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Psalm 111:10 - Wisdom 101.Psalm 111:10 (NKJV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.Psalm 111:10 (NIV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. Psalm 111:10 (NLT) Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever! Psalm 111:10 (CWB) To fear and respect the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. He will give sound judgment to all who strive to obey Him. Our praise for Him shall never end. Psalm 111:10 (TLB) How can men be wise? The only way to begin is by reverence for God. For growth in wisdom comes from obeying his laws. Praise his name forever. INTRODUCTION The only way to become truly wise is to fear (revere) God. This same thought is expressed in Proverbs 1:7-9. Too often people want to skip this step, thinking they can become wise by life experience and academic knowledge alone. But if we do not acknowledge God as the source of wisdom, then our foundation for making wise decisions is shaky, and we are prone to mistakes and foolish choices. [Life Application SB] COMMENTARY PEARL The Wise of the World It can be quite humorous to look back on predictions made by contemporary wisemen, such as the one made by Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, in 2007: "There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance." Or the one made by Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, in 1943: "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers" Then again, it is difficult to accurately predict the future. These failed predictions of Ballmer and Watson show us just how faulty worldly wisdom can be. No wonder Paul wrote, "Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" (1 Corinthians 1:20). By contrast, we have the text for today, with two inherent promises. The first begins with "the fear of the LORD," which means to have faith in the reality of God and His power - this faith is the "beginning of wisdom: The only way to begin being wise is to acknowledge God's sovereignty and love. Second, to have a "good understanding," we must "do His commandments." That is, we must obey the God whom we love and fear. Thus, faith and works go together. These are the components of what it means to have an experience with the Lord. You need, therefore, to cultivate faith in God day by day, a faith - "a fear" - that will result in obeying Him, knowing your total dependence on His grace and power. Here is wisdom that the world can never offer. Lord Jesus, give me the wisdom that really matters, the wisdom that comes from You. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts] COMMENTARY The classic OT statement concerning the religious basis of what it means to be wise. [NIV SB] The "fear of the LORD" is the major theme of the Bible's books of Wisdom Literature (cf. Job 28:28; Prov. 1:7; 9:10; Eccles. 12:13). [New Bible Companion] This kind of fear is best understood as reverence and awe that pervade every area of life. [Wycliffe Bible Commentary] The "fear of the Lord" is child-like reverential fear of Him whose "name is holy and reverend" (<Ps. 111:9>: cf. <Deut. 28:58>). This "fear" calls forth love and "delight in His commandments" <Ps. 112:1>.(Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary) Reverence for God; respect for his law, his will, his government, himself; the fear of offending him, which will lead us to do right. This fear is not that of a slave; it is not mere dread; it is not terror. It is consistent with love, and springs from it. It is consistent with calmness of mind, and promotes it. It does not produce terror, but rather delivers from it, and preserves the mind from alarms.... There is no true wisdom which does not recognize the being, the perfections, and the claims of God. The highest wisdom-- the most lofty endowment of man-- is that he "may" know and honor God. (Barnes' Notes) The only way to become truly wise is to revere God. Too often people want to skip this step, thinking they can become wise through life experience and academic knowledge alone. However, if God is not acknowledged as the source of wisdom, then the foundation for making wise decisions cannot be laid, and we are doomed to making mistakes and foolish choices. Always remember that the foundation for growing is to recognize that God is the source of wisdom and that obeying his laws is the path to righteousness. [Small Group SB] CLOSING THOUGHT True wisdom is a treasure as lasting as eternity. Many of the world's so-called wise men are wise only in their own estimation. Content with the acquisition of worldly wisdom, they never enter the garden of God, to become acquainted with the treasures of knowledge contained in His holy Word. Supposing themselves to be wise, they are ignorant concerning the wisdom which all must have who gain eternal life. They cherish a contempt for the Book of God, which, if studied and obeyed, would make them truly wise. The Bible is to them an impenetrable mystery. The grand, deep truths of the Old and New Testaments are obscure to them, because spiritual things are not spiritually discerned. They need to learn that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and that without this wisdom, their learning is of little worth. 3BC1156 LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Psalm 111:10 - Wisdom 101. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2011/20110516-1002.html Proverbs 1:7 - Knowledge Begins with Respect and Reverence for God. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240302-0821.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |