Master Ben Sira taught us at the beginning of his book about the most important spiritual gifts of the old testament, the gifts of wisdom and the fear of God, because these gifts are what link us with God, that is, with a heart of flesh towards the love of God (Agape), and not with a heart of stone that is an enemy of God: "You must be blameless before the LORD your God" Deuteronomy 18:13. Without these spiritual gifts, the law of Moses is simply a dead letter.
When we talk about wisdom we have to keep in mind that wisdom participates in both intelligence and science. Wisdom as science is the knowledge of the correct means to live, but we also say that the sage possesses wisdom in his heart; the gift of wisdom is the love for the truth and the virtue. The gift of fear of the Lord is constancy, firmness, devotion, equanimity and stability.
These gifts are a blessing for those who possess them, the fear of God prolongs the life of man, makes us docile and submissive to the word of God, and is the generator of a very important internal state of well-being, well-being that is transmitted in acts of mercy (compassion, kindness) towards others, that is why the Master of Wisdom told us about the fear of God:
"The fear of the LORD is glory and exultation,
gladness and a festive crown.
The fear of the Lord rejoices the heart,
giving gladness, joy, and long life" Ben Sira 1:11-12.
But then Ben Sira said something else, the man who fears God does not experience the fear of death, this is what is known in the Christian faith as the final perseverance of the saints, examples of this spiritual teaching were Abraham, David and Solomon who departed from this life knowing that they were acting according to God's plan:
"Those who fear the Lord will be happy at the end,
even on the day of death they will be blessed" Ben Sira 1:13.
And with these gifts also comes, as the Bible explains, the prosperity of the human spirit in all its forms, wisdom provides man with everything necessary to live:
"The fullness of wisdom is to fear the Lord;
she inebriates them with her fruits.
Their entire house she fills with choice foods,
their granaries with her produce" Ben Sira 1:16-17.
Wisdom and the fear of God are gifts that come one with the other and that lead us into true spiritual life, the eternal life, that is, the vision of God with the intelligence (God is pure spirit). Whoever seeks these gifts in his heart unfailingly seeks the best.