THE BEGINNING OF
KNOWLEDGE
Adapted from sermon
preached on evening of 23 July 2000
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom
and instruction” (Prov 1:7).
What is the beginning of knowledge? Some say the beginning of knowledge is in
the mother’s womb, and so they “hot house” the baby. Others think that it is
the nursery or kindergarten, and so they object to teaching a child too early.
Some purists would say that the beginning of true knowledge is found only in
the university where there is independent thinking. The idealist may say: the
beginning of knowledge is to know where to find it; or to know who to learn it
from; and to know how to ask questions. The pragmatist may say: the beginning
of knowledge is to do it. These are the philosophical sentiments of the world
on the beginning of knowledge. There may be some subjective truth in each of
these statements. We say subjective truth because the knowledge referred to in
these statements are all subjective and significant only in a limited sense.
But what about knowledge that is perpetually and universally true and
meaningful? The knowledge that the world talks about changes with time, or
changes in value over time. But unlike the world, we know that we will live
forever, and so we should be concerned with knowledge that will last not just a
lifetime, but knowledge that we will still find useful in eternity.
What is the beginning or foundation of this knowledge? The wisest man, who ever
live in this world, wrote under inspiration from God: “The fear of the LORD is
the beginning of knowledge” (Prov 1:7a).
The fear of the LORD does not necessarily refer to being afraid of God, though
the impenitent sinner ought to be afraid of Him. In any case, considered apart
from the feeling of dread, it refers to having: (1) a steadfast assurance that
God exists and that He is a holy God; (2) an abiding and reverent sense of the
presence of God in our lives; and (3) a sense of accountability towards God and
a desire to please Him. To fear God is to live coram Deo, i.e., to
live before the face of God. To fear God is to live with the apprehension that
God is watching over us in everything we think, do or say; and that He is
intimately concerned with our lives, and will bring all things to judgment.
What then, are the implications of Solomon’s assertion: “The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of knowledge?” Let me suggest three:
The Fear of the LORD is the Beginning
of Useful Knowledge
Useful knowledge is simply knowledge that translates
to life. Knowledge that does not eventually translate to life is ultimately
useless. Let me illustrate: Most of us spent some years in school: some spent
more years, some spent less. Some of us are still in school. What useful
knowledge do you or did you acquire in school? If you are in school, it may be
hard for you to answer because everything taught is important: you need to know
them to pass your examinations. But ask someone who has been out working for a
while: “How much of what you learned in school is directly applicable to your
work?” You will quickly realise that, for most people, the percentage of useful
knowledge acquired in school is actually very small. Most of us know this fact
by experience. How many of us even remember the theories of Calculus we learned
in school? When we were learning them, they were useful for training our minds
and for passing examinations. But how many of us have clean forgotten all that
we learned simply because they are no longer useful?
Now, we know that the knowledge of religion or divinity is very important. But
how useful is it by itself? Knowledge of spiritual things that does not
translate into life is the same as dead faith. Dead faith is simply head
knowledge. The Scripture describes dead faith thus: “Thou believest that there
is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt
thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (Jas 2:19–20). Dead
faith, or mere head knowledge, is simply faith without works. Knowledge that is
not based on genuine, reverential fear of God would only remain in the head,
and not translate to genuine faith. The devils know much more than we do, yet
the knowledge is useless for them because they have no loving fear for God.
Unless our minds are possessed with a holy reverence of God, and every of our
thoughts are brought into captive obedience to God, we will have knowledge that
remains in the head only. Unless we fear God, all the knowledge that we have
about theology will be useless for us, except to condemn us: “For unto
whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have
committed much, of him they will ask the more” (Lk 12:48).
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of useful knowledge. Beloved, are you
increasing in knowledge without a fear of the LORD? Realise that that is, in
fact, practical atheism: knowing and believing, but not being transformed by
the renewing of your mind. What is the use of knowing much theology, but having
no fear of God?
Beloved? Do you have a fear of God? Let me give you a simple test: If you are
unsure if a certain thing in your life is pleasing to God, do you seek to err
on the safe side or do you rather err on the convenient side? Let me give you
an example. If you are not sure whether God would be pleased with you for going
to a wedding dinner on the Sabbath day so that you have to miss the evening
worship, then would you go for the dinner any way? If you fear the Lord, you
will take seriously the words of the Apostle Paul, that whatever is not of
faith is sin.
The Fear of the LORD is the Beginning of
Knowing Yourself and Knowing Christ
Let me show you three instances in the Scripture to prove this to be the
case.
