The Fear of The Lord: Behold Your God

The Starting Place of Wisdom  

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). This foundational proverb echoes through the halls of Scripture, yet its profound simplicity is often missed. From a biblical and reformed perspective, this “fear” is not a vague religious sentiment but the specific and reverent awe that can only spring from intimate knowledge. We cannot truly fear, that is, to be in amazement and adoration, worshipfully revere and trust, a deity we do not know. Therefore, the summons to fear the LORD is, at its heart, an invitation to know Him. This knowledge of God is itself the foundational wisdom from which all righteous living flows.  But how are we to know the infinite God? 

We can know Him because He has graciously condescended to reveal His character. The Book of Proverbs is not merely a collection of wise sayings, but a vital part of that revelation, a precise transcript of His attributes given so that we might learn the fear that leads to wisdom. To fear the Lord is to know Him; to know Him is to know Him intimately; to know Him intimately is to become a student of His self-revelation. Our exploration will focus on beholding His attributes in the book of Proverbs, for the foundation of all covenant wisdom is a clear vision of the God before whom we live.

While creation universally declares God’s glory and power (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:20), this general revelation, though leaving humanity without excuse, is insufficient to produce the saving, covenant fear of the LORD. As John Calvin incisively argued, humanity’s innate sensus divinitatis (sense of the divine) is corrupted by sin,1 rendering this natural knowledge guilty, distorted, and ultimately a catalyst for futile rebellion rather than loving reverence.¹ We can know that God is, but we cannot know who He is in His moral perfection and redemptive purpose. For the intimate knowledge that begets godly fear, we are utterly dependent on God’s gracious special revelation, the Holy Scriptures. It is here, in His inspired Word, that God condescends to make Himself truly known. As A.W. Pink rightly asserted, “The foundation of all true knowledge of God must be a clear mental apprehension of His perfections as revealed in Holy Scripture. An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped.”²

Proverbs is a vital part of that special revelation. It is not merely a collection of wise sayings but a theological treatise on the character of God and the shape of life in His world. To grow in the fear of the LORD, we must therefore become students and intimately know the God Proverbs reveals. We must move beyond abstract concepts and behold His specific, scriptural attributes. Each divine perfection uncovered in this book serves as a lens, focusing the light of who God is, thereby igniting in our hearts the authentic fear that is the “beginning” or controlling principle of all wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).³ Let us now behold our God through the testimony of His wisdom literature.

The God Who Sees: Omniscience and the Comfort of Being Known

The fear of the LORD is instantly deepened by the realization that our knowledge of Him is reciprocated by His perfect knowledge of us. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). This omniscience, His all-seeing, all-knowing presence, is both a comfort and a sanctifying truth. There is no hidden corner of our hearts, no secret struggle or private grief, outside His gaze (Proverbs 5:21). 

For the believer, this transforms fear from dread into the security of being fully known and yet, in Christ, fully loved. It calls for radical honesty before Him and assures us that our plight is never overlooked. To know God as the all-seeing One is to live in the liberating “fear” of transparent fellowship, where awe for His penetrating knowledge drives out deceit and fosters integrity.

The God Who Rules: Sovereignty, Omnipotence, and the Surrender of Control

If God sees all, Proverbs declares He also sovereignly rules over all. This truth confronts our innate desire for autonomy and reorients our fear towards trusting submission. “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the LORD” (Proverbs 21:31). Human responsibility is real, but ultimate sovereignty rests with God. The most piercing declaration is, “There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30). Here, God’s omnipotence and sovereign will are absolute. 

To know Him as the Sovereign Ruler is to have our idolatry of self-control, our self-sovereignty shattered.  It is to exchange anxiety for trust, and pride for humble dependence.  The fear He requires includes the trust that His power is ultimate and His purposes, even when mysterious, are good.  This knowledge frees us to “prepare the horse” with diligence while peacefully entrusting the outcome to Him.

The God Who Orchestrates: Providence and the End of Chance

Our sovereign God exercises His rule through meticulous providence, guiding all events, even seemingly random ones, to His appointed ends.  “A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).  Even “The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33). 

To know God as the Lord of Providence is to have our superstition and fear of “chance” replaced by a covenantal trust in His hidden guidance.  It is a fear that produces not paralyzing uncertainty but a humble boldness, enabling us to make plans while holding them with open hands, confident that our faithful God is ordering our path.  This knowledge assures us that our lives are not a series of accidents but a story authored by Him.

The God Who Does Not Change: Immutability and the Anchor of His Purpose

In a world of relentless flux, the knowledge of God’s immutability, His unchanging nature, grounds our fear in stability. “There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the LORD’s counsel—that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21).  His character, promises, and redemptive purpose are fixed.  The gods of the nations were fickle; Yahweh is steadfast.

To know Him as the unchanging God is to find an anchor for the soul.  Our fear is not of a capricious deity who might arbitrarily revoke His grace, but a reverent awe for a Rock whose promises are eternally sure.  This knowledge allows us to build our lives upon the non-negotiable foundation of His Word.

The God Who Is Pure: Holiness, Wrath, and the Gravity of Sin

The fear of the LORD finds its most solemn attribute in the knowledge of His holiness. The LORD… is holy in all his works (cf. Proverbs 11:20; 15:9, 26).  His holiness is His majestic purity, His absolute separation from all evil. This intrinsic holiness necessarily manifests as righteous wrath against sin. This is not a petty rage but His settled, just opposition to all that defiles His good creation. 

