The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One [is] understanding. Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV)
God is revealed and known as a great and terrible God – Deuteronomy 7:21(KJV). Other translations say: a great God, greatly to be feared (BBE); a great and fearsome God (CEV); The word translated terrible, to be feared, fearsome, or fear, actually means awesome. The NKJV and NIV of Deuteronomy 7:21 say a great and awesome God. The fear of the Lord is really His awesomeness, His greatness, His powerfulness. This is the beginning of wisdom. When we get a revelation of how awesome, great, and powerful the Lord is, everything else pales in importance. When the Lord is above all, then what He thinks, what He says, His will, His ways, His counsel become the above all in our life. Now that’s surely the beginning of wisdom.