Sermon: Discerning Truth and Applying Wisdom

#1531
Martin G. Collins
Given 29-Feb-20; 72 minutes

The musicians of the New York Philharmonic orchestra were once asked to name the most effective conductor. Arturo Toscanini won hands down. When asked why, one of the instrumentalists said, "He can anticipate when you were about to make a mistake and keep you from making it."

He had a type of discernment when it came to music. Discernment, like music talent, is innate, but it is not like the gift of perfect pitch. The ability of discernment can be taught, it can be practiced, and it can be developed. There have been many leaders who did not have this ability, they could not read people to save their own lives. They read figures, they excelled in science, engineering, mathematics, and administration. In their leadership, they depended on math, management skills, and organization.

Those blessed with even a little discernment, however, could develop significant sensitivity and intuition, catching what others miss. By way of a definition, discernment is an act of wisdom or detection marked by an insight into a person's character or by an event that comes through insight that goes beyond the facts given.

Now in Scripture, people either discern matters humanly through their own cultivated powers or in a clearly spiritual manner. Whatever the case, discernment is something we should always desire because it is a component of wisdom. And so there are times when wisdom, judgment, and discernment are indistinguishable.

As nouns, the difference between wisdom and discernment (in the way of a definition again), is that wisdom is an element of personal character that enables one to distinguish the wise from the unwise, while discernment is the ability to distinguish in order to make a wise judgment. So obviously, we want to have both. We want wisdom and discernment.

Please turn with me to Proverbs 14, verse 6. Now people who are able to discern are considered wise and knowledgeable and this inevitably brings to mind the book of Proverbs. Proverbs teaches discernment and wisdom for everyday life.

Proverbs 14:6-8 A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, but knowledge is easy to him who understands. Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive [or discern] in him the lips of knowledge. The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit.

Flip over the page to Proverbs 15.

Proverbs 15:14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.

Proverbs 16:21 The wise in heart will be called prudent, and sweetness of the lips increases learning.

Proverbs 17:24 Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

They are unlimited, they are liberal in the way of politics.

By way of contrast, these scriptures also show that people without discernment are considered foolish. Those who do not listen to advice and do not consider the result of their actions lack discernment. The Song of Moses describes this deficiency of the congregation of Israel in Deuteronomy 32, verses 28 and 29.

Deuteronomy 32:28-29 For they are a nation void of counsel, nor is there any understanding in them. Oh, that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!

So this is vital advice for our nation as well and is just as true for today as it ever was.

On the other hand,

Proverbs 19:20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days.

Obviously, becoming more wise and having more discernment will help you later in life, long into the future, which is a problem that young people, teenagers, have. They have hard time seeing the future because they feel like they will live forever. Why worry about the future? So this is good advice for all ages.

Please turn to Proverbs 14 again, back a few chapters. Now people who are self-confident, quick-tempered, and lawbreakers are some of the many simple-minded people who lack discernment.

Proverbs 14:15-18 The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps. A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident. A quick tempered man acts foolishly, and a man of wicked intentions is hated. The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Now, the simple men in verses 15 and 18 is from a Hebrew word that means simple, foolish, easily enticed, seduced, credulous, or inexperienced. The simple have not developed discernment. A prime example of that is Lot, who displayed a real lack of discernment several times during his life. And that is recorded for us.

Genesis 13 tells us that when he and Abram parted to settle their flocks, Lot chose the fertile land of Sodom and Gomorrah, even though the area was filled with wickedness. And later when the three messengers of the Lord came to take Lot out of Sodom, he offered his daughters to the men of the town who wanted to sexually abuse the messengers. Also he hesitated before leaving his home to flee.

Lot did not discern the social climate of city life which would negatively influence him. And it happens to many, many people today who do not discern the times and who do not discern the social climate. Genesis 19 tells us that because of these unwise actions, his wife was killed, he was forced to hide in a cave, and his daughters turned to sleeping with him in order to continue the family line using their own human reasoning. None of this would have happened had he used discernment and had wisdom earlier in leading his family. Lot relied on his own human reasoning rather than wise counsel and he chose his own desire rather than sacrifice.

