THE PROVERBS OF Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2for attaining wisdom and discipline;
for understanding words of insight;
3for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4for giving prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
5let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
6for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.
7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Original Meaning
THESE SEVEN VERSES form a distinct unit of introduction. An introduction, contrary to much of our common experience in listening to popular speakers, is not a warm-up or a time for pleasantries. Biblical writers waste no time with anything less than matters of highest priority. They go to the heart of the matter, especially when dealing with first things: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1); “in the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). At the beginning of Proverbs we have an introduction that declares without apology that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7).
We should always pay attention to beginnings and endings of literary works because writers tend to put their most important thoughts and images there. We should pay especially close attention to a literary introduction when it includes a phrase that is also found in the work’s conclusion. In this case, “fear of the LORD” not only concludes this prologue and the first part of the book of Proverbs (i.e., chs. 1–9; cf. 9:10), it also appears at the end of the entire book (31:30). The writer’s use of this framing device of inclusio tells us to watch for “the fear of the LORD” as it recurs throughout the Proverbs and guides our reading of it. For now we observe that as Yahweh is the source of every beginning, so our fear of him (worship and faithfulness) is the beginning of the study of wisdom as well as its primary goal.
The introduction, most of it one long Hebrew sentence, not only honors the book of Proverbs with the names of its most revered kings, Solomon and David, it states the book’s purpose. In a series of Hebrew infinitive verbs (six in all after verse 2; infinitives begin every verse but verses 5 and 7), we readers are told not only what the book is (a collection of mešalim) and who receives the credit for the collection (Solomon),1 but what the book is for. In a word, this book was written to pass on wisdom. Such a statement of introduction was not unusual in the ancient world. Egyptian instructions in wisdom often named the speaker and recipient as part of their statement of purpose: to pass on wisdom for successful living from one generation to the next. So Ptahhotep taught his son, “There is no one born wise.”2
We should also notice that this introduction includes a list of literary forms (“proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise”), reasons for studying them (“for attaining wisdom . . . for giving prudence”), and qualities of character that readers should cultivate (“a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair”). Finally, the prologue describes different sorts of people who will read and respond to the teaching of this book (“the simple . . . the young . . . the wise . . . [and] fools”).
The different terms for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding have puzzled commentators, who have tried to determine what distinguishes one from another. Some have looked for patterns and progressions.3 Others have been content to say that the many terms are brought together to show that no one word can describe the reality and splendor of wisdom. Kidner put it well, comparing the prologue to a prism that breaks “the plain daylight of wisdom (hokmah) into its rainbow of constituent colors.”4
The first of the purpose clauses says that the proverbs are “for attaining wisdom and discipline” (1:2). “Wisdom” in its most general meaning is the acquired learning that helps one know what to do in a given situation.5 It includes knowledge and skill, whether that skill is applied to craft work (Isa. 40:20) or to the business of right living, as it is here. In this prologue, the Hebrew root hkm is used twice of wisdom (Prov. 1:2, 7) and twice for the wise persons who both acquire and teach it (1:5, 6). Therefore, one learns wisdom from those who are farther along in the process (cf. 12:15; 13:20). Yet such wisdom does not come apart from a right relationship to the Lord, here expressed as “fear.” Therefore, before going on, this prologue wants us to know that wisdom, taught by elders and received in the fear of God, is the primary goal for human life.
“Wisdom” is in first position as an indication of its primary importance (1:2), yet wisdom does not stand alone. It is paired with “discipline,” not only here but again in 1:6. “Discipline” (musar) basically refers to instruction, especially in the sense of correction. The word is used for God’s discipline in Deuteronomy 11:2; Isaiah 26:16; and Psalm 50:17. Some of the proverbs use it for corporal punishment (Prov. 13:24; 22:15; 23:13). When paired with “wisdom” (ḥokmah), discipline means submitting to instruction in order to reach the goal of wisdom. “Listen to advice and accept instruction (musar), and in the end you will be wise” (19:20; cf. 23:23). The pairing of wisdom and discipline suggests that both are a way of life that one comes to know and learn.6 No one is born wise or without the need for discipline.
Discipline (musar) is also paired with “a prudent life” (śekel)—a term for practical wisdom (1:3; cf. 16:22).7 Throughout Scripture, śekel refers to understanding and insight that can lead to good ends (Ezra 8:18) or bad (Dan. 8:25). It speaks of the ability to size up a situation and respond accordingly. When tempered with discipline, this practical wisdom leads one along good paths.