First, take the case of Moses when
he met God in the bush that burned but was not consumed. It was there that God
revealed to Moses that His name is “I AM;” for when Moses asked Him for His
name so that he could tell the children of Israel who sent him, He said: “I AM
THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM
hath sent me unto you” (Ex 3:14).
Now, notice that the word ‘LORD’ in Proverbs 1:7 is all in capitals. This means
that in the Hebrew, in which this proverb was originally written, the word used
is not the word adonai which means ‘ruler’ or ‘master.’ It is
rather, the name of God—Yahweh or Jehovah (Hebrew, yhwh). This name
of God has a meaning. It means “HE IS.” It is the third person form of “I AM.”
It is a name which tells us that Jehovah is the alone self-existent Creator and
Governor of all things. Everything in the world is created by God. God alone is
not created.
What was the first thing that God taught Moses when He met him at the burning
bush? It was the fear of the LORD: for He told Moses, “Draw not nigh hither:
put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is
holy ground” (Ex 3:5). Moses was being taught that God is holy and is to be
feared and reverenced because He is holy.
What was Moses’ first response to God when He instructed him to lead His people
out? It was “Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring
forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Ex 3:11). Of course, Moses wasn’t
exactly asking the Lord who he was. He was acknowledging his weakness and
nothingness. Moses, who was once a proud and powerful Egyptian prince, had come
to see how worthless he was by himself.
But it was when he knew his weakness that the power of Christ could rest upon
him. The words of the Apostle Paul would apply to Moses too: “For when I am
weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor 12:10). For Moses, the fear of the LORD was the
beginning of knowing himself and knowing Christ, so that he esteemed the
reproach of Christ to be greater riches than the treasures of Egypt (Heb
11:26).
Secondly, take the case of
Isaiah. In the year that King Uzziah died, Isaiah was in the temple, and he saw
a vision of Jehovah sitting on the throne. He saw the seraphims ministering
unto the Lord and crying to one another: “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of
hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa 6:3).
What was Isaiah’s first response to this awesome vision? It was: “Woe is me!
for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst
of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts”
(Isa 6:5). Do you not see how the fear of Jehovah gave way to Isaiah’s knowing
himself to be a vile sinner? It was then that one of the seraphims took a live
coal and touched his lips with it and said: “thine iniquity is taken away, and
thy sin purged” (Isa 6:7). What is this act symbolic of, but Christ taking his
sin away. In fact, in John 12:41, we are told that the prophet Isaiah saw the
glory of Christ in that vision. For Isaiah, then, the fear of the LORD was also
the beginning of knowing himself and knowing Christ.
Thirdly, take the case of Peter
in Luke 5, in the New Testament. Now, take note that the “I AM” or Jehovah in
the Old Testament is the Christ of the New Testament. When the Old Testament
was translated to Greek before Christ was born, what word did the Alexandrian
scholars use to translate the word Jehovah? It was kurios, which is
translated ‘Lord’ in the English. When Christ was born and the Gospel account
was written, what word did they use to describe Christ? Again, it was kurios!
The Lord Jesus, moreover, affirmed that He is the “I AM.” On one occasion, when
He was speaking to the Jews, He told them: “Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Before Abraham was, I am” (Jn 8:58). Immediately the Jews tried to stone Him
for blasphemy because they knew that He was claiming to be Jehovah.
Now, in our account in Luke 5, the Lord Jesus told Peter to launch out into the
deep. Peter was obviously sceptical. He told the Lord: “Master (Greek,epistatês),
we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word
I will let down the net” (Lk 5:5). What happened when the net was lowered? They
inclosed such a great multitude of fishes that the net began to break and when
they loaded the fishes on the boats, the two boats almost sank! Peter was
astounded. He knew then that the Lord Jesus was no ordinary leader or rabbi.
“He fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O
Lord (kurios)” (Lk 5:8). What kind of statement is this? It is a
statement of one who knows the fear of the LORD. Peter saw there and then that
Jesus is the Lord God Omnipotent. And for the first time since he met the Lord
Jesus, he experienced the fear of the LORD. He saw his nakedness and sin, and
an awesome fear pierced his soul as he crumbled to his knees: “Depart from me;
for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For the Apostle Peter, then, the fear of the
LORD was the beginning of knowing himself and knowing Christ.
