The Fear of The LORD vs. The Fear of Correction

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” – Proverbs 1:7

If I don’t have the fear of the LORD, I will not understand anything about knowing God, I won’t even know where to start.  If I don’t have the fear of the LORD, I will despise wisdom. What does that mean, “wisdom?”  How does one get “wisdom?”

• Proverbs 1:2, the proverbs help us have wisdom.  Do I want to read them?
• Prov 2:6, the LORD gives wisdom.  Do I want to ask him?  James 1:5-8
• Prov 3:13, wisdom is something you actually have to look for, you have to want to look for it.
• Prov 4:5, wisdom is begotten by obeying God’s word.  Do I want to obey God’s word?
• Prov 10:13, the lips of the discerning have wisdom.  Do I want to listen?  Do I want discipling?  Do I delight when someone helps me be with my own lacking in wisdom?

     If you think you are a whiz at everything, then you are taking the “wis” out of wisdom. – Jeremy Ciaramella

     Prov 11:2, When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Being humble is what will bring wisdom.  That’s a sign I have “The Fear the LORD!”

     Do I hate admitting I am wrong?  Do I resent it when someone points out a fault, a mistake, or a sin?  Do I willingly and eagerly confess my sins?  Do I ask people advice about how I am doing things?  Do I seek their advice or do I gush my solution, my perspective, my experiences, my successes, and my opinions?  Do I avoid or dislike apologizing?  Is it hard for me to apologize?  Do I have to wrap their fault into the apology?  “I’m sorry I did that, but if you have not first done what you’d done, I would have never done that to you…”  All of these things are pride.  All of these things are disgraceful.  All of these things show I despise wisdom, because I am not loving humility.  Humility is Christ’s most powerful attribute, it is what led him to the cross for our sake – Phil 2:5-8.  If I don’t have humility, it’s because I don’t have the fear of the LORD.  I’ll not start learning, gaining knowledge, until I have humility.

     Prov 13:10 “Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those to take advice.”

How can I know I’m pursuing humility?

     Do I seek advice?  Do I get advice intending to actually follow it?  I appreciate disciples who take notes and such when they are getting advice/discipling.  It shows they actually want to recall what they are learning and apply it.  Do I do that?  If I don’t take advice, it’s a sign that I am quarrelsome and prideful.  Am I more eager to give advice to my leaders than to take their advice?  Do I undermine their role because I’m so bent on implying and applying my opinion?  Do I put people on eggshells because I often remind them of the shortcomings in them that I see?  Do I talk more than I listen?  Talking too much, talking loudly, talking over people, interrupting people…all of these things cause quarreling, because they are prideful actions.  These actions demonstrate a lack of wisdom and thus a lack of “The Fear of the LORD.”

     Prov 14:8 “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.”

• Do I understand that a lack of vulnerability is the same as deception?  “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.” – CS Lewis, “The Four Loves”
• This is because mistrust the same as being unloving.  We fear the error of man more than we seek the divine nature of God’s love.
• If I don’t have “The Fear of the LORD,” I will despise discipline.  I’ll resent correction.  I’ll fear admonishment, rebuke, and correction.  I’ll resent those that deliver it, and rationalize avoiding them and opening up to them.  I’ll not accept rebuke and instead will seek to dismantle it and merely endure it instead of be changed from it.

Wisdom pours her heart out to those who accept her rebuke. (Prov 1:23-25)

• When I spurn a rebuke, I prove that I am scheming, wayward, and prepped for destruction…(Prov 1:29-33)
• Do I hate it when someone who corrects me or do I love it/them?  If I’ve stopped trusting them, then I’ve stopped loving them, and that is hateful. (1 Cor 13:4-8, “love always trusts.“) Prov 9:8.
• Do I have a biblical understanding of the value and power of someone showing “sharp disapproval or criticism” because of my “behavior or actions?” (Definition of rebuke = “Express sharp disapproval or criticism  of (someone) because of their actions or behavior.“)
• Do I understand the impact of listening to a rebuke?
• • It makes me a wise son, Prov 13:1
  • It makes me at home among the wise, Prov 15:31
  • It should impress me if I am a man of discernment, Prov 17:10
  • It will cause me to gain knowledge if I am discerning, Prov 19:25
  • It will give me spiritual wealth (golden earring), Prov 25:12
  • It shows me that someone openly loves me, Prov 27:5
• Older men you are not to rebuke harshly!  You are still rebuke to them, just not harshly!  Exhort them as fathers! 1 Tim 5:1
• We are to both rebuke AND encourage!  And do both with GREAT patience and CAREFUL instruction.  Am I CAREFUL in my rebuke AND in my encouragement?  2 Tim 4:2
• Titus 1:10-14 this kind of heart must be rebuked SHARPLY.  A SHARP “sharp disapproval or criticism” is for these people because they are (a) rebellious & deceiving others in Titus 1:10, (b) ruining whole households with their teaching(s), and (c) they are liars, brutes, and lazy gluttons.  The solution to people acting like this is a SHARP rebuke – with goal being that they would be sound in the faith and not pay any attention to false doctrines and myths.  We cannot be “sound in the faith” if we do no have “The Fear of The LORD!”
• A rebuke from the evangelist, the church overseer, is done with all authority!  The same guideline is given for encouragement.  Titus 2:15.  No one in the church is allowed to despise the church leader.  In principle then, no one should despise their house church leader or their bible talk leader.  No one in the group God assigned gave you to lead is permitted to despise you according to this scripture.  And it’s up to you to make sure that is the case!  It is our goal that all our dear brothers and sisters would have “The Fear of The LORD!”

Jesus rebuked those he loved and disciplined.  (cf. Rev 3:19).  Am I being like Jesus and rebuking those that I love? (cf. Proverbs 27:5)  Am I striving for the FEAR of the LORD and helping those around me to do the same?  Or is there a fear (or hatred) of correction? (cf. Proverbs 12:1)