The Fear of the LORD is the Beginning of Wisdom

A wonderful psalm of praise for our LORD. It highlights so many of the awesome characteristics of the LORD such as grace, compassion, just, truth, uprightness to name a few. In addition to these personal attributes, the psalm also reminds us that our God is a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. This is perhaps to encourage us, not only because God has such wonderful characteristics, but He also relates to us, His children, in a personal and binding way through the covenant.

The ending verse is worth memorizing: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom"


Psalm 111
Praise to God for His Faithfulness and Justice

 1 Praise the LORD!
       
         I will praise the LORD with my whole heart,
         In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
       
 2 The works of the LORD are great,
         Studied by all who have pleasure in them.
 3 His work is honorable and glorious,
         And His righteousness endures forever.
 4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;
         The LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
 5 He has given food to those who fear Him;
         He will ever be mindful of His covenant.
 6 He has declared to His people the power of His works,
         In giving them the heritage of the nations.
       
 7 The works of His hands are verity and justice;
         All His precepts are sure.
 8 They stand fast forever and ever,
         And are done in truth and uprightness.
 9 He has sent redemption to His people;
         He has commanded His covenant forever:
         Holy and awesome is His name.
       
 10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
         A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
         His praise endures forever.

He is holy

The praising of the LORD continues. It is clear that He is above all peoples, is Holy and awesome. Justice and righteousness is part of Him. We are called to humbly worship at His footstool. He is the LORD who answers people and have at times communicated through selected individuals like Moses and Samuel and elected some like Aaron to be specially ministering to Him. He forgives but also exercise vengeance. Above all, He is Holy.


Psalm 99
Praise to the LORD for His Holiness

 1 The LORD reigns;
         Let the peoples tremble!
         He dwells between the cherubim;
         Let the earth be moved!
 2 The LORD is great in Zion,
         And He is high above all the peoples.
 3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name—
         He is holy.
       
 4 The King’s strength also loves justice;
         You have established equity;
         You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
 5 Exalt the LORD our God,
         And worship at His footstool—
         He is holy.
       
 6 Moses and Aaron were among His priests,
         And Samuel was among those who called upon His name;
         They called upon the LORD, and He answered them.
 7 He spoke to them in the cloudy pillar;
         They kept His testimonies and the ordinance He gave them.
       
 8 You answered them, O LORD our God;
         You were to them God-Who-Forgives,
         Though You took vengeance on their deeds.
 9 Exalt the LORD our God,
         And worship at His holy hill;
         For the LORD our God is holy.

O God, You are more Awesome than Your Holy Places

A call to the people to rejoice in God, for God has dealt with the enemies. The name of God is revealed in this psalm as "YAH". God is shown here to be the provider of the physical needs of his people. God is the carer for the fatherless, the widow and the disadvantaged of the society.

Sinai is mentioned here more than once and it is where takes action and where God is among his people. God is also recognized as the God of Salvation and it is only through him that death can be escaped. Hence God has already informed His people of salvation, in addition to the well known concept of atonement and sacrificial offerings - this is a few hundred years before the birth of Christ.

Finally a useful reminder that "O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places."


Psalm 68
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.
 1 Let God arise,
         Let His enemies be scattered;
         Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
 2 As smoke is driven away,
         So drive them away;
         As wax melts before the fire,
         So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
 3 But let the righteous be glad;
         Let them rejoice before God;
         Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
        
 4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
         Extol Him who rides on the clouds,[a]
         By His name YAH,
         And rejoice before Him.
        
 5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
         Is God in His holy habitation.
 6 God sets the solitary in families;
         He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
         But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
        
 7 O God, when You went out before Your people,
         When You marched through the wilderness,  Selah 
 8 The earth shook;
         The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
         Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
 9 You, O God, sent a plentiful rain,
         Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,
         When it was weary.
 10 Your congregation dwelt in it;
         You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.
        
 11 The Lord gave the word;
         Great was the company of those who proclaimed it:
 12 “Kings of armies flee, they flee,
         And she who remains at home divides the spoil.
 13 Though you lie down among the sheepfolds,
         You will be like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
         And her feathers with yellow gold.”
 14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it,
         It was white as snow in Zalmon.
        
 15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
         A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
 16 Why do you fume with envy, you mountains of many peaks?
         This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in;
         Yes, the LORD will dwell in it forever.
        
 17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand,
         Even thousands of thousands;
         The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.
 18 You have ascended on high,
         You have led captivity captive;
         You have received gifts among men,
         Even from the rebellious,
         That the LORD God might dwell there.
        