Turn over if you will please to Luke 12, verse 54. Those who claim to know God, but do not discern the urgency of the times, are hypocrites just as they were in Jesus Christ's day, not recognizing Him. Luke records that Jesus associated hypocrisy with a lack of discernment.

Luke 12:54-56 Then He also said to the multitudes, "Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there it is. Hypocrites! You have discerned the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it that you do not discern this time?"

Meaning this time that Christ has appeared as the Messiah.

The Greek word for discern in verse 56 means to test, prove, scrutinize so as to make a decision.

Please turn over to I Timothy 4, verse 1. Now, just as some did not discern the times during Christ's day, so also in the latter days some in the church will reject the truth to follow deceivers. By departing from God's truth, a person loses wisdom and discernment.

I Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.

So people who are devoid of wisdom and discernment are doomed to be deceived. We have seen many, many people come and go in the church of God. In fact, sometimes we call it a revolving door because so many do not discern the times, they do not discern the good and evil, and they end up just being deceived and pulled away.

Now, let us look at human discernment. We can cultivate discernment through our own efforts, but we must choose to develop it. Like musical ability, human discernment can be taught, practiced, and developed, but it is still limited in application to this physical world.

Turn over to Job 34, verse 1. Job's young friend Elihu, whose speeches with their strong stress on God's sovereignty, understood that we must choose discernment, which he calls justice in the following context.

Job 34:1-4 Elihu further answered and said, "Hear my words, you wise men; give ear to me, you who have knowledge. For the ear tests words as the palate tastes food. Let us choose justice for ourselves; let us know among ourselves what is good."

Job 34:10-14 "Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity. For He repays man according to his work, and makes man to find a reward according to his way. Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice."

So we must examine and explore what is true and right, what is correct and appropriate amid conflicting opinions. We must evaluate the feelings and the attitudes and the ideas which have been presented and figure out what will stand up to the test of close examination according to God's righteous standards.

Now, if you will turn back over to the New Testament with me to John 8, verse 43. Using our human discernment requires much more than only hearing words. It often requires some communication. And most of the time we get a general concept of what people are saying, just enough to maintain conversation, but it is productive listening that is required—active and intense listening.

John 8:43-47 "Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God's words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God."

What an indictment against those unbelievers; and scary. It gives you chills.

Please turn over to another scripture, II Thessalonians 2, verse 9. Here we see a common problem with discerning truth. Man would rather tell lies than speak truth and he would rather hear lies than the truth.

II Thessalonians 2:9-10 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Take note of that: they did not receive the love of the truth. Now you can read truth. People can read the Bible and they can acknowledge it as truth, but they do not love it. And the way that you know they do not love it is that they do not live it. Living it shows that we love something.

II Thessalonians 2:11-12 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This lie, this working of error, will be supernatural in character, to prove irresistible to rebellious humanity. So reader beware, so to speak, or God's people beware.

"Strong delusion" is another way of referring to the lie and deceit. Because they have refused to love the truth, they will be completely defenseless against the false claims of the lawless one and his perversion of God's truth. And we know that Satan has his counterfeit of God's truth. He always adds some truth into whatever he is saying or promoting. Just so you think that, oh, it must be okay or right. That is the way he works.

This believing of the lie is basically believing Satan's counterfeit of God's truth. This happens daily on a lesser scale than when the lawless one arrives on the scene. Satan's lies cause many rebellious human beings to live their lives as a lie. And these people are discernible even by some in the world. The solution to the evil is also understood by people with human discernment.

Dr. M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled, wrote another book titled, People of the Lie. On page 65 he explains the feeling one gets in the presence of evil. And he looked at this observation from human discernment.

The feeling a healthy person often experiences in a relationship with an evil one is revulsion. The feeling of revulsion may be almost instant if the evil encounter is blatant. If the evil is more subtle, the revulsion may develop only gradually as the relationship with the evil one slowly deepens.

