“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7, NKJV). This verse opens the book of Proverbs and sets its entire tone. Knowledge doesn’t start with data. It starts with reverence.
The second half is a pointed warning. Foolishness, in Proverbs, isn’t about low intelligence. It’s about actively despising correction, treating instruction as unnecessary or beneath you.
That’s worth an honest check. Do you receive correction as a fool would, dismissively, or as this verse commends, as the doorway into real knowledge?
Where has instruction or correction come your way recently that you’re tempted to despise rather than receive?