10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
28 And he said to man, “The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”
2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
“Men who fear God face life fearlessly. Men who do not fear God end up fearing everything.” Richard Halverson
“When first the life of grace begins in the soul, we do indeed draw near to God, it is it with great fear and trembling. The soul conscious of guilt, and humbled thereby, is overawed with the solemnity of its position; it is cast to the earth by a sense of the grandeur of Jehovah, in whose presence it stands. With unfeigned bashfulness it takes the lowest room. As the Christian grows in grace, although he will never forget the solemnity of his position, and will never lose that holy awe which must encompass a gracious man when he is in the presence of the God who can create or can destroy; yet his fear has all terror taken out of it; it becomes a holy reverence, and no more an overshadowing dread. He is called up higher, to greater access to God in Christ Jesus....Seeing there is a God of love, of goodness, and of mercy, he will realize the covenant character of God than His absolute Deity. He will see in God rather His goodness than His greatness, and more of His love than of His majesty...sustained by the refreshing consciousness of being in the Presence of boundless mercy and infinite love....drawing near to Him in holy confidence, saying, ‘Abba Father’.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“We fear men so much because we fear God so little.” William Gurnall
“Whoever you are, good reader, and whatever your education may be, if you be the Lord’s, be assured you will find no rest in philosophizing divinity. You may receive this dogma of one great thinker, or that dream of another profound reasoned, but what the chaff is to wheat, that will these be to the pure word of God. All that reason, when best guided, can find out is but the A B C of truth, and even that lacks certainty, while in Christ Jesus there is treasured up all the fullness of wisdom and knowledge.....Jesus satisfies the most elevated intellect when He is believingly received, but apart from Him the mind of the regenerate discovers no rest. ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.’ ‘A good understanding have all they that do His commandments.’” Charles H. Spurgeon
“Knowledge is the apprehension of truth; wisdom is its application to life. Knowledge is prudent judgment and wisdom is prudent action. Both are found in Christ whose wisdom is foolishness to the world, but who is the power of God by which a believer receives ‘righteousness, holiness, and redemption’.” Bible Knowledge Commentary
“Wisdom is man’s true strength; and, under its guidance, he best accomplishes the ends of his being. Wisely handling the matter of life gives to humankind the richest enjoyment, and presents the noblest occupation for his powers; hence, by it he finds good in the fullest sense. Without wisdom, man is as the wild ass’s colt, running here and there, wasting strength which might be profitably employed. Wisdom is the compass by which we are to steer across the trackless waste of life; without it we are derelict vessels, the sport of winds and waves.” Charles H. Spurgeon
Jesus = Truth = Wisdom = Knowledge = Understanding = Richest enjoyment in the fullest sense. It is the pride and folly of man to lean on his own inept understanding. It is in Jesus where all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found. Just ask Solomon. BHY