 19 Blessed be the Lord,
         Who daily loads us with benefits,
         The God of our salvation!  Selah 
 20 Our God is the God of salvation;
         And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.
        
 21 But God will wound the head of His enemies,
         The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.
 22 The Lord said, “I will bring back from Bashan,
         I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
 23 That your foot may crush them[b] in blood,
         And the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.”
        
 24 They have seen Your procession, O God,
         The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.
 25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after;
         Among them were the maidens playing timbrels.
 26 Bless God in the congregations,
         The Lord, from the fountain of Israel.
 27 There is little Benjamin, their leader,
         The princes of Judah and their company,
         The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
        
 28 Your God has commanded[c] your strength;
         Strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.
 29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
         Kings will bring presents to You.
 30 Rebuke the beasts of the reeds,
         The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
         Till everyone submits himself with pieces of silver.
         Scatter the peoples who delight in war.
 31 Envoys will come out of Egypt;
         Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
        
 32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
         Oh, sing praises to the Lord,  Selah 
 33 To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old!
         Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice.
 34 Ascribe strength to God;
         His excellence is over Israel,
         And His strength is in the clouds.
 35 O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places.
         The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.
        
         Blessed be God!

LORD Most High is Awesome

This psalm praises God that He is awesome, King over all the earth, all nations are under Him, and He is responsible for the inheritance of Israel. This could also be a prophetic psalm looking forward to the time when all nations and their kings shall come and pay tribute to the King of Kings - "The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham." - both Jews and Gentiles to exalt the great King Yeshua.

Psalm 47
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

 1 Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples!
         Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
 2 For the LORD Most High is awesome;
         He is a great King over all the earth.
 3 He will subdue the peoples under us,
         And the nations under our feet.
 4 He will choose our inheritance for us,
         The excellence of Jacob whom He loves.  Selah 
        
 5 God has gone up with a shout,
         The LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises!
         Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
 7 For God is the King of all the earth;
         Sing praises with understanding.
        
 8 God reigns over the nations;
         God sits on His holy throne.
 9 The princes of the people have gathered together,
         The people of the God of Abraham.
         For the shields of the earth belong to God;
         He is greatly exalted.

People Confess Their Sins and Reaffirm Covenant with God

The revival in Judah continues as described in this chapter. On this occasion, the Israelites fasted, wore sackcloth and put dust on their head - a ritual of repentance. They did this separately from the foreigners, who were then numerous in Israel. They read out from Scriptures in public, confessed their sins and worshipped together.

Below is the actual prayer and worship on that occasion being read out by the Levites, Jeshua, and others. It starts with the history of themselves as children of Abraham who was called by God, in this way they were acknowledging God being with them from the beginning. The prayer was an honest revelation of how God provided for them, how they rebelled and disobeyed, how God continued to show mercy until they were taken captives. One such verse is:
 33 However You are just in all that has befallen us;
      For You have dealt faithfully,
      But we have done wickedly.
Finally, it ends by reaffirming the covenant between themselves and God.


Nehemiah 9

The People Confess Their Sins

 1 Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads.[a] 2 Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3 And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshiped the LORD their God.
4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the stairs of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to the LORD their God. 5 And the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah, said:

      “Stand up and bless the LORD your God
      Forever and ever!

      “ Blessed be Your glorious name,
      Which is exalted above all blessing and praise!
 6 You alone are the LORD;
      You have made heaven,
      The heaven of heavens, with all their host,
      The earth and everything on it,
      The seas and all that is in them,
      And You preserve them all.
      The host of heaven worships You.

 7 “You are the LORD God,
      Who chose Abram,
      And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,
      And gave him the name Abraham;

 8 You found his heart faithful before You,
      And made a covenant with him
      To give the land of the Canaanites,
      The Hittites, the Amorites,
      The Perizzites, the Jebusites,
      And the Girgashites—
      To give it to his descendants.
      You have performed Your words,
      For You are righteous.

 9 “You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,
      And heard their cry by the Red Sea.

 10 You showed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
      Against all his servants,
      And against all the people of his land.
      For You knew that they acted proudly against them.
      So You made a name for Yourself, as it is this day.

 11 And You divided the sea before them,
      So that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land;
      And their persecutors You threw into the deep,
      As a stone into the mighty waters.

 12 Moreover You led them by day with a cloudy pillar,
      And by night with a pillar of fire,
      To give them light on the road
      Which they should travel.

 13 “You came down also on Mount Sinai,
      And spoke with them from heaven,
      And gave them just ordinances and true laws,
      Good statutes and commandments.

