If...Then

My son, if...

Proverbs 2:1

Proverbs 1:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (later Solomon will also say that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom). But Proverbs 2:1-5 tells us that seeking wisdom, knowledge and understanding lead to understanding the fear of the Lord. It almost sounds like a conundrum, a Catch-22 if you will. Fear leads to Knowledge leads to Fear and Knowledge.

But we must understand that it's not an endless and unnavigable circle. Fearing the Lord will make us want to know Him. Knowing the Lord will make us want to fear Him, not in terms of being scared of Him, but of being reverent toward Him. But both take effort on our part. So what does the Wise King tell us to do?

Receive what he has to say. Treasure it. Listen for it. Apply ourselves to it. Cry out for it. Ask for it. Seek it. Search for it. All are actions of our own will. And if we do these things, we will begin to understand about fearing God. The more I know Him, the more I respect Him. The more I respect Him, the more I listen to Him. The more I listen to Him, the more I understand about Him. The more I understand Him, the more I love Him. The more I love Him, the more I want to know about Him. And this cycle, reproduced over and over again continually in our hearts, is what leads to us becoming what He wants us to be.

But we also need to understand that true wisdom and knowledge come from the Lord. We can read books and sit in lectures and learn lessons and excel in the academics of God. But what we really need to learn we can only learn from an intimate, personal relationship with Him. And from that relationship comes the things we really need in our lives.