Proverbs 1:7 says: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” This is one of my favorite proverbs because, not only does it tell us about the majesty of God, but also of the great value in learning. There are many who would seek to replace the wisdom of the Word of God with the ignorance of prideful men who would seek to replace God as the supreme being with themselves or another lesser or imagined power. These people are described as “fools” in Psalm 14:1.
In the Holy Scriptures, we find the true source of knowledge: our mighty God. The “fear” mentioned in the verse is not the kind we immediately think of in English, which is “terror” -- but rather, as the Pulpit Commentary states, “to fear or reverence," which is a “holy fear.” It is a fear by which we are afraid to offend God...that fear of Jehovah which is elsewhere described as “to hate evil” (Proverbs 8:13). This fear, or fear to offend God, is the beginning of true wisdom, because if we keep God and His will, and use that as our motivation, we will surely prosper in our lives.
God is the source of all reality and, therefore, of all that is good and all that that we should desire to know; however, we are told of those who don't want to know the path of a God- centered knowledge. A great many people have decided that, for whatever reason, to hate God is the beginning of wisdom. Atheism has little to offer its believer except that of a moral-free environment, in which a person can indulge in whatever her or she wants without fear of consequences. In this respect, it sounds very much like old fashioned idolatry, where worshipers make gods to suit their own desires. This kind of belief offers its follower only a cold grave and a meaningless universe which comes from nothing, becomes nothing, and offers only sorrow. It’s no wonder the Holy Bible describes those who adhere to such godless doctrines as fools.
The Proverbs are full of wise sayings and deep thoughts. They encourage us and admonish us, and in Proverbs 1, we learn where to begin, by acknowledging the simple truth that God IS.
