Day 93, Year 1 The Fear of God Makes Our Lives Whole

“The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.” (Proverbs 15:33 NASB)

Staying away from evil is an essential part of fearing God, while another aspect is learning the instruction of wisdom. “Instruction” in today’s verse is musar in Hebrew, also meaning “discipline, correction, or chastisement,” and implying “rebuke, or warning.” The Israelites view wisdom as having different levels: a practical, down-to-earth level, and a divine, spiritual level, while all of these are connected at the center of fearing God. Some believers might argue that faith should instead be the center of everything for those who believe in Jesus. This is unquestionably true. But if people’s faith in Jesus lacks the fear of God, they might only want Jesus to be their servant, rather than them being His servant. In fact, He is pleased to impart wisdom on us, enabling us to succeed and prosper in our lives. For us, one tragic crisis is the separation of life and faith, which is unimaginable according to the teachings of the Old Testament.

First, accepting the instruction of divine wisdom would enable believers to lead a fulfilling life, but not following the instruction of wisdom would result in long-lasting punishment. The human tendency is to pursue good fortune and avoid misfortune, but we consider the rights and wrongs of all matters from the perspective of fearing God. For instance, military personnel or civil servants are ordered by the government to kill someone legally. They need to consider: killing an innocent person might be legal in the eyes of that government, and might even be rewarded after the mission. However, from the perspective of fearing God, killing the innocent often induces a guilty conscience and God’s punishment. Thus, those who fear God should ponder: is it worth obeying human order to kill the innocent to receive a worldly reward, yet potentially subject to God’s punishment? 

In a broader sense, fearing God should be the attitude of our lives, which means it is the primary reference for our life’s decisions. In this world, people face different expectations and demands, whether in studies, work, family, friends, or society etc. Without the fear of God and a heart to follow His wisdom, we would be easily torn apart and even driven to dishonesty. Contrarily, if we seek and follow God’s guidance, we can apply His wisdom to integrate our fragmented lives and live righteously and justly. In this way, we would be honored by Him because of our humility and obedience to His guidance and wisdom.

Reflection questions:

1) Is your life fragmented? If so, do you desire to receive God’s wisdom through fearing Him, such that your life would become integrated and unified?

2) Have you experienced the chastisement of wisdom? If so, what was the result?