The Fear of The Lord Is -Part 4- The Beginning of Knowledge

    Proverbs 1:7

The fear of The LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

    Knowledge is based on experience and observation. The knowledge we have in life is the wisdom of our years applied to our daily lives. Wisdom is applied knowledge. We have learned from our mistakes, and no longer make foolish decisions that would detrimentally impact the life we choose to live now. 

    Even when our lives are given over to God, these same statements can be made. The fear of The Lord is the Beginning of Knowledge. But not only the beginning. The fear of The Lord remains with us; for we do not want to incur God's wrath, only His blessings.

    We experience God when we first come to saving grace through His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. [Ephesians 2:8,9]. We experience God when we choose to be obedient and put Him first in our lives. [Psalm 63:1; Exodus 20:3-7; 1 Corinthians 8:6].

    We experience God when we talk to Him. [Philippians 4:6]. We experience God when we walk with Him. [1 Thessalonians 4:1]. We experience God when we see His handiwork and recognize it as His creations. [Psalm 19:1-6; Psalm 66; Genesis 1; Colossians 1:16]. 

    This is the beginning of knowledge.

    We observe all that God is doing in our lives. For starters, He has changed us from "a people lost in darkness" to "a people who live in The Light". Before we came the knowledge of saving grace through Jesus Christ, we lived sin-filled lives. We wasted our finances on worldly investments, which only dragged us lower and eventually we hit rock-bottom where we landed on The Rock: Jesus Christ. 

    We recognized that God is God and saw that His Word is True. We came to Him through Jesus Christ and He forgave us of our sins. By the blood of His Holy Lamb God washed away the stench and stain of sin in our hearts. And gave us His Holy Spirit to both teach us God's Way and God's Word, and to Advocate for us on our behalf. This, too, is the beginning of knowledge.

 

But with this Word of Knowledge comes a warning:

            "Fools despise wisdom and instruction." 

Who is a fool? I'm drawing on The Topical Lexicon here:

Someone who knows The Truth and rejects It. 

    We know that The Truth is Jesus Christ. So, a fool must be someone who has known The Truth of God's Word, then rejected it for one reason or another. 

    John 3:19

“And this is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil.”

(Condemnation: judgment, verdict, the cause for indictment)

Someone who is morally and spiritually corrupt. 

    It is impossible to be a faithful God-fearing Christian and still harbor or hide a secret life from prying eyes. Someone is always watching, especially in this day and age. Be Warned: God can still see hearts and He knows who belongs to Him and who does not. [1 John 3:8; Matthew 7:23]

    2 Timothy 2:19

Nevertheless the Foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names The Name of Christ depart from iniquity.”

    Fools are impulsive: they do without thinking of the consequences of their actions. They make rash decisions and blame others for the fallout [Proverbs 10:14; 12:16; Job 5:2].

    Fools mock sin [Proverbs 14:9]. And in doing so, are mocking the atonement made for sin. Their mocking laughter fills the streets, but their hearts are not joyful. By heckling and harassing the believer, they hope to elevate themselves in the eyes of their peers, but their hearts remain as hateful to their peers as to themselves. 

    Fools deny The Truth vehemently. They refuse to believe that God became a man to save mankind from the punishment of death. In their refusal they have condemned themselves, and so will reap the consequences of their unbelief.

    John 3:18 

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in The Name of The Only Begotten Son of God.”

    Fools live their lives in vain. In their foolish hearts they have rejected God, God's Authority, God's Word, and God's Spirit. By denying God, they have submitted to lies and the father of lies. They seek the wealth of this world, instead of the riches of heaven. They ponder the meaning of life, instead of seeking it. 

    They torment themselves and each other in their vain attempts to reach the epitomes of their goals. Fools are self-seeking, not God-seeking: fame (having their names known), fortune (wealth of this world), and glory (prideful accomplishments) marks their endeavors. What is done for self will be rewarded in the second resurrection: eternal damnation and then the lake of fire [Revelation 20:6; 21:8]. 

