“He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is perverse in his ways despises Him” (Proverbs 14:2).
Like peanut butter and jelly, the fear of the Lord and a righteous life go together. Because the fear of the Lord provides a solid foundation for the accumulation of knowledge (Prov. 1:7) and wisdom (Prov. 9:10), this easily can be built upon to create a lifestyle of uprightness. Fearing God and keeping His commandments is the sole purpose of life (Ecc. 12:13).
The perverse are more focused on pleasing self than pleasing God. To them, Jehovah is a constant threat to their selfish ambitions and lusts. Rather than humbly acknowledging God’s superiority, they choose to despise Him and His commandments. Like the one who is wise in his own eyes (Prov. 26:12) and a man who is hasty in his words (Prov. 29: 20), there is more hope for a fool than for one who despises Jehovah.
