Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs eternal praise.

There are a couple of differences in nuance between the NIV and the Japanese here. Where the NIV says, “follow his precepts,” the Japanese says, “perform this,” that is, fearing the Lord. Also the verse ends up with, “His praise stands firm forever.” That said, the two translations agree perfectly on the first line, which is the real punch in this verse. Recently I’ve been impressed that “the fear of the Lord” is not the same as being afraid of God. If you’re afraid of God you will try to stay away from Him, but a proper fear of the Lord is like a son might feel about his father: “Dad would whup me if I did that.” It is a major problem that parents so often fail to discipline their children any more. Not only does it lead to insecure people who have hazy concepts of right and wrong, it also destroys the foundation for their understanding of God. God is love, and parents should love their children unconditionally, but God is also righteousness and holiness, and ignoring those means we can’t receive His love, either. Someone with a non-functioning conscience is called a sociopath. That is devastating not only for society but for the individual himself. With no fear of the Lord, they are a danger to themselves and to everyone around them. In contrast, someone who practices the fear of the Lord, that is, the respect and honor that He deserves, gets a handle on life, to function well and get full benefit from it. It’s important to note that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It’s not that the fear of the Lord will instantly make you a sage, it’s that it puts you on track to receive and benefit from the many lessons of life so that you will indeed gain wisdom, instead of just becoming embittered. Hebrews 12:1-13 is a very important passage on this subject, because it points out the connection between discipline and love. We need to understand that God loves us enough to discipline us. That is the fear of the Lord.

My parents weren’t violent with me, certainly, but I can remember some spankings, vaguely, and I did grow up not wanting to displease them. I do think my father could have been a bit more active in that discipline, but that’s certainly long past now. How accurate and effective I was in disciplining my own children is between them and the Lord at this point. However, as a spiritual father to many, the issue gets really complicated. I certainly can’t administer a physical spanking to an adult spiritual child! However, I can point out to them the consequences of their actions, good and bad, and help them understand the Lord’s discipline. At times I wish there were a “fear of the Lord” pill that I could get them to take, but it doesn’t work that way. Looking back over my own life I can certainly see that my multiplied foolishness has indeed stemmed from failing to fear the Lord properly. That should give me empathy and patience with those who are struggling, and guide me as I pray for and minister to them.

Father, thank You for the fear that opens the way to love, rather than causing us to run away. I do pray for those I see who are trying to run away from You. I ask You to give them a revelation of Your strong love, love that cares enough to discipline, so that they may repent of their running and turn to You in obedient love, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!