The Fear of the Lord Is the Beginning of Wisdom
Biblical fear is not terror that drives us away from God. It is reverent awe that draws us near and makes us wise.
Clark Pickett·June 8, 2026·2 min read
We live in an age that has lost the word fear when it comes to God. It sounds harsh to modern ears, even unhealthy. So we quietly set it aside and keep the parts of God we find more comfortable. But the writers of Scripture would not let us do that.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
Here is the foundation of a wise life. Not intelligence, not experience, not even hard work, but a right relationship to God that begins in awe.
What this fear is not
The fear of the Lord is not the cringing dread of a slave before a cruel master. The same Bible that calls us to fear God also calls him our Father and tells us we can come near with confidence. So whatever this fear is, it does not push us away from God.
What this fear is
Biblical fear is the response of a creature who has truly seen the Creator. It is what happens when we stop shrinking God down to our own size and begin to reckon with his holiness, his power, his purity, and his unfailing love all at once. It is reverence that makes us tremble and worship in the same moment.
And notice what it produces. Wisdom. The person who rightly fears God has the starting point for understanding everything else. They know they are not the center. They know there is a God to be reckoned with and trusted. From that root, real wisdom grows.
Why it matters for ordinary life
When the fear of the Lord is missing, sin starts to look manageable and God starts to look optional. When the fear of the Lord is present, we make different decisions, not out of terror, but because we are living before the face of a God we love and revere.
To grow in the knowledge of the Holy One is not to become grim. The people most marked by the fear of God are often the ones most full of joy, because they have seen him as he is and found him good.
Begin there. Wisdom follows.
This is sample teaching content for the site. Clark and Kathy's own teachings will appear here.
About the teacher
Clark Pickett · Bible Teacher
Clark Pickett has spent decades opening the Scriptures, teaching the Bible in Sunday classes, small groups, and Monday evening gatherings. Over the years he has helped plant and pastor churches, trained at Nazarene Theological Seminary, and in 2013 he and Kathy spent two weeks serving on a mission trip in Kenya. Alongside his ministry, Clark built a long career in business and financial services. He holds a Master of Science in Management from The American College of Financial Services, along with the CPCU and Certified Treasury Professional designations, and spent years working in accounting, insurance, and financial systems. He has always seen these as one calling rather than two: the same God who gives wisdom for the soul gives wisdom for stewardship, leadership, and the everyday decisions of work and money. That conviction, that Scripture speaks to all of life, shapes the way he teaches. He loves the letter of James, the epistles of Paul, the wisdom literature, and the long story of how the church has read its Bible, and he is happiest helping ordinary believers study with confidence and grow in grace.
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