    Therefore, the warning is put forth to you today:

    John 5:24

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My Word and believes in Him Who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

    John 3:3

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

    Do you believe? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God's Only Begotten Son? that He died on the cross for your sins so that you wouldn't have to die? 

    Are you ready? Are you ready to serve God and live? or do you wish to remain in the filth of your sins? Do you wish to remain in the pigsty and eat slop? or are you ready to run to The Father and dine on His Bread and His Water?

IS HE WORTHY - Chris Tomlin

    

    

The Fear of The Lord Is - Part 3 The Beginning of Wisdom

     Proverbs 9:10

 The fear of The LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

    The Fear of The Lord is the basic foundation upon which all other tenets of religion are built. Without it, nothing worth building will stand. A reverent, honest fear of God is to be had by the people who choose to hear and obey The Word of The Lord God. 

    This foundation, this beginning, is only the start of a deeper walk with God. We cannot merely stand on the seashore and hope the water will come to us, but we must enter in and strive to go deeper into the holy things of God. 

    Any relationship must have a beginning and continuity in it in order that it may withstand the storms of life and endure through joys and sorrows, hard times and good times. Especially our relationship with our God. Which will be tested time and again, that our faith in our God may stand stronger through and after every test, every trial. 

   

    

    Knowledge of the holy, of what is holy, what the holy things are, is understanding that these things are holy and why they are called holy. We know that God is holy and that being holy, sin has no place at God's table. Therefore whatever is righteous is holy because unrighteousness is unholiness. Whatever is unrighteous is left howling at the closed door to God's kingdom. [Revelation 21:27a; Revelation 22:15; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; Matthew 5:21, 22; Exodus 20:3-5]. 

    Knowledge with understanding of the definition of holiness is applied wisdom. This wisdom is applied to our hearts via The Holy Spirit, and we, in turn, apply it to our lives in loving obedience to our God.

    WHAT IS HOLY

God Is Holy. Exodus 15:11; Leviticus 11:44; Psalm 99:9; Isaiah 6:3

The things of God are holy:

Priestly garments - Exodus 28:2

Christ our Garment- Romans 13:14

The temple of God is holy - Psalm 11:4; Habakkuk 2:20

The dwellingplace of God is holy -  Psalm 28:2; Leviticus 26:11-12; 2 Corinthians 6:16

    WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HOLY

Set apart for God's use. Whether a person or an object.

    Acts 26:16-18 (Paul's testimony to King Agrippa) Set apart from where he was (persecutor of believers) to go to a new place (becomes a believer and travels ancient Europe and ancient Middle East preaching the gospel).

    Malachi 4:5; Isaiah 40:3; Luke 1:5-25 John the Baptist's ministry foretold

    In the middle of Exodus 25 through Exodus 40, wherein God details the building of the place where He will come and visit Israel (His tabernacle), sits Exodus 35:2 which informs the Israelites that the seventh day is "holy unto The Lord". This seventh day is set apart for to honor God. Every seventh day is The Lord's day. 

    The color GOLD represents the holiness of God. This gold is in every facet of the building of the nomadic tabernacle of God. Holiness adorns God's temple in heaven and is mirrored in His tabernacle in Exodus. 

    Even in the hearts of the people whom God has called to be His people who were not His people before but are now. A people who once lived in darkness and far off from God's dwellingplace and His Light are now His places of habitation. For we worship a God we have seen and heard and known and are loved by. 

    HOW HOLINESS IS OBTAINED 

    Holiness, a set-apartness, a setting aside for God and by God, is being consecrated for The Lord's purpose. God ordains who and what is to be used for Him. All born-again believers, whose sins have been washed clean by the blood of God's Holy Lamb, are set apart unto God. 

    Ephesians 4:11-13

    Some are set aside for evangelism. Some are set aside for pastors. Some are set aside for teachers. Some are set aside for apostles. Some are set aside for prophets. They are not set aside to gain wealth and fame in this life. These offices are not separate offices, they are to be found in every person whom God has called to salvation AND empowered with His Holy Spirit [Acts 1:8; Galatians 1:1].

