The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7 NIV
Humanity has a long difficulty with this. Consider the Garden of Eden.
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye,
and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.
She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:6 NIV
“The fall of man was a choosing of what bid fair ‘to make one wise’
but flouted the first principle of wisdom, the fear of the Lord.”
Derek Kidner
Thus, mankind learned a different fear. When questioned by God, Adam said this:
He answered, “I heard you in the garden,
and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Genesis 3:10 NIV
What we fear we avoid. And in the avoiding, act foolishly.
But what is this fear of the Lord?
It is that affectionate reverence,
by which the child of God bends himself humbly
and carefully to his Father’s law.
Charles Bridges
So, to understand better, …
Let us begin.
The worship of the Eternal One, the one True God,
is the first step toward knowledge.
Fools, however, do not fear God and cannot stand
wisdom or guidance.
Proverbs 1:7 The Voice