The second half of verse 3 continues to describe the disciplined and prudent life; it is characterized by actions that are “right and just and fair.” The break in the series of infinitive verbs adds extra emphasis on this trio of virtues (in Hebrew they appear in noun forms, “righteousness, justice, and equity”). We will meet them again in the next chapter, where they speak of how and why God gives wisdom (2:9). This triad is at the center of the prologue’s structure, and its goal for life is at the heart of the whole book.8 Righteousness, justice, and equity are also often used of God in the Psalms (Ps. 9:8; 33:5; 89:14; 96:10; 97:2; 103:17), and as attributes of God they set the standard for human interaction (58:1). They appear throughout Proverbs to show us how disciplined and prudent living is recognized.9
In Proverbs 1:4 we meet, for the first time, the person who is to receive this instruction in wisdom. That person is “simple” or “untutored” (peti; some translations even use “ignorant”),10 more lacking in instruction than intelligence. Remember that the statutes of the Lord make the simple wise (Ps. 19:8). The simple can be led astray (Prov. 1:10 uses the same root for “entice”), so there is sometimes a sense of “gullible” or “naive” included as well. It is a significant term, for we will see in this same chapter that personified Wisdom rebukes the simple for remaining in ignorance (1:22). So also both Wisdom and Folly address their invitations to the simple in chapter 9.
The term “simple” is set in parallel with “the young”; thus, it seems that the first objects of wisdom teaching are those who need education in every area of life. They are to learn “prudence,” “knowledge,” and “discretion.” “Prudence” is here used as a positive description of hidden, private thoughts. Not saying everything that comes to mind has its advantages, but if thoughts are hidden in deceit, they appear as shrewdness or even cunning or scheming (Gen. 3:1; Ex. 21:14; Josh. 9:4). Likewise, “discretion,” the ability to make plans, can, when used for evil purposes, become the kind of craftiness that the Lord condemns (Prov. 12:2).11 “Knowledge,” by contrast, is a positive term that will receive a greater positive charge in 1:7 by its association with the fear of Yahweh.
Verse 5 brings another group of persons into view. Wisdom instruction is not only for the unlearned; the “wise” also listen and continue to learn while the “discerning get guidance” or strategies (see 11:14; 20:18; 24:6; 12:5 for a negative sense). The Hebrew grammar of the first phrase will allow a jussive sense of “let the wise hear.” But whether the statement is directive or descriptive, it is clear that the character of learners determines their actions and the actions of learners reveal character.
Who are these wise ones? Coming after mention of the simple, the term “wise” may indicate those who are more experienced and accomplished in learning, those who would require skills of discernment that are more finely honed.12 Contrasted with the fools who are mentioned in 1:7, the wise are any who choose to follow the path of learning instead of passing it by. By placing the wise and discerning between the simple and the fools, the writer highlights the inevitable decision that all must make. The simple must choose to become one of the wise or by default will become one of the fools.
In 1:6, the last of the purpose clauses, “for understanding” (lehabin), takes as its object “proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.” Two of the terms appear in the headings that divide the book into its parts: “proverbs” (10:1; 25:1) and “sayings” (lit., “words of” 22:17; 30:1; 31:1). Just as wisdom and discipline give “understanding” (also lehabin) of “words of insight” in 1:2, so here the wise acquire learning that aids in understanding these ancient wisdom forms. The forms do not only teach wisdom, they offer training in interpreting its puzzles. Wisdom teaching was not typically communicated directly or in anything like our prose essay or magazine article. Proverbs and parables, sayings and riddles, all hide in order to reveal. They require some work and some exercise of wit on the part of the reader to crack the combination lock. There seems to be some higher level of learning at work than that offered to the simple and young in 1:4.
The “proverb” and “parable” both compare in order to instruct. It is less clear what the “sayings” (lit., “words”) of the wise and their “riddles” refer to, especially since few of the teachings or independent proverbs in the book of Proverbs take the form of a riddle (chs. 30 and 31 may). Another biblical reference may provide a clue. Psalm 49:3–4 uses “words of wisdom” and sets “proverb” (mašal) in synonymous parallel with “riddle” (ḥidah) to introduce a wisdom teaching on the transience of wealth. The psalm ends with a comparison: “A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish” (Ps. 49:20).
