In this Psalm are the profound words, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” All of mankind is born in a state of sin. Therefore, the natural tendency of mankind is to sin. There is no natural motivation to turn from sin.
However, God hates sin and will not tolerate it. So, God provided mankind a motivation to turn from sin. However, mankind must first gain an awareness of God. God does not overtly reveal himself to man. So, man’s understanding of God comes from God’s creation. Creation speaks of God’s presence, as God created everything and He created us.
Once we gain an awareness of God we realize that God can punish or bless us for our behavior. When we realize that God will punish us for our sins, we become motivated to turn from sin.
We then have a healthy fear of God. That is our initial motivation to turn from sin to living rightly before God. This healthy fear puts us on the right path in life, and we gain more understanding of God’s requirements. This Psalm also says, “A good understanding have all those who do his commandments.” With this understanding we will more likely follow the path that will lead us to Heaven after we die.
