Proverbs 22.4
“The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.”
Several essential themes are repeated in the book of Proverbs, “ and the fear of the Lord” is the foundational theme upon which everything else depends.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Proverbs 1.7)
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9.10)
“The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied.” (Proverbs 19.23)
I wrote about the fear of the Lord back in the spring, and I will share those comments again here: The fear of the Lord is essential for a wise and productive life. Sadly, there is a profound and growing disrespect for God in our culture. The popular narrative dismisses God and his standards, which has resulted in the confusion, conflict, and chaos that is currently spreading through western society. This cultural chaos is one of the root causes of the dramatic increase in teenage suicides and tragic shootings that are devastating our schools. Young people are hearing, absorbing, and feeling the nihilism of the post-truth narrative, and it is producing despair.
How could it not?
What do we expect to happen when teenagers—who are trying to discover their identity and purpose—are told by contemporary culture there is no God, and they are the accidental product of the mindless forces of nature in an impersonal universe? When most forms of entertainment glorify violence, sex, and greed? When political leaders, social commentators, and news media viciously attack their opponents with little regard for respectful dialogue or discourse? When social media is used as a platform for bragging and bullying? When it is topped off by pundits and professors declaring that the traditional moral standards of the West are to be rejected out-of-hand as antiquated and oppressive?
In this environment it is no surprise that young people are confused, lost, and scared. Tragically, neither is it a surprise that self-harm and violence toward others is on the rise.
How do we address the growing discontent and division in our nation? What do we stem the tide of moral chaos? What action steps can we take to rebuild and strengthen our national culture? I suggest we focus on four priorities:
- Rediscovery of Truth. Our nation needs to return to a foundation of timeless Truth. We desperately need a foundation of Truth that is grounded in respect for the Creator and the standards he has inscribed on the universe and on human hearts. In our radically pluralistic and relativistic society, it seems a nearly impossible task to redirect the culture back to the core principles of the Judeo-Christian tradition, but that is precisely what must happen. Without such a rediscovery of and recommitment to Truth, there is little hope for a revival or restoration of any significance.
- Reformation the Christian community. The purpose of the church is to equip people to grow in three dimensions: the moral, relational, and functional. The challenge is that the church focuses on the moral and relational, but is terribly neglectful of the functional. As a result, the Christian community has not developed the core competencies, nor has it earned the credibility, to contribute to the central functional elements of American society. The church is simply not on the functional playing field in America.
The church needs to be reformed into a fully engaged disciple-making community. A true transformational community that equips the people of God to be the people that God calls us to be. Every church needs to ask itself: How are we equipping people with the skills they need to be effective in their jobs Monday through Friday? - Redirection of the human spirit. We need repentance in our country, renewal in our culture, and revival in our communities. But it begins with each of us personally. In order for American society to operate effectively, we as citizens must embrace the personal habits and cultural conditions that have been at the heart of our country since its founding. Unfortunately, we are drifting away from those individual habits and community norms; as a result, our society is at risk.
We need a renewal of citizenship and leadership in every sector of American culture. The human spirit in our nation needs to be redirected from selfish interest to personal responsibility. We need to teach and coach The R Factor (or something like it) throughout the nation. The R Factor is not the only skillset we need, but it is foundational. Based on E+R=O, the core message is personal responsibility. It also tracks with the wisdom taught in the book of Proverbs. - Renewal of the principles and structures of the Constitution. In order to build a free and productive society, the founders established rules of cooperation that had been developed through generations of human experience and collective reasoning. They focused on timeless principles and standards that promoted the betterment of both the individual and community. These rules of cooperation were described as “ordered liberty.”
For American society to move forward successfully into the future, we must remember the Creator. We must get much better at developing responsible citizens, and we must return to the ordered liberty of limited government guided by timeless truth. We must once again embrace the personal habits and cultural conditions that gave birth to our great nation.
I believe God is calling Christians in our generation to walk in greater degrees of wisdom, and that is the purpose of this series on the book of Proverbs. We desperately need wisdom and skill that is born of the fear of the Lord. By “we” I mean those who profess faith in Jesus. There will no positive change in America until the modern culture sees and experiences true wisdom in the way Christians live and work. By “fear of the Lord” I mean precisely what Proverbs is teaching here: honoring and respecting and submitting to the Lordship of Jesus as the Author and Creator of all truth.
May we have the mindset of Christ, and may we be trained in the wisdom of the Lord as we continue to navigate the challenges of the 21st century. May we honor and submit to the Lord and his truth in all that we think, say, and do.
“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.” (Psalm 86.11)
