then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.
A child growing up has to have much external authority until they gain the internal authority to govern themselves well. The more internal authority they have, the more the parent can step back. The hope is that by adulthood they will have that ability to govern themselves.
In the book of Judges, we see a whole nation that had lost their fear of God. Fear of God is the basis of internal authority. Even God’s own people “did what was right in their own eyes.” The results were necessary.
