Online Bible Verses - Psalm 103: 17-18 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom

“But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.”

Psalm 103: 17-18

Go to Psalm 111 for a more simple and direct conveyance of the first portion in above:

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”

So wisdom, in the unworldly sense, in the spiritual sense, starts with a fear of the Lord.

Why fear He who is supposed to be all about love and I am His created? For one consider His relative magnitude and authority. Look out at the universe, so big that we cannot even comprehend its dimensions. On a more local level, look at the power radiated from the sun, in whatever or via whomever carved out the Grand Canyon or set in Niagara Falls in place. Immense power, beyond quantization.

Couple that with the probability a Creator exists, and that He has a capacity for anger. In addition, any anger must be justified; as who are those created to argue or oppose their Creator? Who can claim any justification or authority in His presence?

The mere chance then, that we might displease Him, can be a fearful thought. I cannot speak for others going further here, I can only tap my own experience. There have been times where I just knew my choices were in opposition to God’s will. And, the drive to make them was stronger than I wished to overcome on my own. The end result, a certainty I had displeased Him, even angered Him. And an unsettling fear existed. What would I do if I were He? What would I do with one who chronically and knowingly does wrong, despite all the revelation and blessing I had shown Him?

It is a very good thing that He has the authority and I do not, because He also possesses an infinite capacity for grace and love which I could never. And only a grace that big could accommodate perfect justice. So what did He do? He meted out discipline on Himself, and credited it to my account.

I find that amazing.

I also think it improbable man could concoct such a story on his own. We tend to make ourselves part of the solution, at least a contributor.

In this story, however, we fixed nothing. The only thing we did was break what was originally perfect.