Beloved, do you have a fear of the LORD? You will never know yourself or know
Christ until you know the fear of the LORD. You cannot know Christ but that you
know yourself to be a horrible sinner having nothing, and deserving nothing but
damnation. You cannot know Christ unless you know that you are hopeless without
Him. But how can you know yourself to be hopeless but that you must get it into
your mind that if God be God, then He must be perfectly holy and perfectly
just, and that one day He will call you to account for your sin. Think about
that. You do not really believe that God exists until you understand that He
must be holy and just.
The Fear of the LORD is the Beginning
of Life Eternal
Since the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowing self and knowing
Christ, the fear of the LORD must also be the beginning of life eternal. Why? Because
the Lord defined eternal life this way: “And this is life eternal, that they
might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (Jn
17:3). Let me put it this way: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge that will never loose its currency and that is helpful forever. If
you do not have the fear of the LORD, you will not know Christ, and all the
knowledge you acquire in a lifetime will not be of any use to you. Yes, your
soul will live on, but in eternal torment. Yes, you will remember what
knowledge you acquired while on earth. But no, your memory and knowledge is not
going to help you when you are in hell. Rather, they will cause your conscience
to burn ever so painfully. But if you have the fear of the LORD and know Christ,
then you will have life everlasting and life eternal, and the things that you
remember from your earthly sojourn will give you occasions to praise the Lord.
With this in mind, let me address myself particularly now to you if you are not
a Christian. If you are not a Christian, you may not understand what it is to
love God. But to some extent you can fear the Lord. And I would suggest to you
that your only hope is to fear the Lord. Why? Because unless you fear the Lord,
you will continue to live your life as you like. You will continue to head
happily on the broad road that leads to damnation. But let me appeal to you
with four reasons why you should fear the Lord.
Firstly, you should fear the
Lord because God is a holy and just God. He hates sin, and He will punish every
sin. This was the reason why Christ came to live and to die. He came to
represent His children, to take away their sin by being punished on their
behalf. God punished Him for the sin of those who trust in Him, that they may
have life everlasting. If you persist in unbelief, one day you will have to pay
for your sin. The Bible tells us that if you have to pay for your own sin, it
has to be eternal death in hell.
Secondly, you should fear the
Lord because your life is in the hand of God. Do you not know that God may
require your life today? I am not trying to scare you, but this is a fact. None
of us know how long more we will live. None of us know when we will die. Our
lives are in the hand of God. He can require it of us at any time. If you do
not fear the Lord today, you will fear Him in that day when you die because you
will have to answer for your life. And woe are you if you have to face God
without Christ. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God
(cf. Heb 10:31). Yes, whatever you may think, if you do not know Jesus Christ,
you will not have a happy feeling when you stand before God to be judged. You
will cringe with fear. You may fall down to your knees and beg for pardon, but
it would be too late, because you have chosen to ignore Him and refused to
believe Him when you still have the opportunity to do so.
Thirdly, you should fear God
because commonsense tells you that you should fear Him. Commonsense would tell
you that there is nothing for you to loose if you live according to the fear of
God. You see, if ultimately there is no God, then life is absolutely
meaningless, and it makes absolutely no difference how you lived it. Then,
there is nothing to loose since it would make no difference whether you existed
at all. What difference would there be between an earthworm and man if God does
not exist? Earthworm and man are made of exactly the same substance. If you
believe that there is no God, you will probably believe that there is no soul,
and when you die you rot in the earth the same way as a dead earthworm. But if
God exists,—and no doubt He does,— then you have everything to loose if you do
not know Him or fear Him. For if that is the case, the minute you die you will
face the wrath of the righteous and holy God forever. It is foolish to live
without a fear of God. This is why the Proverbs 1:7 ends with “but fools
despise wisdom and instruction.” The fool says in his heart that there is no
God (Ps 14:1).
Fourthly, you should fear God
because there is hope for those who fear the Lord. The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of knowledge. It is the beginning of knowing yourself and knowing
Christ. If you remain proud and think that you know what to do without the
instruction from the Word of God, then there will be no hope for you. If you
fear God and humble yourself and seek to know Christ more and more by reading
the Bible and hearing sermons, and repenting of your sin, and believing and
embracing Christ as your Saviour and Lord, then you have great hope of truly
knowing Christ and being found with Him in Paradise one day.
Conclusion
Do you have the fear of the LORD? If you truly fear
the Lord, you will no longer live as you like, but you will live according to
what the Word of God teaches. You will want to learn more and more about
Christ, whether you know yourself to be a Christian or not. You will not allow
any opportunity to know Christ better slip by because you are afraid to loose
the blessing that might be installed for you: the blessing of knowing Christ.
—JJ Lim
