Fear to Reverence

Prov 9, 10 "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight".

(This post is drawn from the KJV Bible Study and Lloyd John Ogilvie)

Jesus Christ totally transformed the relationship that we have with God - from Fear to Reverence. 

In the times of the Old Testament, people feared God and they never thought of coming into His presence. Even the High Priests weren't safe enough to enter God's presence, the Holy of Holies, because of their sin.

But  the dynamics of our relationship with God changed, when Christ arrived on the scene. When He sacrificed Himself on the Cross and, was resurrected to be a living God, a series of events we will shortly celebrate. We no longer have to be far away from God. We don't have to cower away from him, wallowing in our imperfections. God wants us as close Him as possible so that He can love us, guide us, assure us, and strengthen us. God wants to see us grow. He wants to see us overcome the habits and strongholds that held us down for years.

God wanted us free and we were set free through His son. The freedom we received was free of charge. God granted us this freedom out of his deep love for us and nothing else. There weren't any ulterior motives. God didn't wait spring any unpleasant surprises on us - and that is how it will remain.

God takes delight in the fact that we are able to approach him boldly. He doesn't want us to be afraid of him. This may confuse a few people who many not know what the "fear of God means". To fear God does not mean to be afraid of Him. It means to hold him in high regard; to revere him.

According to Lloyd John Ogilvie, "wisdom is ... the vertical thrust of the mind of God into our minds, ... wisdom is the gift we need ... in order to do the will of God".

Basically, this verse teaches that the fear (or reverence) of God is foundational to true wisdom; all other types of learning are worthless unless built upon a knowledge of the Lord Himself.