Proverbs chapter 9
We are walking in today: The Fear Of The Most High Is The Beginning Of Wisdom!!!!
Witness fear throughout the Bible: H3372 yare'--to fear, reverence, honour, respect, to stand in awe of, be awed
Exodus 1:17 But the midwives feared H3372 God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.The Torah..................…
Deuteronomy 3:22 - Ye shall not fear H3372 them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you.
The prophets.................
1 Samuel 12:24 - Only fear H3372 the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
The writings.............
Joshua 24:14 - Now therefore fear H3372 the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
Psalms 33:8 - Let all the earth fear H3372 the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
We
are beginning the very important Part 4 in this series, focusing on
those characteristics of wisdom that set the Wise Virgins apart from the
Foolish Virgins. Let’s briefly recap what we have seen in the previous parts.
When
Yahushua Messiah taught the parable of the Wise and Foolish
Virgins, He spoke the following words:
“They
that were ready went in with Him [the Bridegroom] to the marriage” (Matthew
25:10)
In
this passage from Matthew 25, Yahushua was teaching His disciples the
importance of being ready for a marriage. From Revelation 19:7-9, we learn that
the marriage Yahushua is referring to is His own marriage — “the marriage supper of
the Lamb.”
In
the parable of the ten Virgins, we are given this vital key for being
ready for the marriage to the Bridegroom: the Wise Virgins had wisdom, but the
Foolish Virgins lacked wisdom!
It
was the Wise Virgins in the parable who were ready to go in with
the Bridegroom. And so it is the same with us today. If we desire to be ready,
we too must have the same wisdom!
Walking in Wisdom
Here
in brief is what we have seen in previous parts of this series.
We
have seen that the one who is wise, learns to hear and obey the counsel and
instruction of Scripture; that seeking wisdom is much like digging for
treasure, and requires much effort of digging into the Scriptures.
We
have seen that the one who is wise, learns to choose humility as a way of life.
We saw that those who walk in the way of wisdom, are those who choose to follow
the example of Messiah — who humbled Himself by becoming obedient.
We
have seen furthermore, that the Wise Virgins have a willingness to change their
lifestyle, to live their lives according to the Scriptures. This willingness to
‘live our lives according to the Scriptures’ is the first and foremost
prerequisite, or necessary requirement for gaining wisdom.
It
is this changed lifestyle alone — from living according to man-made traditions
that contradict the Scriptures, to a lifestyle of obedience to the Scriptures —
that sets the Wise Virgins apart from the Foolish Virgins!
Finally,
we have seen that our goal in learning about the Biblical
characteristics of wisdom is that we may become wise unto obedience. In this
way, we become ready — so that we might be found among the
company of the Wise Virgins, who go in to the marriage with the Bridegroom!
And
now, the next wisdom characteristic we will look at in this series is: the
one who is wise walks in the Fear of THE MOST HIGH [the Fear of the LORD].
The Fear of THE MOST HIGH
This
characteristic of the Wise Virgins is found in Proverbs 9:
“The
fear of THE MOST HIGH [the LORD] is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs
9:10a)
According
to the above passage, if we want wisdom, we must begin with the Fear of THE
MOST HIGH.
But
what is the Fear of THE MOST HIGH?
The
English word ‘fear’ in this verse, is the Hebrew word yir’ah, Strong’s
Number <03374>, which stems from the root word yar’ey
Strong’s Number <03372>. Yar’ey means “fearing, fearful,
to be afraid exceedingly, honourable reverence, and to be had in reverence.”
When
we truly reverence someone, we are on the edge of fearing that person. When we
are seriously afraid of something, “it is said that we can feel our insides flowing.”
This
verse in Proverbs reveals to us what the very beginning of wisdom is: the
Fear of THE MOST HIGH.
No
one really comes close to having true wisdom unless they have a measure of the
Fear of THE MOST HIGH. So the Fear of THE MOST HIGH is the first step toward
wisdom.
