What does it mean to have wisdom? The Bible has a lot to say about wisdom. There are even a group of books known as the “Wisdom Literature”. Three of those books surround the idea of “The Fear of the Lord”. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job each look at the idea of wisdom. Though each comes from a different perspective, they all come back to the importance of the fear of the Lord.
Proverbs (the Teacher) gives us great understanding of how to live a good life. How to practically live out our lives in a way that will bring us prosperity and happiness. As bookends on these truths is the idea that this kind of living starts with a right fear of the Lord.
Ecclesiastes (the Preacher) tells us to put the brakes on the guarantees of Proverbs. The actual meaning of life and the results of our actions are a “Vapor”. They are real enough, but you can never quite put your hands on it. In the end, the only thing we can know for certain is the value of living our lives in the right fear of the Lord.
Job gives us a story instead of a teaching. Job lived a life the teacher would have been proud of. The preacher would nod his head in approval. And then everything fell apart. Job goes from having everything to nothing in a matter of hours. In the beginning and the end of the story there is only one thing Job holds on to, (you guessed it) his right fear of the Lord.
In this series we will examine how we can live lives with the wisdom these books offer and how living with the fear of the Lord draws us closer to Him.
Shaun
pastor@hockinson.org