    We are set apart by God to: Evangelize (go into all the world); Apostolize (from The Topical Lexicon:  a person personally sent with full authority to represent the sender): An ambassador of the gospel [2 Corinthians 5:20]; Pastor (spiritual caretaker) [Matthew 9:36-38; John 15:16]. Teach (instruct competently with reverence) [Luke 6:40; 2 Timothy 1:13, 14]. Prophecy (reveals the mind/message of God to the hearers) [2 Peter 1:21]. 

    This knowledge of the holy can only be understood by the person who has the fear of The Lord evident in their lives. This knowledge of the holy is only the beginning of wisdom. There is so much more The Spirit of God wants to show us, to reveal to us. 

    We must be faithful pursuers of God, endeavoring to see God more clearly, without a veil or cloudy mirror blocking our view. We must look for God where He can be found. And we absolutely must be and remain faithful to Him once we have found Him. We look to Him with awe and reverence rooted in our deep and profound grace with which He has bestowed Himself upon us. This is the fear of The Lord in the born-again believer's life. 

    And how does this fear of The Lord propel us? We lead people to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our love for Him impels us to tell everyone about our Jesus, that they, too, may have the opportunity to give their hearts to Him and live to make Him happy. 

    Proverbs 11:30

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that wins souls is wise.

    Daniel 12:3

Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.

HOLINESS IS WHAT I LONG FOR  - Micah Stampley

    

The Fear of The Lord Is - Part 2: The Instruction of Wisdom

 Proverbs 15:33

The fear of The LORD is the instruction of wisdom;

 and before honour is humility.

    With Wisdom as our Teacher, our Instructor, The Fear of The Lord is taught to us. We learn from The Holy Spirit how to Fear The Lord God: with a humble heart and an attitude of humility. 

    A humble heart submits to God. Surrendering the self to The Almighty, we become His servants: we say what He wants us to say in The Way that He wants us to say it; we go where He wants us to go when He wants us to go; we do what He wants us to do when He instructs us to it. We are obedient to The Spirit's nudge and whisper. 

    A heart that is humbled before God is malleable. God is able to mold it, form it, and transform the heart into a heart that resembles His heart. Having surrendered ourselves to His grace and great love we find ourselves changed 'from glory to glory' according to His Word, His Will (His Purpose), and His Spirit. [2 Corinthians 3:18].

    The instruction of wisdom directs us to read our bibles for ourselves. It leads us to seek out The Truth of God's Word and helps us to understand and know what God has to say to us each day. As the risen sun falls across our sleepy eyes, we thank God for another day to serve Him. We read that His Word is brighter than the sun, and the moon, and the stars: It is The Light which causes all shadows and darkness to flee. [Revelation 21:23].

    Having The Light of God's Love living in us and we in Him, we refuse to submit to the forces of darkness any longer. We have turned our backs on sin and its cohorts and turned our faces to The Light of God's Word. Our hearts change first, then our thoughts, then our tongues, and finally our actions. In a split second sometimes, but usually over the course of our lives. 

    We are not intentional hypocrites: we are works in progress. But our hearts belong to God through faith in His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. Him coming to live in our hearts is the first change and instantaneous upon confessing Him to be Lord and Savior: Lord of our lives, Savior of our souls. [Romans 10:9, 10].

    At some point in our lives, whether here or on the other side of eternity, the humble of heart will be rewarded by God. It is God who rewards the humble heart. 

    Proverbs 22:4

By humility and the fear of The LORD are riches, and honour, and life.

    And what is more rewarding to the Christian's humble heart than the riches of heaven, the honour of heaven, and the life eternal in heaven? Nothing. Though God may reward some folks with riches in this life, He does so knowing that it will be used for His glory. Some have honour in this life, some live long lives. How God rewards the humble is how God wants to reward the humble. It is not of our choosing, for then the ugly head of pride would be the designer and not God Himself. 

    Let us hold onto a deeply reverent awe, fear, of The Lord God, and thereby gain heaven's riches itself as our reward. The best reward is knowing Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, Friend. That's my riches of heaven. Is it yours?

TREASURES IN HEAVEN 

Listen & Be Wise

 

Proverbs 23:19

Listen, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in The Way.

