The Wisdom of Fearing the Lord
Job 28:28
And to man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.


The fear of God, that is recommended by our religion, supposes that we have just and proper notions of the Divine attributes and of the Divine providence and government. Our fear of Him Will naturally be a fear of offending against Him. The fear of the Lord will readily excite a sincere and ardent desire to become acquainted with all the various truths which the Almighty has revealed to the children of men. The fear of the Lord will dispose men to worship Him, and that With their whole soul, their mind, their strength. The fear of the Lord is a powerful restraint on the evil passions and corrupt inclinations of men. The fear of the Lord will excite men to the faithful performance of all their various duties to God and to their fellow men. Religion teaches that the best ends we can pursue are the glory of God, the perfection and happiness of your nature. Religion alone conveys to us that wisdom which dispels the darkness and ignorance of those things which essentially belong to our peace. The course of life which religion recommends is friendly to peace of mind, to contentment with the state we are in, to health of body, to length of days, to the vigorous exercise of all our faculties, and consequently to the full enjoyment of all the external blessings of providence.

(W. Shiels.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

WEB: To man he said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.'"




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