 14 You made known to them Your holy Sabbath,
      And commanded them precepts, statutes and laws,
      By the hand of Moses Your servant.

 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger,
      And brought them water out of the rock for their thirst,
      And told them to go in to possess the land
      Which You had sworn to give them.

 16 “But they and our fathers acted proudly,
      Hardened their necks,
      And did not heed Your commandments.

 17 They refused to obey,
      And they were not mindful of Your wonders
      That You did among them.
      But they hardened their necks,
      And in their rebellion[b]
      They appointed a leader
      To return to their bondage.
      But You are God,
      Ready to pardon,
      Gracious and merciful,
      Slow to anger,
      Abundant in kindness,
      And did not forsake them.

 18 “Even when they made a molded calf for themselves,
      And said, ‘This is your god
      That brought you up out of Egypt,’
      And worked great provocations,

 19 Yet in Your manifold mercies
      You did not forsake them in the wilderness.
      The pillar of the cloud did not depart from them by day,
      To lead them on the road;
      Nor the pillar of fire by night,
      To show them light,
      And the way they should go.

 20 You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them,
      And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth,
      And gave them water for their thirst.

 21 Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness;
      They lacked nothing;
      Their clothes did not wear out[c]
      And their feet did not swell.

 22 “ Moreover You gave them kingdoms and nations,
      And divided them into districts.[d]
      So they took possession of the land of Sihon,
Heshbon,
      And the land of Og king of Bashan.

 23 You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven,
      And brought them into the land
      Which You had told their fathers
      To go in and possess.

 24 So the people went in
      And possessed the land;
      You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,
      The Canaanites,
      And gave them into their hands,
      With their kings
      And the people of the land,
      That they might do with them as they wished.

 25 And they took strong cities and a rich land,
      And possessed houses full of all goods,
      Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,
      And fruit trees in abundance.
      So they ate and were filled and grew fat,
      And delighted themselves in Your great goodness.

 26 “ Nevertheless they were disobedient
      And rebelled against You,
      Cast Your law behind their backs
      And killed Your prophets, who testified against them
      To turn them to Yourself;
      And they worked great provocations.

 27 Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,
      Who oppressed them;
      And in the time of their trouble,
      When they cried to You,
      You heard from heaven;
      And according to Your abundant mercies
      You gave them deliverers who saved them
      From the hand of their enemies.

 28 “But after they had rest,
      They again did evil before You.
      Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
      So that they had dominion over them;
      Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
      You heard from heaven;
      And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,

 29 And testified against them,
      That You might bring them back to Your law.
      Yet they acted proudly,
      And did not heed Your commandments,
      But sinned against Your judgments,

      ‘ Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’[f]
      And they shrugged their shoulders,
      Stiffened their necks,
      And would not hear.

 30 Yet for many years You had patience with them,
      And testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets.
      Yet they would not listen;
      Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

 31 Nevertheless in Your great mercy
      You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
      For You are God, gracious and merciful.

 32 “Now therefore, our God,
      The great, the mighty, and awesome God,
      Who keeps covenant and mercy:
      Do not let all the trouble seem small before You
      That has come upon us,
      Our kings and our princes,
      Our priests and our prophets,
      Our fathers and on all Your people,
      From the days of the kings of Assyria until this day.

 33 However You are just in all that has befallen us;
      For You have dealt faithfully,
      But we have done wickedly.

 34 Neither our kings nor our princes,
      Our priests nor our fathers,
      Have kept Your law,
      Nor heeded Your commandments and Your testimonies,
      With which You testified against them.

 35 For they have not served You in their kingdom,
      Or in the many good things that You gave them,
      Or in the large and rich land which You set before them;
      Nor did they turn from their wicked works.

 36 “Here we are, servants today!
      And the land that You gave to our fathers,
      To eat its fruit and its bounty,
      Here we are, servants in it!

 37 And it yields much increase to the kings
      You have set over us,
      Because of our sins;
      Also they have dominion over our bodies and our cattle
      At their pleasure;
      And we are in great distress.

 38 “And because of all this,
      We make a sure covenant and write it;
      Our leaders, our Levites, and our priests seal it.”

God Speaks

Finally after all that has been said by Job and his friends, God Himself speaks out as from a whirlwind. Not only does God remind Job that He is the Creator, He also reminds him that God is Master over all nature and is firmly in control. Whenever we imagine God in control of nature, we are often struck in awe by His Majesty. Perhaps God reminds Job about His Power over nature to remind us that no matter how technologically advanced or intellectually enlightened the human race is, we are still nothing compared to the awesomeness of God.


