Proverbs 15:33 NKJV
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility.
The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom. There are two major components to break down and let us see how they connect.
First of all, what is the fear of the LORD? To fear the LORD means to have awe-filled respect and reverence for the LORD. Your spirit, soul and body has caught the revelation of Him as your Father and Lord. The fear the LORD engages both emotions and unwavering loyalty (Isaiah 6:5). You should delight in His precepts and derive joy from following His Word, however, even in the absence of goosebumps and euphoria, you still follow Him.
To fear the LORD means to follow His Word when you feel like it and when you do not. To fear the LORD means to let His commands govern your life. A person living from the reality of God as their LORD, understands that their life is no longer their own, it belongs to God and the best way they can steward this life is by 24/7 dependence on the life of God given to them, the Holy Spirit. The fear of the LORD is a revelation of selflessness.
Now, what is the instruction of wisdom? Wisdom has direction, orders, a guiding voice. Wisdom seeks to bring you into a place where the knowledge and understanding you have acquired can manifest. Wisdom wants you to be successful, in all areas of your life. If there is an area of your life that is failing, perhaps, you are yet to heed to wisdom. As my Pastor always says, “wisdom is proven by results”.
Picture this, it is the big day of your exam. You have put in countless hours studying for this exam, you have memorized definitions and wrapped your head around difficult concepts. You are ready. Your classmates have seen you grind tirelessly in the library, they know you are ready. Your lecturers have witnessed you answering abstract questions in class, they also know you are ready. In fact, even before going into the exam, a great host of people, including yourself believe that you have aced this exam.
If this is the case, why do you need to sit the exam? Why does life demand that you prove what is inside of you when there are signs that point to it already? Sitting that exam that is loaded with questions, or instructions, is needed to prove your knowledge, or memorized definitions, and understanding, or the wrapping of your head around difficult concepts, so that wisdom is actualized. Wisdom is brought into reality through testing.
The instruction of wisdom is an invitation to the reality of wisdom. I reiterate, the instruction of wisdom is an invitation to the reality of wisdom. Wisdom will guide you, it will tell you how to speak, who to listen to, how to structure your day, and as you heed, you then will live in the reality of wisdom.