Proverbs 14:26 - Meaning and Application

In these verses, we are invited and encouraged to live in the fear of God because of the good that comes from a godly life. Here, the fear of the Lord means all the grace-filled attitudes in the heart that lead to holy living.

First, when this fear rules in a person’s life, it gives holy safety and calm. It creates strong confidence, so a person can hold on to both purity and peace, no matter what happens. It gives boldness before God and before the world. That is the language of this trust: “I know that I will be justified,” and, “None of these things move me.”

Second, it brings a blessing on children and later generations. The children of those who trust God by faith are encouraged by the promise that God will be a God to believers and to their children too, and that they may flee to him as their refuge. They will find shelter in him. The children of godly parents often benefit from their parents’ teaching and example, and they also benefit from their faith and prayers. In that sense, they can say, “Our fathers trusted in you, therefore we will too.”

Third, this fear of God is a rich and ever-flowing source of comfort and joy. It is a fountain of life, giving steady pleasure and satisfaction to the soul. These joys are pure and fresh, they give life to the soul, and they quench its thirst. This fountain can never run dry. It is like a well of living water that keeps springing up, and it is a foretaste of eternal life.

Fourth, it is a powerful safeguard against sin and temptation. Those who truly taste the pleasures of serious godliness will not be drawn in by sin’s bait and then swallowed by its hook. They know where to find better things than sin can promise. So it becomes easier for them to escape the traps of death and keep from being caught in them.