Job 38

 1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
 2 “Who is this who darkens counsel      By words without knowledge?
 3 Now prepare yourself like a man;      I will question you, and you shall answer Me.
 4 “ Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?      Tell Me, if you have understanding.
 5 Who determined its measurements?      Surely you know!       Or who stretched the line upon it?
 6 To what were its foundations fastened?      Or who laid its cornerstone,
 7 When the morning stars sang together,      And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
 8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors,      When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
 9 When I made the clouds its garment,      And thick darkness its swaddling band;
 10 When I fixed My limit for it,      And set bars and doors;
 11 When I said,      ‘This far you may come, but no farther,
      And here your proud waves must stop!’
 12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began,      And caused the dawn to know its place,
 13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth,      And the wicked be shaken out of it?
 14 It takes on form like clay under a seal,      And stands out like a garment.
 15 From the wicked their light is withheld,      And the upraised arm is broken.
 16 “Have you entered the springs of the sea?      Or have you walked in search of the depths?
 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you?      Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
 18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth?      Tell Me, if you know all this.
 19 “ Where is the way to the dwelling of light?      And darkness, where is its place,
 20 That you may take it to its territory,      That you may know the paths to its home?
 21 Do you know it, because you were born then,      Or because the number of your days is great?
 22 “Have you entered the treasury of snow,      Or have you seen the treasury of hail,
 23 Which I have reserved for the time of trouble,      For the day of battle and war?
 24 By what way is light diffused,      Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
 25 “Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water,      Or a path for the thunderbolt,
 26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one,      A wilderness in which there is no man;
 27 To satisfy the desolate waste,      And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
 28 Has the rain a father?      Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
 29 From whose womb comes the ice?      And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?
 30 The waters harden like stone,      And the surface of the deep is frozen.
 31 “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades,      Or loose the belt of Orion?
 32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth[a] in its season?      Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?      Can you set their dominion over the earth?
 34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,      That an abundance of water may cover you?
 35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go,      And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?
 36 Who has put wisdom in the mind?[b]      Or who has given understanding to the heart?
 37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?      Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
 38 When the dust hardens in clumps,      And the clods cling together?
 39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lion,     Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
 40 When they crouch in their dens,      Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
 41 Who provides food for the raven,      When its young ones cry to God,
      And wander about for lack of food?

If a man dare speaks, he would be swallowed up by God

Elihu continues to describe the magnificence of the Almighty God. He is described to control the skies from thunder, lightning to clouds, rain and whirlwind. In v23, Elihu correctly describes God's power, justice and that he does not oppress. God is so awesome in his majesty that Elihu believes that if a man dare speaks, he would be swallowed up by God. Many people today still have this idea of a God so magnificent that we cannot get through to him. However, through our Lord Jesus, we know that we have direct access to the Father because if we have seen Jesus, then we have seen His Father. The relationship now between God and the man who believes is like that of father and son.

Job 37

 1 “At this also my heart trembles,      And leaps from its place.
 2 Hear attentively the thunder of His voice,      And the rumbling that comes from His mouth.
 3 He sends it forth under the whole heaven,      His lightning to the ends of the earth.
 4 After it a voice roars;      He thunders with His majestic voice,
      And He does not restrain them when His voice is heard.
 5 God thunders marvelously with His voice;      He does great things which we cannot comprehend.
 6 For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’;      Likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength.
 7 He seals the hand of every man,      That all men may know His work.
 8 The beasts go into dens,      And remain in their lairs.
 9 From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind,      And cold from the scattering winds of the north.
 10 By the breath of God ice is given,      And the broad waters are frozen.
 11 Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds;      He scatters His bright clouds.
 12 And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance,      That they may do whatever He commands them
      On the face of the whole earth.[a]
 13 He causes it to come,      Whether for correction,       Or for His land,       Or for mercy.
 14 “Listen to this, O Job;      Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.
 15 Do you know when God dispatches them,      And causes the light of His cloud to shine?
 16 Do you know how the clouds are balanced,      Those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?
 17 Why are your garments hot,      When He quiets the earth by the south wind?
 18 With Him, have you spread out the skies,      Strong as a cast metal mirror?
 19 “Teach us what we should say to Him,      For we can prepare nothing because of the darkness.
 20 Should He be told that I wish to speak?      If a man were to speak, surely he would be swallowed up.
 21 Even now men cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies,      When the wind has passed and cleared them.
 22 He comes from the north as golden splendor;      With God is awesome majesty.
 23 As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him;      He is excellent in power,       In judgment and abundant justice;
      He does not oppress.
 24 Therefore men fear Him;      He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart.”