Proverbs Chapter 1 - Fear of the Lord Essay V0.1

We decided to work on an essay on this important topic. Proverbs 1:6 states, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge".
As we pondered this we worked through a series of impressions and comparisons to gain an understanding of this quote. Here is a loose ordering of the key topics in our discussion:

1. Shocking verse - To us, this is a very shocking assertion to state that knowledge begins with fear. In some ways, it seems counter-intuitive. I don't think of a timid, shivering subject as being the best candidate for learning. This could turn off a good many people which makes us to believe this verse must have a deeper interpretation than a shallow reading provides. Let's dig in...
2. Is this verse to be interpreted literally? Does "fear" mean "afraid" or "awe"?
   In the previous post - Joe outline the many meanings and interpretations of the word fear. My gut feel is that it is meant to be the literal definition of fear and not a watered-down placating definition like reverence or awe. The 4th bullet below will explain why I feel this is meant to be taken literally.
3. An analogy to fear in parenting. Fear is used in parenting, especially when children are young. For example, a young child will not understand why they cannot run in the road, but they will fear a spanking on the bottom. Before the age of 5, children do not have the capacity to understand the dangers of abstract concepts, but do understand the fear of pain. However, fear only gets you so far. As every good parent knows, you have to replace fear with understanding and self-motivation to do the right thing. So, fear is not something that helps after a certain point.
4. Fear changes behavior. To me, this is an important point and why I believe this verse should be taken literally. If the concept is that sinful activities are the road to ignorance than halting those sinful activities is a prerequisite for knowledge. Fear changes action. Think about your fear of a police officer writing you a ticket - so you slow down. Simple and effective. Combining this with the previous point gives us the key to the verse.
5. Fear makes you aware. Sort of like Andy Grove's "only the paranoid survive." Fear "keeps you on your toes". Makes you vigilant. In this era of terrorism, that sounds right to me.
6. You must read the WHOLE verse. The whole verse is that "Fear is the BEGINNING of knowledge". Only the beginning. This falls right in line with our assertion that fear only gets you so far. This also makes it a very logical thing. Think of this in terms of carnal pleasures, is it not true that a pursuit of knowledge is mostly an intellectual and spiritual pursuit. Therefore, wasting hours pursuing carnal pleasures (there was a study of how many people addicted to internet pornography waste 6-8 hours a day on those sites! Is that not the very definition of ignorance!!) Thus, this makes fear just the starting point for the pursuit of knowledge. It also leads us to the realization that there are other components to attaining knowledge or a hierarchy of knowledge.
7. The hierarchy of knowledge. This verse does not go into this but we believe it is critical to undertand the "rest of the story" in order for this verse not to offend. So, it is up to us to figure out the hierarchy of knowledge of which fear is the beginning. It is our belief that the many other parts of the bible provide this information. In fact, my brother Joe said yesterday that there are many more passages where God advises and admonishes "not to fear" than the ones advising fear. Thus we have a delicious paradox and a clue to this puzzle.

May we be blessed to allow the learning to continue ...