Proverbs begins with the simple truth that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Those presenting the material did remind us that this didn't mean we should be trapped in trembling, cowering fear before God. Neither did they think that mere "respect" was an adequate translation for the Hebrew in the text.
Being in the presence of God ought to stir us to our very souls. To be with the One who knows us inside out and upside down ought to sober us. The idea that we could fritter away the opportunity to live in covenant promised relationship with God should send shivers down our spines. Never letting our present moments out of sight of our certain future judgment before the Lord should focus our present landscape as clear as crystal.
Living in the awesome presence of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom because there is no place to hide folly there.