Riddles seem to have been a popular form of entertainment and display of wit in the ancient world. Samson posed a riddle to his wedding guests (Judg. 14:12, apparently a widespread custom),13 and the Queen of Sheba tested Solomon’s wisdom with riddles (1 Kings 10:1). Riddles are a form of indirect communication. Therefore, Numbers notes with wonder that the Lord did not speak in riddles to Moses but rather “face to face, clearly” (Num. 12:8). The riddle hides its meaning in order to demonstrate cleverness, both of the one who contrives the puzzle as well as the one who solves it.41
Yet Psalm 49 and most, if not all, of the book of Proverbs do not take the form of a riddle as much as they present indirections that warrant reflection. It may be that a two-stage process of learning is envisioned in this book of Proverbs, one in which the more advanced learners go on to tackle the harder puzzles of the proverbs (or other wisdom teaching). With this in mind, we note that the instructions of chapters 1–9 are more direct (at least on the surface) than the proverbs and other kinds of independent sayings that follow in chapters 10–22. If so, then this prologue also tells the reader not to skip over the introductory chapters!
In 1:7 the composer of this introduction has saved the most important teaching for last, but this end is also a beginning, since the verse ushers the reader into the book of Proverbs. The Hebrew word for “beginning” (rešiʾt) has the sense of what comes first, what stands at the head of the line. Therefore, it can refer to what is first in time, a beginning (some go as far as to say a source), but also it can designate what is first in importance. “Fear of the LORD” comes closest to describing worship and the practice of religion in the book of Proverbs.15 Fear of Yahweh is also central to the wisdom teaching of Job (Job 28:28) and Ecclesiastes (Eccl. 12:13). While injunctions to fear gods are not unique to Israel, the Hebrew Bible gives it an emphasis not found in any other ancient Near Eastern literature.16
“Fear of the LORD” in Proverbs is certainly the most important of the “sayings of the wise.” It appears as a key theme that is sounded repeatedly throughout the book. Each time it appears, “fear of the LORD” is paired with a phrase or partner to highlight a different dimension of this essential attitude. This pairing reminds the reader that without it there can be no instruction in wisdom. “Fear of the LORD” leads to knowledge of God (2:5; 9:10); hatred of evil, pride, and arrogance (8:13); long life (10:27); avoidance of death (14:27); and wisdom, humility, honor, and wealth (15:33; 22:4).
As noted earlier, “fear of the LORD” also serves as an inclusio, a framing device that marks the beginning and the end of the book of instruction (chs. 1–9; 9:10 is similar to 1:7) and the end of the book of Proverbs (31:30). We also note that “knowledge,” “wisdom,” and “discipline” (Heb. daʾat, hokmah, and musar) appear here in 1:7 in the same order as when the words were first introduced in 1:2. This second framing device takes us back to the beginning of the prologue as it looks ahead to all that follows.
We learn about fear and foolhardiness in 1:7 by reading on and observing the opposition the writer has constructed. Fear of Yahweh is contrasted with the fool’s haughty rejection of wisdom. Fear is knowing what to respect, knowing how to place oneself in a learning posture. Fools are not those who cannot learn but those who will not. Just as we will be reminded of the fear of Yahweh throughout the book of Proverbs, so we will meet its opposite in the figure of the fool again and again.17
Fear of Yahweh also speaks to the intended readers of the book of Proverbs. The book is written not for a general audience but for a particular people—those who fear the Lord. Anyone can join this community, but the prologue clearly creates insiders and outsiders. Outsiders may learn also, but they may not remain outside the learning community for long.18 The prologue invites its readers to read on and decide.
