Wisdom in the Old Testament: The fear of the Lord drives away sins; where it abides it turns back all anger. Ben Sira 1:21
The Old Testament teaches that the beginning of spiritual life in man is the fear of God. And wisdom, which is the most perfect and elevated science, has its origin in this spiritual gift, this is why the master of wisdom Ben Sira taught in his book: "The root of wisdom is to fear the Lord; her branches are long life" Ben Sira 1:20.
The spiritual gift of fear of the Lord is defined as constancy, firmness, devotion, equanimity, and stability. And to understand the depth of this definition, it is also necessary to explain the opposite of fear, which is hardness of heart. In the Bible, the reason the Lord chose Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, David, and Solomon was always the same, the fear of God. And the reason the Lord rejected Jezebel, queen of Israel, and Sennacherib, ruler of the Assyrian Empire, was their hardness of hearts. The Lord blesses the humble and punishes the proud; that is a constant message throughout the history of the people of Israel.
What a great blessing it is then to fear the Lord, reflected the wise Ben Sira, and thus he expressed this spiritual truth in his sapiential book: "The fear of the Lord drives away sins; where it abides it turns back all anger" Ben Sira 1:21. And this teaching of Ben Sira has a particularly profound reason, the gift of fear of God is the origin of the common sense in people. How often in the modern world do we see powerful men acting against common sense, and many people wonder how this happens, and the answer is very simple, because of the hardness of the heart.
Where the fear of God abounds, error diminishes, and when this happens, happiness and well-being increase; how many beatitudes of Jesus and the prophets refer to this beautiful gift. Without this spiritual gift, the bond between men and the divine is nonexistent, and everything is reduced to the material; selfishness, greed, and lust prevail over everything else, leading society to despair and chaos. The fear of God is ultimately a double blessing, first because it helps the one who possesses it, by allowing edifying decisions; and also by pleasing God, this fact grants the protection and spiritual guidance of the highest.

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