Looks like I have not posted a single blog for the whole of 2013. I thought that I would do a blog on the last day of the year on the verse that I named my blog after. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” This verse has been one of those verses that I have had trouble explaining. How can fear which is generally very constraining be the beginning of Knowledge. Knowledge of the world is so vast that something that constraints your thinking will not help in you gaining the knowledge. In the same way, why is a God so filled with love be always feared. Does the word have to be looked from the perspective of reverence ? The same way, I read somewhere that the more disciplined you become the less creative you are. For a while I strongly believed in it, and shunned all things that created a habit. Over a period of time, I have realized that there is a need to have some amount of discipline, otherwise even the basic things become difficult to accomplish.
Lets try to attack the first issue of explaining "Fear of the Lord". We should focus on what happens when we fear the Lord. First thing is that our God is privy to our thoughts and motivations, so when we fear God we need to have alignment between our actions and thoughts/motivations. The second thing it also implies is that when we replace all other fears with the "Fear of the Lord", it is very liberating and keeps us in sync with our conscience. This fear of the Lord is what makes Joseph accept Mary, even though he knows that if the news got out he will loose respect as well as Mary could be stoned to death. This fear of the Lord is what makes Peter provide testimony in front of others. In my life I have seen that the same fear enabled my grandmother to ask people she barely knew to provide funds for God's work. So this fear of the Lord does liberate you from the clutches of other fears you might have and opens your mind. The third thing it does is that makes us follow the laws of Lord.
The second issue is the real problem of defining what Solomon means by Fear and how this becomes the beginning of Knowledge. For this lets look at 2 different passages in the bible:
Lets try to attack the first issue of explaining "Fear of the Lord". We should focus on what happens when we fear the Lord. First thing is that our God is privy to our thoughts and motivations, so when we fear God we need to have alignment between our actions and thoughts/motivations. The second thing it also implies is that when we replace all other fears with the "Fear of the Lord", it is very liberating and keeps us in sync with our conscience. This fear of the Lord is what makes Joseph accept Mary, even though he knows that if the news got out he will loose respect as well as Mary could be stoned to death. This fear of the Lord is what makes Peter provide testimony in front of others. In my life I have seen that the same fear enabled my grandmother to ask people she barely knew to provide funds for God's work. So this fear of the Lord does liberate you from the clutches of other fears you might have and opens your mind. The third thing it does is that makes us follow the laws of Lord.
The second issue is the real problem of defining what Solomon means by Fear and how this becomes the beginning of Knowledge. For this lets look at 2 different passages in the bible:
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19We love because he first loved us."
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’c 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’d 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
The above 2 passages say that all the Laws of Lord are automatically taken care of when you perfect your love of God and your Love of fellow neighbor. When you are able to perfect it, fear is automatically taken care of. We are able to do this because God wants a relationship with us. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of perfecting Love and creating a relationship with God. Since God is the creator of this universe, we will be able to uncover all knowledge when you have a relationship with Him.
As we close 2013 and begin 2014, I hope to renew my journey of being perfected in Love.
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