Bridging Contexts
WISDOM WAS THE central expression of intellectual life in the ancient Near East (see the introduction). We should also remember that nearly every culture in history has had its own wisdom tradition, each with a slightly different form and purpose.19 Practical strategies for managing the demands of daily life often led to theoretical reflection on the nature of this world with the hope of finding some sense of order. Greek rhetoric and philosophy also grew out of a concern to discover and teach how one lives life well—rhetoric emphasizing the practical and philosophy the theoretical.20
Today, the self-help and inspirational sections of the bookstore offer many guides to the contemporary pursuit of wisdom. We must be careful, then, to grasp and teach a biblical vision of wisdom, appreciating that which is common to all wisdom traditions while holding up that which is unique to the Bible. From the prologue to Proverbs we learn that wisdom is something that can be taught and learned, that this teaching has something to do with the formation of character, and that wisdom is anchored in the fear of Yahweh. In other words, this book sets out for its readers three pursuits under the banner of wisdom: knowledge, character, and piety.21
Knowledge. We begin with a look at the acquisition of knowledge and the matter of education. Verse 2 tells us that wisdom and discipline can be attained; they can be learned. The terms for “knowledge” and “understanding” join with the literary forms of “words of insight,” “proverbs and parables,” and “sayings and riddles of the wise” to indicate that learning wisdom is an intellectual activity that requires study and reflection. It demands the use of the mind. So also contemporary believers are called to give attention to preaching and teaching on wisdom and Proverbs. We also have the ability and the privilege to read and study this book of Proverbs for ourselves. Reading, says one theologian, is a soul-making activity.22 It changes us in ways we do not always expect.
Such reading can and should be done in private, but if I may be allowed a personal word, I would also hope that these texts would be read and discussed in groups. As I have taught and preached from the book of Proverbs in local churches, I am surprised to hear that few can remember when they last heard a sermon from Proverbs23 or looked together at its chapters. While there is a bit of preaching to the choir in addressing those who are reading this book, I would urge pastors and church leaders to include study and reflection on biblical wisdom literature as part of the educational ministry of their churches.
In more general terms, this call to understand proverbs and the other literary forms found in this book of Scripture demands that Christians use their minds as they seek to live their faith. There is no excuse for a lack of diligence in thinking through the implications of scriptural teaching for the issues and problems facing individuals and societies in the third millennium. If anything, Proverbs wants us to study its wisdom to turn our attention to the world around us.24
Character. The educational dimension of wisdom is not a pursuit of academic study that remains detached from real-life issues. The teaching function of Proverbs should be understood as a work of formation that brings the demands of the intellectual life together with concerns for moral character and faithful relationship with God.25 For the church, this means taking the educational task seriously. But does it not also speak to our primary educational system? We must listen to those educators who insist that there is no value-free education, no educational practice that teaches without having a formative effect on character.26 Whether one believes that religion should be taught and practiced in public schools or not, both sides of the educational debate should be able to agree in principle on certain moral qualities we hope to instill in our children. No matter what we believe about prayer in school or how reading is taught, we should be aware that our educational practices shape moral and religious judgment.
Education, then, is never practiced separately from character formation. Wisdom and folly are moral terms. The untutored become wise or fools, depending on their acceptance or rejection of wisdom’s teaching. Jesus likened the choice to locating the foundation for a house (Matt. 7:24–27). Moreover, the book of Proverbs views education and character formation as a matter of faith.27 So also the development of character determines how the savvy skills of wisdom, prudence (Prov. 1:3), knowledge, and discretion (1:4) are used. They can be used for what is right and just and fair, and in so doing reflect the very character of God.
These human skills of discernment and shrewdness need not be used at the cost of healthy community. Fast thinkers and smooth talkers need not become business cheats and corrupt politicians. Kings and courtiers of the ancient world were charged with using their authority to guarantee just and fair dealing in their lands. So today, those who learn wisdom are marked by a passion for justice and doing what is right in their business and their personal lives. These human capabilities must be conscripted, corrected, and disciplined under the fear of Yahweh.
Fear of Yahweh. This pursuit is difficult to appreciate in our contemporary addiction to good feelings. Advertisers learned long ago that the merits of a particular product are not nearly as appealing as the emotions that can be associated with them. So also, one study of contemporary sermons concluded that much American preaching works from similar assumptions, stressing the themes of love and grace that promote good feelings at the expense of themes of rebellion, brokenness, and repentance.28
Yet fear of Yahweh is precisely about turning from rebellion to teachability before God. Good feeling comes by embracing all of reality, including our need to submit to authority greater than our own. The life of wisdom is not just good sense or a list of principles for a happy life (true as this may be); it is above all an attitude toward God that influences all of our decisions and actions. This attitude does not take away our privilege and responsibility to make choices and plans; it sets them in the light of God’s claim on the world he made, as well as on our lives.
