by Brian Allred
According to Proverbs 9, we are constantly surrounded by the voices of wisdom and folly. Both Lady Wisdom and Lady Folly are calling out from the highest places of the town. They are both extending an invitation for the simple to enter their house for a meal. We discover that listening to one voice – the voice of wisdom – leads to life. Listening to other – the voice of folly – will lead to death.
Clearly, heeding the voice of wisdom is the obvious choice. But we are more easily misled than we might imagine. Lady Folly, like the serpent in the Garden of Eden, is skilled in the art of seduction. Because our hearts are still plagued with the tendencies of the simple, we often take the bait that folly offers. What’s more, the way of folly often appears easier and more immediately rewarding than the way of wisdom. For example, wisdom calls for restraint in our speech (see Proverbs 10:19; 11:11, 12; 17:27-28) requiring exceptional discipline and control (see James 3:7-8). And while wisdom holds out blessing to those who share generously (see Proverbs 11:24), it can seem safer to hoard our resources and withhold from others.
In the face of such realities, how can we be expected to opt for wisdom? The answer to that question is found right in the middle of the chapter. Proverbs 9 is structured like a sandwich. Dual invitations bracket the chapter’s contents with wisdom speaking at the beginning (vv. 1-6) and folly at the end (vv. 13-18). Different responses are highlighted in vv. 7-9 and v. 12 as we move inward toward the center. Then arriving (quite literally) at the middle of the chapter, we discover in v. 10 the determining factor in whether we will listen to wisdom or folly: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”
We might rather expect to read that the fear of the Lord is the end of wisdom – that the path of wisdom leads to the fear of the Lord. While it may be true that the proper telos of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, on more than one occasion we’re told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (or knowledge) (see Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; 4:7). This means if we are to opt for wisdom, we have to start with the fear of the Lord. It is a precondition for hearing wisdom and rejecting folly.
It’s worth pointing out that not only is the fear of the Lord at the center of Proverbs 9 – it’s the foundation of biblical wisdom and of the Bible’s wisdom literature as whole. Consider that the fear of the Lord is referenced at the beginning of Proverbs (1:7), at the end of the first major unit of the book (9:10), and once more to close the book (31:30). It also frames the two other wisdom books of the Old Testament. The book of Job opens by describing him as a man who “feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1) while Ecclesiastes concludes its explorations of life under the sun by charging readers to “fear God and keep his commandments” as the “whole duty of man” (12:13).
But what is the fear of the Lord? The fear of the Lord has a technical meaning in the Bible that is not to be equated with being frightened or horrified by God. There is, to be sure, an emotional component to the fear of the Lord that can be described as reverence and awe (see Hebrews 12:29). But the fear of the Lord also has a cognitive component of knowing him. We find the fear of the Lord poetically “paired” with “knowledge of the Holy One” in v. 10 and with “the knowledge of God” earlier in Proverbs 2:5. But the fear of the Lord involves more than mere cognitive or intellectual knowledge of God. It includes a relational component of trusting him as well. According to Proverbs 14:26, “In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.” Those who fear the Lord are described in Psalm 33:18 as “those who hope in his steadfast love.” Such confidence and hope are expressions of trusting him. Finally, there is a moral component to the fear of the Lord that involves obeying him in righteousness and turning away from evil. We’re told in Proverbs 8:13 that “the fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.” In Proverbs 16:6 we read “by fear of the Lord one turns away from evil (see also Job 28:28 where fearing God is associated with turning away from evil, cf. Job 1:1). In summary, the fear of the Lord involves revering, knowing, trusting, and obeying him out of love for him (see Deuteronomy 10:12).
We might also think of the fear of the Lord as having our compass aligned to God as the North Star – a life oriented toward God, a heart revolving around him as a planet orbits the sun. The Bible tells us that this orientation of the heart centered on God is the beginning of wisdom. It is the determining factor in embracing wisdom rather than folly. And it is a gift of his grace. Notice it’s not merely the fear of God that is the beginning of wisdom but the fear of the LORD – the fear of YHWH. This is his personal name revealing him as a God of covenant promise and covenant grace, promises and grace that culminate in Jesus “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3) and “whom God made our wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:30). In light of the cross and the empty tomb, the fear of the Lord means orienting our lives toward Jesus in love: revering him as the eternal Son, knowing him as the Holy One, trusting him as our Savior, and obeying him as our King. This is the beginning of wisdom.
Yes, wisdom’s invitation comes to the simple – to those prone to wander and make poor choices, born with hearts bound up with folly and sin. But it comes to us only because Jesus laid down his life for simple, wandering sheep and calls us to himself. He says in John 10:4 “the sheep follow him for they know his voice.” Do you know his voice? Will you listen to wisdom’s invitation, leave your simple ways, and find life through the death and resurrection of Jesus?
Some will listen and others won’t. Will you?
Discerning voices can be tricky. Consider that the same person voiced both Miss Piggy from the Muppets and Yoda from Star Wars. It’s true. It’s also true that distinguishing wisdom from folly requires well-trained spiritual ears. Such discernment comes from faithfully sitting under God’s Word, saturating our lives and homes with God’s truth, being diligent in prayer, and living in a community of faith where we benefit from the wisdom, discernment, and correction of others (our community of faith should include authors of good books and articles from both the past and the present). If you want to grow in your ability to discern more clearly and listen more faithfully to the voice of wisdom while identifying and resisting the voice of folly, commit to regular time reading, studying, and hearing God’s Word, being in prayer, and engaging in Christian community.
Proverbs 9 is ultimately pointing us to the voice of Incarnate wisdom, the voice of Jesus, who extends a gracious invitation to enter his heavenly house where he himself prepares a room and provides a great banquet for those who hear his voice and follow him as their Shepherd. It’s a feast afforded at great cost to himself but free for those who will simply enter. All who enter find life. Abundant life. Eternal life in him.