    Listen. Pay attention. Consider what I am saying that you may comprehend exactly the words which I speak. Hear what I have to say, think on these things which I have said, and then act on what you have heard. 

    Be wise. Be men and women of God, obedient to His Wisdom, as were the three young Hebrew men who were captured in Daniel 1:17, 20. Be men and women of honor: don't just hear The Voice of God speak, but be obedient and do what He says to do. 

    Listen. His Voice is not always a thunderclap. He is the still small voice that whispers to your hearts. He is the calm in the storm. He is the gentle curvature of wing that encircles and comforts. 

    Be wise. Be wise in the ways of The Lord that you may live according to the wisdom of The Word. Make wise choices. Put God first: honor Him with our lives: choose what is right and do that Every Single Time. 

    Listen. Hear the words of my instructions as student to student, disciple to disciple. Take in the knowledge which I have gleaned from my walk with The Lord and what I have learned throughout my years. 

    In The New Testament, The Lord directs our attention to the flower-covered fields: Consider the lilies. What is there to consider in lilies? In Matthew and Luke the lily blooms for a day and is then gone. Yet God chooses to clothes them in beauty. 

   Consider this: In Hosea 14:5, Israel is compared to a lily whose growth comes from the dew. We need God to be the dew for us, too. We need Him to cause us to grow in the way He would have us to grow. 

'I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like the lily and take root like the cedars of Lebanon.' 

    Without God as our Instructor, our Teacher, our God, we will get nowhere. Our days will be lived in futility. Our hearts will have gleaned nothing from The Word of God because we chose not to consider what He had to say. 

    Direct your hearts. Lead your hearts. Don't let your heart dictate your actions. Following your hearts is a fool's game. The heart is deceitful and cannot be trusted to make wise choices on its own. We need to guard our hearts-Proverbs 4:23. 

    Learn to rein in your hearts. We need to train our hearts in The Ways of The Lord. And that is only accomplished when we Listen to His instructions and Obey His directions. 

Proverbs 28:26

He who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.

    Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that not only are we to trust in The Lord, but we are to do so with the understanding which He gives us and not in our own dense way, so to speak. Our minds tend to wander when left on their own. But when we are focused on the things of The Lord, the wandering becomes a thing of the past. Now we are motivated to 'stay the course'; to 'run with endurance the race set before us'.  

    We have made the decision to put God first in everything we do, and when a conscious decision to follow The Lord Jesus Christ is made, then He takes up residence in our hearts, and our hearts no longer wander. We are a 'new creation' and our new roots are settled in The Word of God. 

    Now God makes our paths straight. Does this mean that our lives are comfy now? Not hardly. When we put God first, He lays out the way we should go, whether we climb the mountain in front of us or tell it to get out of the way. Many an obstacle in The Way, has kept a person from being fully committed to Listening to and Obeying The Word of God. 

    It may look like a narrow path, but it is also the safest course of direction for living a life that glorifies God. I hope you remain committed to Listening, to Being Wise, to Directing your hearts in The Way. I know I am. 

    

    

It Is Written - Speak The Word

 

It Is Written

    Words that force The Word of God to remind the enemy of God that GOD IS and THERE IS NONE OTHER. That His Word is powerful. And strong enough to repel every attack which is come upon His people. 

It Is Written - House of Prayer

    Matthew 21:13 And said unto them, "It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."

    A reminder to God's people that we are His houses of prayer.

~MESSIANIC PROPHECY~

It Is Written - Numbered With The Transgressors

    Luke 22:37 "For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, 'And He was reckoned among the transgressors': for the things concerning Me have an end."

    Many prophecies concerning the coming Messiah which had been written by the prophets were being fulfilled in Jesus' time because He Is The Messiah. Events which foreshadowed His life and His mission are written in The Old Testament. For example, when Adam and Eve sinned the first sin, blood had to cover their sin. So, the first physical death was an animal of God's choosing. I think it may have been a young lamb; simply because an unblemished, perfect lamb had to be sacrificed at the temple to cover the sins of the people every year. And we know that Jesus is God's perfect Lamb (John 1:29). 

