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"It is good that you grasp this"

Text: Ecclesiastes 7:18

THE FEAR OF GOD

The fear of God was first taught by Moses. He was most emphatic with reference to the cultivation and practice of the fear of God (Deuteronomy 10:12). The Book of Proverbs followed this up and thus, there were many references to “the fear of God” (Proverbs 1:7; 2:5).

“It is good that you grasp this,
And also not remove your hand from the other;
For he who fears God will escape them all.”
Ecclesiastes 7:18

1. “It is good that you grasp this”

a) Knowledge must not just be information.

b) Knowledge must lead to wisdom.

c) The challenge is to “grasp” what is learned.

d) There are things that cannot be grasped.

e) But there are things that can be grasped and that tightly.

2. “And also not remove your hand from the other”

a) This is a description of having both hands grasping.

b) One must not remove the hand that has first grasped it.

c) The other hand must join in and grasp it even more firmly.

3. The knowledge and wisdom taught

a) About death and life.

b) About wickedness and righteousness.

c) One must seek to grasp the truth.

d) And having begun to grasp it, to hold firmly to what has been learned.

e) This is the idea of “grasping” presented here.

f) A general or vague comprehension is not commended at all.

The challenge is to grasp or master the truth taught.

4. “For he who fears God will escape them all”

a) He who fears God.

b) This is a brief breakdown of how the fear of God may be cultivated.

i) One begins with knowledge of God.

ii) Knowledge of God’s word would lead to faith.

iii) Faith must be real and personal.

iv) A faith-relationship commences.

v) It is carefully cultivated.

vi) It leads to the reverence of God (“the fear of God”).

c) Wonderful consequences

i) Escape from evil will result.

ii) The fear of the Lord would cause us to shun evil.

iii) The fear of God would help us escape from the snares of sin and the world.