To know God as holy is to understand why “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil…” (Proverbs 8:13).  It impresses upon us the infinite gravity of our sin as an offense against this purity.  This knowledge is the beginning of wisdom because it drives us from self-justification (works-merit) to seek a righteousness outside ourselves, a need fulfilled only in the atoning work of Christ, hinted at in Proverbs 16:6 itself.

The God Who Makes Things Right: Justice, Righteousness, and the Call to Integrity

God’s holiness is expressed in His perfect justice and righteousness.  “A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is his delight” (Proverbs 11:1).  He is the standard of all that is right, and He impartially judges according to truth (Proverbs 16:11; 29:26). 

To know God as perfectly just is to cultivate a fear that loves fairness, honesty, and righteousness in all our dealings.  It also grants us the profound peace of knowing that all ultimate wrongs will be made right by Him, freeing us from the need for vengeance.  Our fear includes a trust in His final justice, motivating us to pursue temporal justice as a reflection of His character.

The God Who Keeps His Word: Truthfulness, Faithfulness, and the Shield of Trust

The unwavering reliability of God’s character is captured in His truthfulness and faithfulness. “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5). His covenant loyalty (hesed) is steadfast (Proverbs 3:3-4; 20:28).  To know God as supremely truthful and faithful is to have a fear that confidently flees to Him for refuge.  He is not a promise-breaker.  This knowledge allows us to stake our eternal destiny on His Word and shapes us into people of integrity and steadfast love, reflecting His own faithful character.

The God Who Is Our Refuge: Goodness, Love, Mercy, and Grace

The glorious culmination of knowing God in Proverbs is the revelation that this sovereign, holy Judge is also a gracious refuge.  “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).  His goodness, lovingkindness (hesed), mercy, and grace are the attractants that draw us to fear Him not as slaves but as children.  “In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil” (Proverbs 16:6). 

This verse beautifully ties God’s gracious character to the heart of the gospel and shows that true, covenant fear is our response to His initiating grace.  To know Him as gracious is to have a fear mingled with adoring love, a running to Him rather than a hiding from Him.

Conclusion: The Integrated Knowledge That Begets Covenant Fear

To fear the LORD rightly, we must know Him fully. The Book of Proverbs forbids us from isolating one attribute.  The God, who is a consuming fire is the same God who is a strong tower.  His wrath makes His grace amazing; His sovereignty makes His love secure; His omniscience makes His forgiveness personal.  This integrated, scripturally-revealed knowledge is the only foundation for the covenant “fear of the LORD”, a fear that is, in the words of the Puritan William Bridge, “a child-like fear, a fear of offending” a beloved and holy Father.⁴

This pursuit of knowing God through His attributes finds its ultimate end and fulfillment in Jesus Christ.  The New Testament reveals that the wisdom of God is not merely an abstract principle but a person.  Paul declares Christ to be “… the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24), and in his letter to the Colossians, he states that in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).  This illuminates the profound personification of wisdom in Proverbs itself. 

The “Lady Wisdom” who cries out in the streets (Proverbs 1:20-21), who was beside God as a “master workman” at creation (Proverbs 8:30), and who invites all to her feast (Proverbs 9:1-5) is rightly understood in the Christian canon as a foreshadowing of the eternal Son.⁵  Jesus is the perfect, final revelation of the God whose attributes we have beheld (Hebrews 1:3).  He is the living embodiment of the holiness, justice, sovereignty, and grace of Proverbs. 

Therefore, the intimate knowledge of God that begets covenant fear is ultimately found in knowing Jesus Christ.  He is the “way” to the Father (John 14:6) and the one in whom we see the fullness of the divine character we are to revere and love.  To fear the Lord, in light of the whole counsel of God, is to come in awe and faith to the incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ, in whom we are reconciled to the Sovereign of Proverbs.  We cannot generate this fear through willpower.  It is the fruit of the Spirit, cultivated through the faithful study of God’s self-revelation, which culminates in the Gospel of His Son. 

As we behold our God in Proverbs, sovereign, holy, just, gracious, and true and see that portrait perfectly realized in Christ, our hearts are progressively shaped into the posture of wisdom: humble, trusting, worshipful, and obedient. We begin to live coram Deo, before the face of the God we know in Jesus Christ and therefore rightly fear. This is the beginning.  In Fear the Lord Part 2 - Fear Him Rightly: The Believer’s Covenant Response, we will see how this foundational fear of God, rooted in the knowledge of His character revealed in Christ, practically works itself out in the two paths of wisdom and folly that shape our daily lives.

Footnotes

All Scripture is from the New King James Version

¹ John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. Henry Beveridge (Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1845), I.iii.1-3. 

² A.W. Pink, The Attributes of God (Baker Book House, 1975), 7.

³ Bruce K. Waltke, *The Book of Proverbs, Chapters 1-15*, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2004), 181.

⁴ William Bridge, The Works of William Bridge, Volume 1 (Solifidian Publishing, 2018), 94.

⁵ For a classic Reformed exposition of Christ as the wisdom of God in Proverbs, see Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (Banner of Truth Trust, 1846), 84-87, 111-114.

Suggested reading for further study

Gleanings From the Godhead by Arthur W. Pink

The Sovereignty of God by Arthur W. Pink 

Proverbs by Derek Kidner

An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs by Charles Bridges