Aim for the Truth

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. — Proverbs 1:7

Every Friday, we turn to the Book of Proverbs for timeless wisdom to guide our lives and strengthen
our faith. One of the 11 books of the Ketuvim —“Writings” in Hebrew—Proverbs belongs to the Bible’s wisdom tradition, offering practical and godly guidance for living with faith, integrity, and understanding.

I once heard a story about a king who was walking through a forest and came upon a tree that had an arrow in its trunk—shot directly into the center of a target. Impressed, the king continued his walk only to find another tree with an arrow exactly sunk

directly into the center of a target. As he continued through the woods, he found another tree with a perfect hit, and then another, and another.

After about ten trees, the king decided that he must find the talented archer and recruit him for his army. After searching, he found a man shooting arrows.

“Are you the man who has shot the arrows at all the trees in this forest?” asked the king.

“Indeed, I am,” replied the archer.

“How did you become such an expert archer?” the king inquired.

“Simple,” said the archer. “I just shoot an arrow at a tree… and then I draw the target around the spot I hit!”

That story is a way of pointing out a truth about life: when we’re more interested in our own agenda than accuracy, we can easily end up falsifying the truth. When we want an answer that will serve ourselves, we will find one. But we can’t find the real truth when it’s attached to a false ideal.

That is why in the first chapter of Proverbs, King Solomon teaches us that, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.” The Jewish sages explain that in this instance, “fear of the LORD” refers to having reverence for God. It means making God’s Word the objective measure of truth, rather than our own subjective ideas. Only then can we discover true wisdom, untainted by our own ego or our material desires.

If we want to find the truth, we have to start with the truth—with the knowledge that God is the LORD Who created the heavens and the earth and that His Word is the ultimate truth. If we are sincere in our pursuit of knowledge, without any personal agenda, we’ll wisdom for living that is “sweeter than honey” and “more precious than gold” (Psalm 19:10).

Because “fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge.”