Fear of The LORD Is The Beginning of Wisdom

Today’s verse is on Joshua 2:1~13

It was talking about the Israelites army try to attack the Jericho, before they did it, they sent two spies into that city. The Jericho was a big city and it was very difficult to attack. Here came out a woman who was very important to Israelites.

Why? Because this woman had the heart of fearfulness of God. She heard the story about God and trusted and she said your God is almighty God, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.

The fear to the Lord is Rehab’s power and wisdom, think about her situation, she hidden two spies which means she was betrayed her country at that time. If her hidden spies were found in her house. She would be killed by the King of Jericho. But she feared to the Lord so she got the power of courage, rather than fear to the man like ordinary people easily did.

Exodus1:15,21

At that time, Boys were going to be killed but the midwives fear to the Lord, keep the boys of Israelites, rather than obeyed the rules of King. So God blessed midwives and let them builded up their families.

We are easily to fear to the things, men which we can see. The person who fear to the Lord will not fear anything else. Before you think about what people will look at me, please first think about what God will look at you instead.

The names of the midwives and prostitute were recorded in the bible and Rehab’s name was in the family of Jesus.

Why? They were so little and even dirty people and gentiles but their names were recorded in the bible.

What was the true mature Christian life?  Fear to the Lord instead of people. Where was the faith coming from? Where was the source of the wisdom? The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Christianity maturity depends on the relationship between you and God. Instead look other people and try to figure out the sting in their eyes, check your balk in your eye first. Christianity maturity depends on how you really treat the God, believe or not, trust or not, love or not and the degree of those three. The root of those three is the fear of the LORD. Why?

Because when you fear him, you will listen to what he said, you will trust him no matter what, your will love him because he loves you and die for you on the cross.

Now let us think about interpersonal relationship, we also should have fear heart to each other. Let us see verse in Genesis 49: 14~18.

14 “Issachar is a rawboned[f] donkey

    lying down among the sheep pens.[g]

15 When he sees how good is his resting place

    and how pleasant is his land,

he will bend his shoulder to the burden

    and submit to forced labor.

16 “Dan[h] will provide justice for his people

    as one of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan will be a snake by the roadside,

    a viper along the path,

that bites the horse’s heels

    so that its rider tumbles backward.

18 “I look for your deliverance, Lord.

Each person’s personality are like animals which are different. How to let people really respect each other? Why I have to respect the persons like Dan?

If we check the Book of Revelation, we will find that the tribe of Dan was cut off. So we have to be alert, let us check if we have Dan tribe inside of us. We need to get rid of it.

The reason why we also have to respect people is that they have the image of God. God created human according to his image. So each one of us has different image of God.

Let us continue to see Joshua 2：12

She had the heart of desire of being saved. She believe the power of salvation of God’s army. She lived in Jericho, I can tell some other people like Rehab heard about Joshua’s God stories and how God help Israelites to cross the Red Sea. But none of those people set up the faith like she to help spies and ask for the true sign of salvation to his entire family.

Finally she become the grandmother’s mother of King David. How fear of God’s history. Everything has been decided at that moment when you decide to follow God or Men, fear God or fear men, follow your flesh or follow the Holy Spirit.

The big conversion of your life will happen only if you decide to stand on God’s team, if you trust and obey his commandments. The righteous will live by faith.

Fear of The LORD Is The Beginning of Wisdom