He that refuses instruction despises his own soul: but he that hears reproof gets understanding.
This lesson is driven home repeatedly in this book of wisdom. If you will be wise, your heart must be humbled and open to receive instruction and reproof. This is the first lesson in wisdom. First, the student of wisdom must acknowledge that he is not wise and submit himself to the discipline of wisdom. Should a young man refuse to listen to reproof, not only does he manifest spite for wisdom itself, but he despises his own soul! He does not properly consider the value of a human soul, a soul that will eternally live before God in heaven, or die the eternal death. Indeed, it is a tragedy of tragedies that one would consider a human soul to be as meaningless as a piece of dust in a purposeless universe; and throw it away for foolish and hedonistic pursuits. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26).
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honor is humility.
This is a fitting end to this first book on the Proverbs. We are back to where we started at Proverbs 1:7. The beginning of knowledge and wisdom is the fear of Yahweh God.
Interestingly, here wisdom and the fear of God are equated. Without the fear of God, there will be no true wisdom. If we are interested in bestowing wisdom and knowledge upon our children, our first concern is that they fear the living God. Should we seek to delegate any portion of their education to anybody who claims to be in the business of conveying knowledge and wisdom, it is essential that they teach the fear of God. There is nothing more important than this.
In education, these things have come to be separate. We want to teach our children the fear of God in family worship and Sunday schools. Then, we expect other professionals to teach them chemistry. But we do not see the vital importance of these children fearing God in the chemistry classroom. Thus, the fear of God has been severed from the academic disciplines. The results are utterly tragic. Dualism takes over. People turn on a “fear of God” during a special worship service on Sunday, but they do not fear God in scientific enquiry, politics, art forms, and economics. This dualism in education became the chief cause by which Christian culture was destroyed in the West.
Before honor is humility. One of the most famous, classic treatises on rhetoric comes from the Greek philosopher, Aristotle. Incredibly, in his 200 page textbook he fails to mention the importance of humility and the fear of God. Ironically, a fisherman of Galilee has only one sentence on the value of rhetoric in 1 Peter 3:15. For those who will “give a reason to everyone for the hope that is within you,” Peter provides his rhetorical methodology. Under the inspiration of the all-wise Spirit of God, he adds the all-important caveat—if you teach rhetoric, be absolutely certain that you do it “with meekness and fear!”
Usually, wisdom and a well-rounded education bring about honor of some sort or another. Men seek after honor. They laud themselves with degrees and titles, and universities and seminaries have institutionalized pride since the inception of the humanist system in the 1100s. Even as love in the city of man is always an artificial love, so his system of honor is feigned—because it is all rooted in pride! These proud intellectuals pat each other on the back, while secretly patting their own backs and silently mumbling curses against those they pretend to honor. But true honor will only come to the truly humble, and it will come either in this life or in eternity.
Academic hubris is destroying this country. Until men are kneeling in the chemistry laboratory with arms uplifted in worship of God the Creator; until men are weeping for their sins in the seminary classrooms; and until rhetoric teachers are more interested in nurturing the trembling fear of God in their students, we have not yet recovered the meaning of these verses. May God have mercy upon us!
1. How valuable is your soul? How precious is your soul? Do you treat your soul like it is that precious?
2. How much progress have we made as a family in learning the fear of God? Do we fear God throughout the week? What does the fear of God look like in our family? How does it manifest itself?