“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” Ps 111:10 (ESV). “The fear of the Lord” is best understood as reverence and awe. The idea is that we hold the Lord in a unique place of honor. This is the start of wisdom, the beginning of knowing. There is no real wisdom that does not take God into account. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps 53:1). The fool is the opposite of the wise person. Holding God in holy awe saves from folly and sets us on the road to wisdom.