We often shy away from phrases like “the fear of the LORD” because we want to say that God is loving, like a father looking down the road for his lost son, or tender, like a mother nurturing her children. We are afraid that speaking of God’s mighty reign and claim on our lives will be alienating, not attractive. Yet our enjoyment of that love takes on new meaning when we come to know the One who loves us in the way he wants to be known. As we will see, the fear of Yahweh goes hand and hand with the knowledge of God (1:7; 2:5).
What would the Lord have us know about himself? On the plains of Moab, Moses told the Israelites that the land they were about to enter was a gift, and that once they started to enjoy its vineyards and olive groves, they should not forget Yahweh, who brought them out of Egypt and slavery. They were to fear Yahweh by obeying the commands, decrees, and laws that Moses taught them (Deut. 6:10–19). He was the One who gave them their freedom and a land to live in. They had been liberated from the power of Egypt and its king to become citizens of a new land and to serve its Lord. Fear of Yahweh proved that the Israelites knew this God and understood their relationship with him.
We will see that this covenant history is never far away from the writer’s mind in Proverbs. There is a strong difference between the emphasis on successful living we find in today’s motivational literature and the Bible’s emphasis on living in loving and obedient relationship with the Lord. In the first, honest and fair living is good business that increases the likelihood that one will lead a happy and prosperous life. In the Bible, these ideas are affirmed, but they are set in the larger scheme of honoring God by attaining the righteous character for which we were created.
THIS PROLOGUE TELLS us that the book of Proverbs is primarily concerned with the formation of character through the cultivation of wisdom. It describes three basic dispositions that those who would be wise ought to display: the humility of the learner (to learn wisdom and discipline), love for one’s neighbor (to practice wisdom and virtue), and fear of Yahweh (to consistently return to the beginning). The prologue draws our attention to these dispositions so that readers may recognize them as they appear throughout the book.
Humility of the learner. Wisdom is not so much a goal to be attained as a posture of humility, a willingness to receive instruction. A wise person is a learning person, a person in process, not a finished product. The flurry of educational terms in the prologue cover both the means and ends for learning; they appear again and again throughout Proverbs. As we have seen, the word “discipline” is used three times in this prologue with the sense of the “discipline of instruction.” This willingness to submit to teaching is what fools reject along with wisdom; in a later instruction the son is urged, “Do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (3:11–12).
Teaching is not only for the untutored or the simple; even those who are wise add to their learning (1:4–5), for the need is never satisfied and the knowledge available is never depleted. Whether young or mature, simple or wise, all are called to heed the instruction of this book. It is a commonplace that the wise know what they do not know. May the attitude of humility it expresses be as common! Here is no call to false humility or self-abasement, a sort of “Well, I guess I don’t know very much.” Rather, it is an admission that we never lose the need to learn and grow in living life well. The book of Proverbs assumes that its readers are daily learning new ways to put into practice the teachings of wisdom.
Certainly this education in wisdom takes place as one studies Proverbs and uses it as a lens to aid in observing life’s lessons and a guide to “lab practice” in the life of the church community. For leaders in the church, this means taking a learner’s posture in meetings and team projects. Seminary teachers often say that courses in church leadership help fledgling pastors learn to pay close attention to the way a church body makes decisions and fulfills its mission. If pastors walk into churches believing they know how everything should function, they will quickly learn what they do not know! In the same way, board and committee members can practice humble teachability by listening to other points of view and by harnessing angry words.
The practice itself becomes part of the course of study. The emphasis on prudence and discretion in 1:4 suggests that it is not always possible to know how to respond to situations ahead of time but rather to be prepared with habits of attentiveness and openness that allow good decisions to rise and make themselves known. The humility of the learner allows life experience, illuminated by Scripture, to become one’s teacher.
In addition, many church leaders have seen the need to seek out a mentor who can offer help and perspective in interpreting the strange beast we call the life of the Christian community. The Evangelical Covenant Church I serve has instituted a program of mentoring that pairs experienced pastors with those just beginning their ministries. Former seminary students have spoken of their appreciation for the listening ear and challenging feedback.
Mentoring also takes place in regular study. Pastors and parishioners alike would never say that they do not need the refreshment found in reading good books of biography and theology; instead, they say they are too busy, and they are right. Activities fill our calendars the way floodwater fills empty spaces, so scheduling regular time for study requires both an acknowledgment of the need and the discipline of saying no. Although that discipline can be taken to extremes, it is one way to practice the humility of the learner.
