The Beginning of Wisdom, Part 2 Read Psalm 111 “Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” —Psalm 111:2 A Pickles cartoon by Brian Crane shows an older gentleman named Earl hunched over a typewriter. When his wife, Opal, asks him what he’s doing, he responds that… Read More »

The Beginning of Wisdom, Part 1 Read Proverbs 1:1–7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” —Proverbs 1:7 “Two people may possess essentially the same knowledge,” wrote author Jerry Bridges in The Joy of Fearing God. “One person views this knowledge as a means of acquiring… Read More »

Fear of the Lord, Wisdom, and Shalom Read Proverbs 2:1–11 “Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” —Proverbs 2:5 When our children were younger, we designed “treasure hunts” for them. One clue would lead to another as they scampered through the house and yard. At the end,… Read More »

Fear and Righteousness Read Psalm 34:8–16 “Fear the Lord, you his holy people.”— Psalm 34:9 To be “righteous” means to be morally upright, to be without sin. Of course, holy perfection is an unreachable goal. Romans 3:10 tells us: “There is no one righteous, not even one.” How then do we “pursue righteousness” (2 Tim.… Read More »

Fear and Justice Read 2 Chronicles 19:4–11 “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the Lord.” —2 Chronicles 19:9 Have you ever heard a political candidate on the campaign trail? Or seen a video of one on TV? Sometimes it seems like they will say anything to get elected! In today’s reading,… Read More »

The Ten Commandments Read Exodus 20:1–20 “The fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” —Exodus 20:20 Psalm 112 says: “Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.” This means that people who fear the Lord are, by definition, people who also delight in His… Read More »

The Covenant Relationship Read Deuteronomy 10:12–21 “Fear the Lord your God and serve him.” —Deuteronomy 10:20 In biblical times, the relationship between the idol and the worshiper seemed like a competition for control. People tried to manipulate the idol with gifts and flattery. In turn, the idol would keep people in line with perceived threats… Read More »

Fear and Obedience Read Deuteronomy 6:1–9 “Fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands.” —Deuteronomy 6:2 In A Treatise of the Fear of God (1679), John Bunyan explained: “[God] will be either our Saviour or Judge, [so] we are in reason and duty bound to give… Read More »

God’s Justice Read Psalm 64 “All people will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done.” —Psalm 64:9 Have you ever heard it said that someone has “no fear of God”? This type of person will recklessly break laws and pursue criminal activity. They seem to have no fear… Read More »