Proverbs 1


My boy, beware the moral poverty
Of those intent on feeding discontent.
The end of all their labor is lament.
They die in lust for blood and property.
Remain not an antagonist to truth
Nor love the follies of your fallen state.
You need not face the unrepentant’s fate,
For wisdom offers hope to humble youth.
Know well that you will never know as well
As he who rules reality with love,
So hallow him and turn a list’ning ear.
Invite instruction and commit to dwell
At wisdom’s fountainhead. Heed God above
And rest within a state of holy fear.

Photo by Joshua Fuller on Unsplash

8 thoughts on “Proverbs 1

  1. Sure! I’m drawing on the concept of the fear of the LORD found in Proverbs 1 and elsewhere throughout the Bible. The phrase carries the idea of recognizing who God is, who we are, and ordering life accordingly. I’ve written on the idea in some other posts as well, including one I hope to release today. If you search “fear of the LORD” in the search bar on this blog, you should find a handful of articles where I tried to flesh the idea out a bit more. Does that help? If not, I’ll try my best to answer any questions!

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  2. sure, I’d be happy to dig into reading a bit more on your blog. I am just asking because I’ve noticed that some have serious trauma from those fears becoming a kind of abusive trigger point in maligned christian homes. And that is something that has confused me many times over in life.

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  3. Yeah, that’s understandable for sure. I know people can twist Scripture to justify abuse, and I hate seeing that take place. There are good rules of interpretation that protect from such understandings. The way the Bible talks about the fear of the Lord leads me to believe there’s more to it than what we typically think about when we hear the word “fear,” but it’s tricky to discuss because the concept isn’t explicitly defined in Scripture.

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  4. ah, yes, that actually make sense. the fear of god is the term that I hear used most in this area. But usually I interpret it to mean, the natural fear of human consequence- that actions and reactions take over time. But to me personally it’s like the fear god puts in you as a child to help you learn not to put your hand on a burning stove, etc. just normal life things for adults that are not as easy to understand for children- until they actually happen.

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  5. I think that’s definitely part of it. The Bible describes it in different ways, sometimes as an emotive response and sometimes as an action taken. I tend to see it as a right view of God that changes how I live. And while no analogy is perfect, it seems to be similar to the fear a person feels when they’re attracted to someone. There’s terror and trembling (especially in middle school), but also a desire to get to know the other person. In a much greater sense, the fear of the Lord should do that to us. We should recognize his power and glory and holiness, each things that could be dangerous or terrifying in some contexts, but we should also be drawn to know and love him, especially in light of Christ. Like you said, it’s practical in nature. If thr fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom as Proverbs says, then it should be the starting point for life in God’s creation.

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