The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Prov. 1:7)

This is the first Proverb. It is very significant that this is the first Proverb. When it says the beginning of knowledge, we can say this is referring to the foundation. Later on in Proverbs 9:10, it says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Knowledge and wisdom are really interconnected, because knowledge does not mean bible knowledge. It means the knowledge of God. When we read of knowledge, it doesn't mean academic knowledge of the bible. Because the devil has that, and he doesn't have the fear of the Lord. So it's obvious that Prov. 1:7 is not referring to bible knowledge. The knowledge spoken of here is the knowledge of God! That's quite different from bible knowledge. 

A lot of people who have bible knowledge have no knowledge of God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. "This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3). To know more and more of what God is like. Paul said that was the great longing of his life: "...that I may know him..." (Philippians 3:10). That is, he wanted to know God more and more and more and more. To know more and more of what God is like, how God looks at people, how God looks at circumstances, how God looks at things - then Paul could change his own mind to that way of thinking. That is the knowledge spoken of here. 

The very first proverb teaches that the first step to know God is to fear him; to have a reverence for him. To hate sin and to love righteousness. That is to fear God. And then we can know him better and better. That's why it's not a question of how much intelligence we have, but rather how much fear of God we have which determines how much we increase in spiritual knowledge and spiritual wisdom. 

So that's right at the beginning - the foundation, the cornerstone, whatever you want to call it - the fear of the Lord. It's the starting line of the race. If you don't get there, you don't get anywhere. We can also say that it's the essence of all knowledge. The main part of all knowledge is the fear of God, and the day I lose the fear of God, I can't get any more understanding of God or wisdom. The way to increase in wisdom is to increase in the fear of God. The way to increase in the knowledge of God is to increase in the fear of the Lord.

We also understand from this verse who a fool is. When the bible speaks about a fool, it's not speaking about someone who got fifteen percent in mathematics and ten percent in science. A person who got those scores may still be wise according to the scriptures if they have the fear of God. When the bible speaks about a fool, it's not speaking about someone who is bad in his studies. It's speaking about someone who does not have the fear of the Lord - a person who can lust after women and not mourn over it, not weep over it. He's a fool even if he gets ninety percent in math and science! He's an absolute fool, and he's the person about whom Solomon has written sixty-six things in the book of Proverbs. This is the type of person who doesn't have any fear of God when it comes to sin - when it comes to telling lies or signing false statements or committing all types of other sins. The one who is not disturbed in his heart about such things. Solomon has written sixty-six things about such fools. 

Fools are those who despise wisdom and instruction. They do not have the understanding to look at things from God's viewpoint. We can say that wisdom is to look at people and things and the whole world the way God looks at them. The more wisdom I have, the more I should look at people the way God looks at them - with tenderness, compassion, love and purity. If I can't look at people with tenderness, compassion, love and purity, I'm not getting wisdom, however much I may be increasing in bible knowledge (which the devil has more of than me in any case). That's where we need to see that the fool that the bible speaks of is the fool that does not fear God, who does not have a reverence for God in his life, who does not hate sin, and who does not love righteousness. 

It's significant that the very first thing the book of wisdom emphasizes is to fear God. Let him who has ears to hear, hear what the Spirit is saying.