February 18th, 2025
The Beginning of Knowledge
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” (Proverbs 1.7a)
In ancient cultures[1], the idea of “wisdom”, i.e. practical knowledge that led to a successful life, could only be found in God. Even outside of the Hebrew world, the Caananites, Phoenicians, and the Egyptians understood that, ultimately, there was an outside, divine source (or sources, depending on the culture) of wisdom that could ultimately lead to a better life. For thousands of years in the Mesopotamian region, people passed wisdom orally from generation to generation through sayings that guided everyday life[2]. The divine source of this knowledge[3], then, was a way for them to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, and when these distinctions were in place, the guardrails of wisdom would guide people to a more fulfilling existence[4]. Those of you who are doing the independent Bible study with Men’s Ministry[5] and have read this week’s section will recognize the idea of the “good life” or the “good community”. In Proverbs, we are presented with a choice. On one hand is the path of foolishness, where disaster pursues every step[6]. One the other hand lies wisdom, the good life and the benefits of daily decisions influenced by the wisdom of the Creator[7]. I keep circling back to parts of both Britt Bush and Dr. Allcorn’s sermons and keep getting this image of two people driving their cars. Each has a wonderful destination waiting on them and both have the directions on the seat beside them. One follows the directions faithfully, and while they encounter some difficulties and the journey is long, they eventually get to where they are going after a pleasant trip and are thrilled to be there. The second ignores the directions completely, chooses their own path, and after much frustration and difficulty, ends up in a ditch. The destination never reached. God has given us the tools we need to navigate through life, but we must choose to follow them and recognize He knows best how to get us where we need to be.
Hope you are all having a great week. I’ve loved the sermons on Proverbs so far, am excited to get into it further and am enjoying Wilson’s commentary. If there is anything Men’s Ministry or FCC Grayson in general can help you with or pray for, please let us know. – FCC Grayson Men’s Ministry
[1] See “Hebrew Wisdom Literature” in R.K. Harrison’s Introduction to the Old Testament (pg. 1004-1009) for a more learned and detailed discussion
[2] We will talk more about what a proverb is in a latter blog, but it is interesting that some Biblical scholars believe the earliest form of a saying passed down from generation to generation can be found in Genesis 10.9
[3] See Job 12.13-25
[4] It makes sense that ultimately all wisdom in this world must come from God, as He created the world. See Psalm 104.24.
[5] Lindsay Wilson’s Proverbs from TOTC. Please pick up your books and reading schedule from the Welcome table if you have not done so already ?
[6] 13.21
[7] 3.9&10 and 22.4
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” (Proverbs 1.7a)
In ancient cultures[1], the idea of “wisdom”, i.e. practical knowledge that led to a successful life, could only be found in God. Even outside of the Hebrew world, the Caananites, Phoenicians, and the Egyptians understood that, ultimately, there was an outside, divine source (or sources, depending on the culture) of wisdom that could ultimately lead to a better life. For thousands of years in the Mesopotamian region, people passed wisdom orally from generation to generation through sayings that guided everyday life[2]. The divine source of this knowledge[3], then, was a way for them to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, and when these distinctions were in place, the guardrails of wisdom would guide people to a more fulfilling existence[4]. Those of you who are doing the independent Bible study with Men’s Ministry[5] and have read this week’s section will recognize the idea of the “good life” or the “good community”. In Proverbs, we are presented with a choice. On one hand is the path of foolishness, where disaster pursues every step[6]. One the other hand lies wisdom, the good life and the benefits of daily decisions influenced by the wisdom of the Creator[7]. I keep circling back to parts of both Britt Bush and Dr. Allcorn’s sermons and keep getting this image of two people driving their cars. Each has a wonderful destination waiting on them and both have the directions on the seat beside them. One follows the directions faithfully, and while they encounter some difficulties and the journey is long, they eventually get to where they are going after a pleasant trip and are thrilled to be there. The second ignores the directions completely, chooses their own path, and after much frustration and difficulty, ends up in a ditch. The destination never reached. God has given us the tools we need to navigate through life, but we must choose to follow them and recognize He knows best how to get us where we need to be.
Hope you are all having a great week. I’ve loved the sermons on Proverbs so far, am excited to get into it further and am enjoying Wilson’s commentary. If there is anything Men’s Ministry or FCC Grayson in general can help you with or pray for, please let us know. – FCC Grayson Men’s Ministry
[1] See “Hebrew Wisdom Literature” in R.K. Harrison’s Introduction to the Old Testament (pg. 1004-1009) for a more learned and detailed discussion
[2] We will talk more about what a proverb is in a latter blog, but it is interesting that some Biblical scholars believe the earliest form of a saying passed down from generation to generation can be found in Genesis 10.9
[3] See Job 12.13-25
[4] It makes sense that ultimately all wisdom in this world must come from God, as He created the world. See Psalm 104.24.
[5] Lindsay Wilson’s Proverbs from TOTC. Please pick up your books and reading schedule from the Welcome table if you have not done so already ?
[6] 13.21
[7] 3.9&10 and 22.4
Posted in Proverbs 2025
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