However,
there is something mysterious about this characteristic of wisdom. We know we
are to love THE MOST HIGH with all our heart. This is the first and great
commandment (Matthew 22:37,38). And yet, many times, the Bible urges us to
‘Fear God!’ So how can we ‘Love God’ and also ‘Fear God’?
The
answer is in finding out what the Fear of THE MOST HIGH is, as well as
remembering the Hebrew definition for the word ‘fear’ — honourable
reverence.
Let
us therefore look at only a few of the many Scripture passages that define the
Fear of THE MOST HIGH.
Blessed are They that Fear THE MOST HIGH
The
following verses show us, from a practical standpoint, exactly what the Fear of
THE MOST HIGH is — and how it can be seen in our lives:
O
that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep
all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their
children for ever! (Deuteronomy 5:29)
And
it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life:
that he may learn to fear THE MOST HIGH his God, to keep all the words
of this law [Torah] and these statutes, to do them: (Deuteronomy 17:19)
Praise
ye THE MOST HIGH. Blessed is the man that feareth THE MOST HIGH, that
delighteth greatly in His commandments. (Psalms 112:1)
Blessed
is every one that feareth THE MOST HIGH; that walketh in His ways.
(Psalms 128:1)
Therefore
thou shalt keep the commandments of THE MOST HIGH thy God, to walk in
His ways, and to fear Him. (Deuteronomy 8:6)
Now
let’s list the practical steps that the above passages reveal about what it
means to fear THE MOST HIGH:
- To fear THE MOST HIGH, is to keep all His commandments, always;
- To fear THE MOST HIGH, is to study, and to keep all the words of this law [Torah] and these statutes, to do them;
- To fear THE MOST HIGH, is to delight greatly in His commandments;
- To fear THE MOST HIGH, is to walk in [THE MOST HIGH’s] ways;
- To walk in THE MOST HIGH’s ways, and to fear Him, is to keep the commandments of THE MOST HIGH!
These
are clear and do-able steps for us to take in order to walk in the Fear of THE
MOST HIGH. With one-step-at-a-time, not all at once, and with Abba’s
essential merciful grace, only then will the Fear of THE MOST HIGH is
achievable. With His help, we can do the simple steps of walking in His ways,
and keeping His Word!
All
who genuinely desire to know THE MOST HIGH Elohim [the LORD God], to love Him
and understand Him, then they will choose these practical steps: to hearken to
[hear and obey] His ways, His statutes, and His commandments (John 14:15,21;
15:10; 1John 5:3). This is the evidence that we have [and are walking
in], the Fear of THE MOST HIGH.
Let’s
see next what the Bible says about learning the Fear of THE MOST HIGH.
Learning the Fear of THE MOST HIGH
From
the Scriptures we find that THE MOST HIGH wants us to learn the Fear
of THE MOST HIGH:
1.)
That their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to
fear THE MOST HIGH your God … (Deuteronomy 31:13a).
2.)
Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of THE MOST
HIGH (Psalms 34:11).
Both
of the above verses reveal the need for us to be teachable, and to learn the
Fear of THE MOST HIGH.
The
first verse above, in Deuteronomy, is one of at least fourteen verses in
Deuteronomy alone, where THE MOST HIGH’s people are exhorted to learn
the “Fear THE MOST HIGH of your Elohim [your Mighty One, your God]”
(Deuteronomy 4:10; 5:29; 6:2,13,24; 8:6; 10:12,20; 13:4; 14:23; 17:19; 28:58;
31:12,13).
Rather
than list all these Scriptures here, we will point out one verse that clearly
sums up the rest:
Ye
shall walk after THE MOST HIGH your God, and fear Him, and keep His
commandments, and obey His voice, and ye shall serve Him, and cleave unto
Him. (Deuteronomy 13:4)
This
verse, along with the others in Deuteronomy, reveal the following practical
steps we need to take, in order to learn the Fear of THE MOST HIGH:
- Hearken to [hear and obey] THE MOST HIGH’s Words;
- Carefully obey the instructions of THE MOST HIGH;
- Have a copy of THE MOST HIGH’s Law [His Torah — His instructions and teachings for His children] and read it all the days of our life;
- Hear, and observe to do, all the Words of this Law [this Torah].
