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Proverbs 1 The Beginning of Knowledge

by fol CHURCH on July 01, 2020

It has been estimated by scientists that although mankind has been on the earth for several thousand years we still only understand about 4% of the universe. I’m not sure how they quantify that but it’s an amazing statistic. It indicates that we are still only at the beginning of the knowledge that there is to gain. The scientific exploration of creation has much, much more to reveal and undoubtedly the nature of God will be revealed more as creation as our understanding of God is unpacked

It makes this passage in Proverbs all the more fascinating. Verse 7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” I particularly like the way that the Passion Translation expresses this verse, “How then does a man gain the essence of wisdom? We cross the threshold of true knowledge when we live in obedient devotion to God.”

The point is that God is the source of all wisdom. He is the creator of all things, He is omnipotent (all-powerful), omnipresence (all-present) and omniscient (all–knowing). If we can recognise that and submit ourselves to that concept we begin to come into the realm of true wisdom. You see, the thing is that when we begin to get to know any subject or any person we have to start at the beginning. We start with simple things and move on from there. I remember learning some Latin at school and we started, rather bizarrely I thought, with the verb to love. I remember the teacher wrote out the conjugation of verb saying we’d never forget this. I never have.

Coming to know God we start with simple things and move deeper and deeper into Him as we go. As we grow into the relationship with Him He reveals more and more truth about the universe, about His love for us, about the power He holds in every aspect of life and eternity and about the way we relate to each other.

I think it’s wonderful that science is able to look through the intricately complex layers that the universe is made up of and see what makes it all tick. But it misses the point if it fails to see the hand of a loving creator in its construction. This verse and this chapter ask us to tread carefully in the pursuit of knowledge, to recognise God in what we see and to understand that in the interactions we have with others we should seek God first.

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Father God, I pray that you would guide me in all things, be my instructor, my counsellor and my protector. Amen.

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