STARTING POINT

Every journey has a starting point. True knowledge has a starting point. Knowledge does not begin with learning numbers or alphabets. Knowledge begins with reverence for the Creator. If you know everything else but have no knowledge of, or reverence for,  your Origin, you do not know anything yet. Respect for your Origin and Source is the prime demonstration of knowledge or wisdom. It is also the most important learning. If a man does not regard his Maker and Root, he is cutting off the Source of his life. The fear of God is respect for your Origin and Source. It is the entry-point in the school of knowledge. It is the one thing that makes a man to choose good instead of evil.  The fear of the Lord is another name for the word of God (Psalm 19:9). It means that  the word of God is the gate of knowledge. That is where knowledge comes, or is generated, from. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge-just as the son is the beginning of the creation of God. That the son is the beginning of the creation of God does not mean He was created first;  but rather that creation issued from Him. So, in the same way, knowledge issues from the fear of God which is the word of God. It is from the word of God that we know the origin of the earth, of man, of sin, of death, of nations and so on. Wisdom starts with acknowledging God. The fool says in his heart that there is no God. When we acknowledge God, the next step is to live by His rules, wisdom or principles. It is dubious to believe there is God and yet, not live by His rules. If the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, it means there are dimensions of wisdom above the dimension of the fear of God. There are three levels of wisdom. The first is the level of the fear of God. This is the level of receiving and obeying His commands without question. The second is the level of the knowledge of God. This is the level of trusting God. The third level is the level of the love of God. This is the level of preoccupation with, and undying devotion to, God.

FOOLS DESPISE WISDOM AND INSTRUCTION

Men trust knowledge from God’s word but despise the wisdom and instruction from the same Bible direction and guidance. They want to be hearers not doers of the word. Eve knew what God said but she was not willing to be directed by God. She wanted knowledge but not life. Instructions and commands are God’s way of giving direction to our lives.Without them, our lives would lack direction. If we disregard them, we crash. God’s commands and instructions are the compass for men. Our lives turn beautiful (ornament on the head and chain in the neck) through obedience to the commands and instructions of God. This is what is written in Deuteronomy 28:1-14. However, when we disregard God’s word, shame and reproach replace honor in our lives. The entire Bible is about what happened to men for knowing and regarding or disregarding God’s commands or instructions. Obedience decorates but disobedience disrobes. - Nkem Okemiri Reference: Proverbs 1:7  " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but  fools despise wisdom and instructions"