This is the guiding principle, or motto, of the book of Proverbs. Proverbs aims to teach wisdom—the correct, skillful application of the fear of the Lord to daily life. To have this wisdom you must “fear the Lord”: a reverent belief in the God of the Bible, exclusively loving, obeying, and worshiping the One you will give an account to. This is the OT way of describing repentant, saving faith, and it is the “beginning” in the sense of being both the foundation and fountain of wisdom (cp. Matt 7:24-27). The one who rejects God and regards Him and His Word as worthless is a “fool”—one who is morally twisted, ignoring God in life. The fool is an unbeliever.

1. If you haven’t already, memorize this verse!
2. Memorize the definition of the fear of the Lord.
3. It is impossible to correctly live life apart from God.
4. It is impossible to correctly understand and apply the Bible (“wisdom”) without the fear of the Lord.
5. Ask God to help you grow in your fear of Him and to live every moment of your day fearing Him.