet without fear of evil.

Here we see written about the true intent of Gods laws and principles, it will make us dwell securely and we shall be quiet without fear of evil. That is the end-result of the fear of God. That is what He wants.

Listen to the words of Moses:

Deu 28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that Jehovah thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth:

Deu 28:2 and all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God.

Listen to the words of Jeremiah:

Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith Jehovah, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.

God has always had thoughts of peace for His people. As God had those in the days of Moses and in the days of Jeremiah, He has them today for us. When we look at God He wants to be a true Father. He wants us to be sheltered in His care.
Like David testified about in the 23th Psalm, God was His shepherd and he lacked nothing.
His life was complete. His cup was running over.

4. What about the other side of the fear of God?

A good part of this chapter is dedicated to the hurt that people will be in when they do not respect Him. Do read the whole chapter and learn from Him.
What do we see in our world, a lot of people in pain and hurt, all the consequences of their life-style. We need to consider our ways.

What about fear of God. Recognizing God for who He is should cause to consider our ways and walk with Him.
Repentance is a concept that needs to take place in our hearts. And that is often where things go wrong. We need to realize that change in our hearts is crucial in our relationship with God. However, many times we are not allowed to talk about it and yet it is the road that leads to God. So, how can we come to Him without it. Let us all repent of our old ways and live in the light of His word.

Let us all consider our ways, find healthy respect towards Him and live and live abundantly. (John 10: 10)