~CHRIST'S TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS~

It Is Written - Man Lives By Every Word of God

    Matthew 4:3. 4 The tempter came to Him and said, “If You are The Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

It Is Written - Do Not Tempt God

    Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple. and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt The LORD your God.’ ”

It Is Written - Worship God 

    Matthew 4:8-10 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” “Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’ ”

    When Satan, the devil, tempts God's people, we can rebuke Him with The Word that is within us, for Christ Jesus lives in us by faith in His Name. We cannot let hunger of any kind, or hopelessness in any situation, or fame, greed get inside our hearts, for we would lose the righteousness of God. We must stand firm in our faith in The Word of God, filling our hearts and our minds with every Word of God which He speaks to us. 

~FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD~

It Is Written - God Frustrates The Intelligent

    1 Corinthians 1:19, 20 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

It Is Written - The Righteous Live By Faith

    Romans 1:17 For the gospel reveals The Righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

It Is Written - Christ Came to Be The Ultimate Sacrifice For Sin

    Hebrews 10:7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ ”

It Is Written - All Will Be Taught By God

    John 6:46 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

    Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.

    Proverbs 2:6 For The LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 

    John 8:47a Whoever belongs to God hears the words of God. 

    Do you hear the words of God? 

    

Names of God & Christ - Psalms & Proverbs

 

PSALMS

Psalm 3:3 YAHWEH KABOWD
The Lord My Glory

Psalm 7:11 ELOHIM TSADAQ SHAPHAT

God Is Righteous Judge

Psalm 11:7 YHVH TSADDIQ

The Lord Is Righteous

Psalm 16:5 YHVH MANAH KOWC

The Lord Is My Chosen Portion and My Cup

Psalm 18:2 JEHOVAH El QEREN YESHA

The Lord God Is The Horn of My Salvation

Psalm 19:14 JEHOVAH TSUR GAAL

The Lord God Is My Rock and My Redeemer

Psalm 23:1 JEHOVAH RA’AH

The Lord God Is My Shepherd

Psalm 24:8a MELEK KABOWD 

King of Glory

Psalm 24:8b JEHOVAH IZZUZ GABOR

The Lord God Strong and Mighty

Psalm 24:8c JEHOVAH GABOR MILCHAMAH

The Lord God Mighty In Battle 

Psalm 27:1a OR

My Light

Psalm 27:1b YESHA

                            Salvation

Psalm 27:1c MAOZ

                            Strength

Psalm 31:5 JEHOVAH EL ‘EMETH

Lord God of Truth

Psalm 46:1 ELOHIM MACHSEH OZE

God Is Our Refuge and Strength

Psalm 54:4a ELOHIM AZAR

                                God Is My Helper

Psalm 54:4b ADONAI SAMAK NEPHESH

The Lord Is Sustainer of My Soul

Psalm 71:3 JEHOVAH SELA

Rock of Refuge

Psalm 91:9 JEHOVAH MACHASEH

The Lord My Refuge

Psalm 97:5 ADONAI KOL ERETS

The Lord of All The Earth

Psalm 99:4 OZE MELEK

The Mighty King

Psalm 99:9 YHVH ELOHIM QADOSH

The Lord Our God Is Holy

Psalm 116:5 CHANNUN YHVH TSADDIQ

GRACIOUS IS THE LORD AND RIGHTEOUS

Psalm 140:7 YESHUA OZ ADONAI YHVH

The Lord God Is My Salvation & Strength

Psalm 144:2 YAHWEH CHECED

The Lord Is My Steadfast Love

Psalm 145:3 JEHOVAH GADOL

The Lord Is Great

Psalm 145:9 JEHOVAH TOV

The Lord Is Good

Psalm 145:17 YHVH TSADDIQ

The Lord Is Righteous 

Psalm 145:18 YHVH QAROB

The Lord Is Near

Psalm 146:5 EL YAAQOB

The God of Jacob

PROVERBS

Proverbs 18:10 OZ MIGDAL

The Name Of The Lord Is A Strong Tower