~ Good Morning!

We have an interesting Bible verse to look at this morning. So read, and listen carefully. Our verse is found, today, in …

• Proverbs‬ ‭1:7 •

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (ESV‬‬)

(The Devotion is a tad long today, but stay with me.)

• THE BOTTOM LINE •

✝️ “Fear,” here, means to be in Awe of, or have Reverence for, the Lord.

✝️ It also means to Respect and Obey the Lord God always and forever.

✝️ To Fear the Lord, means to, Express your Loyalty, and Faithfulness, to Him.

✝️ According to the Old Testament Scriptures, those who Fear the Lord, obtain God’s protection, wisdom and blessing.

In contrast to those who “Fear” the Lord, there are those who the Holy Scriptures call, “fools.”

👺 Fools arrogantly reject the Lord’s teaching, because they believe themselves to be wise enough. They openly belittle, and ridicule, God’s Word.

👺 One commentator said, “Fools are stupid and indifferent to God’s character and government; hence the wicked.”

There are 3 different kinds, or meanings, used for the word, “Fool,” listed in Proverbs:

1️⃣ The first kind of, “fool,” is recognized by being dull, closed minded, thick headed and stubborn. This definition, of the word fool, is used 49 times in the book of Proverbs.

2️⃣ A second meaning of the word, “fool,” is defined by, someone who lacks spiritual perception. This definition, of the word fool, is used 3 times in the book of Proverbs.

3️⃣ The third type of the word, “fool,” means, arrogant, flippant and mentally lacking any brightness. He is hardened in his ways, vulgar and rejects God and His wisdom. This definition, of the word fool, is used 19 times in the book of Proverbs.

• CONCLUSION •

To sum all of this up, the type of fool used, here, in our text today, in Proverbs 1:7, would be the third type. — He is arrogant, and coarse (rough, rude, crude and vulgar) in his ways, and rejects God, and His wisdom.

Of course, a follower of Jesus, is going to be a follower of Father God, and His Word. In everything we do, we should revere, respect, obey and be loyal to the One who saved us from our sinful past, and the One whom blesses our walk everyday.

May God bless you abundantly as you faithfully seek the Lord and follow His Word, and will for your life.

Sincerely,

— Pastor Gene