Again
we can see that Abba is showing us the practical steps for learning the
Fear of THE MOST HIGH. Learning the Fear of THE MOST HIGH begins when we start
to cultivate a great reverence for, and obedience to, THE MOST HIGH’s written
WORD, the holy Scriptures. Over and over throughout the Bible, we find that
learning the Fear of THE MOST HIGH is revealed in passages that urge obedience
to Abba’s commandments, instructions, and teachings!
Now
let’s look at the second verse, Psalms 34:11.
This
passage reveals in context (Psalms 34:12-14) a few more ‘homework assignments’
that are given to those students who wish to learn the Fear of THE MOST HIGH:
- Guard our tongue from speaking evil, and our lips from speaking deceit;
- Depart from evil, and do good;
- Seek peace, and pursue it.
Learning
the Fear of THE MOST HIGH begins the moment we take steps toward departing
from all evil actions and words. This is confirmed in Proverbs 8:13: “The fear of THE MOST HIGH [the LORD] is to
hate evil!” When we have the Fear of THE MOST HIGH, we will
hate and avoid the evil-ness of pride, arrogance, selfishness,
covetousness, falseness, and perversion.
When
we hate evil, we actively guard our mouth, choosing to speak words that bring
forth life and edification. As we saw in Out of the Abundance of the Heart, we can choose
to use our tongue to speak words that build up others, bringing life. Or, we
can choose to speak words that tear down others, bringing death.
We
can now see how Abba has made a way for us to learn the Fear of THE
MOST HIGH. We must become teachable and tender-hearted toward learning the
Scriptures. This tender-hearted-ness is necessary for us to be as a little
child, humble in our attitude, and obedient to the Scriptures, so that we can learn
to Fear THE MOST HIGH. Oh let us be praying for our hearts to be tender and
teachable!
Walking in the Fear of THE MOST HIGH
We
have now seen that the Scriptures describe in great detail, what it means to
walk in the Fear of THE MOST HIGH. When we are truly walking in the Fear
of THE MOST HIGH, then we will behave and speak with great reverence and
loyalty about THE MOST HIGH’s Truth, His Character, and His Word! Our heart’s
desire will be seen in our practice of studying God’s Word daily, and in
learning to obey Abba’s Torah [His instructions and guidelines
found in the first five books of the Bible] (Proverbs 29:18b), and also, in
bringing glory to God in everything we do (1Corinthians 10:31)!
When
we have a Biblical Fear of THE MOST HIGH, then we will earnestly seek to avoid
any sort of evil-doing. We will begin to learn to avoid the things that THE
MOST HIGH hates, and we will seek to love the things that delight our Abba
Father. We will delight in keeping all of Messiah’s commandments, including
those He gave to Moses (John 14:15,21; 15:10; 1John 5:3)!
When
we have a Biblical Fear of THE MOST HIGH, then we will know how exceptional and
immense the love of THE MOST HIGH for His children is! And we will find it much
easier to trust in Him with all our heart!
Why
is this true?
Because
we will be regularly studying His Word, continually being reminded of His
loving and intimate care for His children! (Psalms 91:14; Proverbs
8:17; Song of Songs 1:2b; Isaiah 38:17; Jeremiah 31:3; John 14:21). We
will also be experiencing very personal events that confirm Abba’s love and
direction for us.
When
we have a Biblical Fear of THE MOST HIGH, we will begin to understand the
importance of speaking respectfully to, and about, our heavenly Father. And,
because we are hiding God’s Word in our heart, and spending time with Him in
our prayer closet, seeking His help in all that we do, then we will be
more sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading, and will be careful not to offend
Father, or sin against Him. And, the genuine Fear of THE MOST HIGH will deliver
us from the dangerous trap of the fear of man! (Psalms 119:11; Psalms 17:3;
Proverbs 29:25).