Love for neighbor. We have also seen that the thematic center of this introduction is the triad of virtues that are found in 1:3b. Righteousness, justice, and straight dealing cannot be understood in abstraction; they must be practiced. And they cannot be practiced in isolation; they show themselves in the way we treat others. In this way, the prologue introduces themes of justice and neighbor love that appear again and again in Proverbs. For example, we can show neighbor love in the way we talk with and about one another: “A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret” (11:12–13). This book has much to say about the use of our speech, and so one way of practicing neighbor love is to watch the way we use our words.29
The concern for fair dealing with one’s neighbors extends to the use of wealth and resources: “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. He who sows wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed. A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor” (22:7–9). These three brief sayings work together to acknowledge the advantages of wealth and warn that they must be used justly and compassionately. As one avoids acts of injustice and embraces a giving spirit, righteous character grows within that person.
For Americans this means taking seriously the claim that we have the means but lack the political will to virtually bring an end to world hunger. A number of presidential studies in the 1970s concluded with Jimmy Carter’s commission on hunger that “if decisions and actions well within the capability of nations and people working together were implemented, it would be possible to eliminate the worst aspects of hunger and malnutrition by the year 2000.”30 Sadly, we know that the challenge was not heeded and that the numbers of the hungry in the United States and around the world has increased disproportionately with the growth of world population. Christians who choose the neighbor love of Proverbs will both give and seek to bring an end to unjust economic practices on a local and national level.
At other times, neighbor love will show itself in support and help in time of need. After a youth was killed in a drive-by shooting in Chicago, a pastor told his congregation: “We have to do something to help this young man’s church care for the family. They can’t do it—they are in too much pain and grief. It’s up to us. We have to do something. We are their neighbors.” In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is revealed in action, especially in loving action toward one’s neighbor. The wise person practices what is learned out of loving reverence for the Lord.
Fear of Yahweh. The fear of Yahweh is that first principle of knowledge rejected by the fool, who despises wisdom and discipline. To submit to instruction is to acknowledge an authority higher than the fool’s own. Therefore the fool, wishing to be his own authority, does not know whom he should fear. Yet without that fear, that acknowledgment of God’s gracious authority, there can be no knowledge of the sort that is described in Proverbs. The phrase “fear of the LORD” recurs throughout the entire book of Proverbs and concludes its final chapter: “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised” (31:30). She is no fool, and as the description of Proverbs 31 shows, in her practice of all that has been said in Proverbs, she is an example of the character of wisdom.
Humility of the learner and the love for neighbor alone will not lead one to this kind of wisdom. Here is no mere course in self-improvement; the search for the life of wisdom finds its beginning and end in the fear of God. Every pithy saying, every astute observation, every moral exhortation in the book of Proverbs is meant to lead us to awe-filled knowledge of God. The instructions of chapters 1–9 and the sayings of chapters 10–31 not only seek to show how wisdom works in the world, they are out to reveal the glory of God in the sort of wisdom that holds the world together. The fitting response for us is awe and worship.
But what kind of worship, some will ask. Certainly no one wants to rush into the conflict over styles of worship that segregates people into separate services so that everyone’s preferences can be honored. One answer to the question instructs us to look to worship that exists for itself and no other purpose, worship focused on contemplation of the God of Israel and world history, worship intended first and foremost to promote the knowledge of God with human responses as a natural result. In other words, worship that seeks to communicate the person and work of God will lead to honest and heartfelt human responses, fear of Yahweh chief among them. Knowledge apart from worship can be lifeless and sterile, and worship without knowledge can be empty, but worship that is founded on knowledge of God stands a good chance of expressing praise that is reverent and real.
Still, we read that the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of this knowledge, and we observed that the triad of knowledge, wisdom, and discipline in 1:7 repeats the same Hebrew words used in 1:2 to open the prologue. The verse actually takes the reader back to the beginning to start over, to begin again, knowing what is expected and knowing the first principle, the fear of Yahweh. The book of Proverbs is not about developing moral character as an end in itself. It is about the character-forming work of the fear of God, the basic disposition that returns us again and again to humble teachability and neighbor love. We who know the fear of Yahweh do not return to first principles as a sign of failure but as a sign of growth. The more we learn, the more wise we become, the more we see how great is our need for God. The end is the beginning.