The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Everything has the beginning.

Q: Where knowledge starts? or what is the beginning of knowledge?
A: Knowledge begins with the fear of the LORD.

Fear: Strong’s Hebrew: 3374. יִרְאָה (yirah) — 41 Occurrences. It was first mentioned in Genesis 20:11 by Abraham. The word fear here is referring to the reverential fear and awe. The fear of the finite in the presence of the Infinite, of the sinful in the presence of the Holy. This fear has no torment, and is compatible with child-like love. This fear is the “beginning of wisdom.” Through successive stages and by the discipline of life, love blends with it and makes it perfect.

Is not meant a servile fear, a fear of punishment, of hell, wrath, and damnation, which is the effect of the first work of the law upon the conscience; but a filial fear, and supposes knowledge of God as a father, of his love and grace in Christ. It is a holy, humble; a reverential affection for him, and devotion to him; it includes the whole of religious worship, both internal and external; all that is contained in the first table of the law, and the manner of performing it, and principle of acting: this is the first of all sciences to be learned, and it is the principal one; it is the basis and foundation of all the rest, on which they depend; and it is the head, the fountain, the root an source, from where they spring; and unless a man knows God, knows God in Christ, and worships him in his fear, in spirit and in truth, according to his revealed will, he knows nothing as he ought to know; and all his knowledge will be of no avail and profit to him; this is the first and chief thing in spiritual and evangelical knowledge, and without which all natural knowledge will signify nothing; see Job 28:28.

LORD– Strong’s Hebrew: 3068. יְהֹוָה (Yhvh) — 6220 Occurrences. First mentioned in Genesis 2:4.
Exodus 3:13-15 is the first Biblical usage of the name “Yahweh,” and at the end of the passage mentioned that it is the name by which God has chosen to be remembered throughout all generations.

The English language doesn’t have an exact translation of the word “Yahweh,” so in our Old Testament we see it written as “LORD” in all capital letters. We see in Exodus 3:14 that God uses “I AM” and “Yahweh” interchangeably, which tells us that “I am” is one way for us to translate the name “Yahweh.”

Beginning: Strong’s Hebrew: 7225. רֵאשִׁית (reshith) — 51 Occurrences. First mentioned in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” It all started with God. Everything starts with God. John 1:3 writes, All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Knowledge: Strong’s Hebrew: 1847. דָּ֫עַת (daath) — 95 Occurrences. First mentioned in Genesis 2:9. “….., and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

Fools: Strong’s Hebrew: 191. אֱוִיל (evil) — 25 Occurrences. Fools are also known as wicked men (humans), or men (humans) devoid of true religion, throughout this whole book. They are persons who have no true wisdom, who follow their own devices, without regard to reason, or reverence for God. They are simply indifferent to God’s character and government

“…,but fools despise wisdom and instruction”; the same with “knowledge” before; they do not desire the knowledge of God, and of his ways and worship, but despise it, make no account of it, but treat it with contempt; especially the knowledge of God in Christ, in which lies the highest wisdom, for this is “life eternal”, John 17:3; they despise Christ “the Wisdom of God”, and the Gospel, and the truths of it, which are “the hidden wisdom” of God; and all “instruction” into it, and the means of it; they despise the Scriptures, which are able to make a man “wise unto salvation”; and the ministry of the word, and the ministers of it.

APPLICATION:

Science, Evolution, PhD, Ivy League education, all knowledge, everything we know or we’re taught or all other knowledge is vain and useless unless it starts with the source. The fear of the LORD is the beginning, the foundation, or the top, and perfection, or chief point without which all other knowledge is vain and useless.

DO YOU DESIRE KNOWLEDGE OR YOU LOVE FOOLISHNESS?

There are no many ways to knowledge. No many ways to be wise. You may have a PhD or a Doctorate and still remain a fool. We are living in an information age yet 1/3 of the world’s population lacks knowledge. The only Way to gain knowledge is through the reverential fear of the LORD, and the only way to this fear of the LORD is through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. You can do nothing outside Jesus Christ.

Checkout these verses among many others:
John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
John 1:17, For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
John 1:4, In Him was life, and that life was the light of men
Ephesians 2:18, For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Hebrews 10:20, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body,
1 John 5:20, And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true–in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
Romans 5:2, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in the hope of the glory of God.

Now, a fool will reject this. That’s exactly what the last portion of the verse is talking about, “but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
1 Corinthians 1:18-25 says, For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the [b]disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a [c]stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

I pray that the LORD of all knowledge will put in your heart the fear of Him today so that you may accept wisdom and instruction in Christ Jesus. Amen.