The Rewards
We
must add one more detail in our look at this characteristic of the Wise
Virgins. We must mention the rewards!
According
to Scripture, there are great rewards for walking in the Fear of THE MOST HIGH.
A brief list of these rewards can be a great motivation for us to pursue the
Fear of THE MOST HIGH!
Notice
these promises Father offers for those who walk in the Fear of THE MOST HIGH:
The angel
of THE MOST HIGH encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth
them. (Psalms 34:7)
O
fear THE MOST HIGH, ye His saints: for there is no lack to them that
fear Him. (Psalms 34:9)
For
as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them
that fear Him. (Psalms 103:11)
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him: He also will
hear their cry, and will save them. (Psalms 145:19)
THE
MOST HIGH taketh pleasure [‘delights’] in them that fear Him, in those
that hope in His mercy. (Psalms 147:11)
As
seen in the above Scripture passages, these are wonderful rewards for
those who Fear THE MOST HIGH:
- The angel of THE MOST HIGH surrounds them;
- They have no lack;
- They have Abba’s great mercy;
- Abba fulfills their desire;
- Abba hears their cry;
- Abba will save them;
- Abba delights in them!
What
amazing love our heavenly Abba has for His children!
Let
us remember however, that the Fear of THE MOST HIGH is the beginning
of wisdom! When we have the Fear of THE MOST HIGH, then we have the ‘key’ that
opens the vault that holds the treasures of wisdom! And wisdom, whose
price is above rubies, is truly a treasure! [See Job 28:12-28.]
Learning
the Fear of THE MOST HIGH is not only a key characteristic of the Wise Virgins,
but it is also a key ingredient of our well-being (Ecclesiastes 8:12b). THE
MOST HIGH Elohim created us, He loves us immensely, and He knows the beginning
and the ending of all things! He knows therefore, that it is for our good,
that we learn to Fear Him!
When
King David prayed, “Teach me Your way, O THE MOST HIGH, … unite my heart to fear (yar’ey) Your name,” (Psalms 86:11), David was exhibiting his
desire to learn and walk in the Fear of THE MOST HIGH. May this be our desire
also: an undivided heart to honour Father, to learn to Fear Him, and to
reverence (yar’ey) His holy Name (Psalms 111:9; Malachi 1:6).
The Greatest Reward
Let
us also be reminded that our exceeding great reward is Messiah Himself
(Genesis 15:1), who is the Bridegroom. And so the greatest reward or incentive
for our gaining wisdom, is that we will want to become ready — ready to
go in to the marriage with the Bridegroom! And the way we acquire that
readiness is to do what Abba exhorts: ‘Get Wisdom!‘
But
none of our readiness would be possible without the grace and mercy of our
Abba! Our own efforts are not enough! We NEED the help of the Holy Spirit!!
Only
by the Spirit of THE MOST HIGH imparting His wisdom to us, only by His help in
maintaining our obedience to His Word, one-step-at-a-time, only then can we
hope to be enabled to Be Ready for our Bridegroom.
Let
us pray for Abba to keep us near Him always, and to seek His grace, that we
so desperately need, in order to walk in the Fear of the LORD!
The
one who is wise will be seeking and walking in the Fear of THE MOST HIGH! This
is a vital and important characteristic of the Wise Virgins! The Fear of THE
MOST HIGH is the one wisdom characteristic that initiates, supports, and cultivates
all the other wisdom characteristics!
If
we seek to cultivate this amazing quality, then we are on the road to gaining
wisdom and, by His mercy, be among the company of the Wise Virgins!
Shema Selah in this wilderness on day 45 are we revering and honoring the Most High?? Fear is the beginning of wisdom! https://www.facebook.com/fiveam.prayer/videos/1653476928063750/?l=586162473673190522
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