The fear of the Lord?

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is one of the Seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, as described in Isaiah 11:2-3 (also known as wonder and awe). This fear should not be misinterpreted as a fear of punishment due to one being in trouble, rather the fear of the Lord is a filial fear (the fear of offending someone whom one loves.) It comes from our understanding of the power and love of God and the mercy that He has displayed towards us. A similar feeling would be comparable to the fear of disappointing your parents or a beloved mentor. When they use the same line "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed," and it hurts more than any punishment would. That is a shallow representative to the fear of the Lord. It is also said that this is the beginning of knowledge. My understanding as to why it is the beginning, is to realize the vastness of God's love and mercy. When we begin to understand all that has been and will be done for us, that creates the relationship for filial fear. From this, our desire to grow in that relationship continues and we seek a closer relationship to the Lord. The Bible discusses multiple times the infinite wisdom of God and as we grow in our relationship to Him; knowledge and wisdom are granted to us.