Skipping down the page,

But what would make revulsion a healthy response? Revulsion is a powerful emotion that causes us to immediately want to avoid, to escape the revolting presence. And that is exactly the most appropriate thing for a healthy person to do under ordinary circumstances when confronted with an evil presence: to get away from it. Evil is revolting because it is dangerous. It will contaminate or otherwise destroy a person who remains too long in its presence. . . . The revulsion countertransference is an instinctive, or if you will, God-given and saving early warning radar system system.

On page 66, the next page, he explains another reaction to evil.

There is another reaction that the evil frequently engenders in us: confusion. Describing an encounter with an evil person, one woman wrote, "It was as if I'd suddenly lost my ability to think." Once again, this reaction is quite appropriate. Lies confuse. The evil are the "people of the lie" deceiving others as they also build layer upon layer of self-deception.

So revulsion and confusion are flags that go up when we encounter someone who has either evil intent or is coming from an evil attitude. The revulsion and confusion we sense in the presence of an evil person is one that is communicated to us by way of speech, body language, and action. Every time we feel revulsion or confusion around someone does not necessarily mean the person is evil. Sometimes we are just confusing people. Maybe we do not understand the subject that we are talking about well enough. So it is not always that they are evil sometimes. You need actually both revulsion and confusion for that evil to be felt.

There may be other factors involved of which we are unaware: personality clashes, physical illness, different cultural backgrounds, and so on. There is much we can humanly discern even in the average person as we observe a person's speech, body language, and action.

To develop human discernment, we have to make sure we understand the meaning of words. We have to listen to the selection of words. A person's word choice discloses several things, including a person's reasoning ability, his prejudices, that is, his use of derogatory words, and a desire to impress, for example, the inappropriate use of large words.

Words give clues to whether a person is primarily intellectual or emotional. Individuals with precise minds use precise language and often sensitive people use poetic language. So we often determine whether individuals think in principles or techniques. Can they explain things several ways? Well, yes, they can. How broadly do they illustrate? If a person illustrates from many different areas, he can see a similar principle running through the different experiences.

Please turn over to Luke 9, verse 37. The use of words and accents also gives us a glimpse into someone's background. Even though Colossians 4:14 tells us Luke was a physician, we can discern from the many medical terms he used in the third gospel that he was associated with the medical profession of his day. For example, in Luke 9, verses 39 and 42 Luke uses two Greek medical terms for convulsions.

Luke 9:37-42 Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him [Christ]. Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

The word convulses in verse 39 and convulsed in verse 42 is the Greek medical term belone. It is specifically the word for a surgeon's needle.

Luke 18:25 "For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

So belone applies to Luke 18:25. The word needle there is specifically a surgeon's needle.

People who have a public vocabulary different from their private ones, sometimes let a private word slip into the public expression and that opens a window into the person's thought process. Human discernment requires that we notice the manipulation of words. Does a person put a spin on descriptions of people or events? For instance, those who use diplomatic language ordinarily want to avoid offending anyone, which to a discerning person means we are probably not getting the whole story. And so we have diplomats who go over to other nations and they definitely do not tell other nations the whole story.

Human discernment requires that we notice there was that manipulation of words. Discernment also requires hearing what they do not say. We try to learn by listening to why the person says what he says and why he says it at this specific time and in this unique way. So listen for two things: tone and pace.

First, tone is generally driven by underlying emotions. If the tone is judgmental, you can generally suspect self-righteousness or cynicism. A negative tone generally indicates a negative feeling about the subject. On the other hand, interpreting laughter is interesting and instructive. Where everyone is honest, open, and free, so is the laughter. If it is just polite, derisive, or carrying innuendo, there is discord.

Turn with me please to Genesis 18, verse 11. Abraham's wife, Sarah, is a prime example of this.

Genesis 18:11-15 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, well advanced in age; and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?" And the Lord said, Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?' Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." But Sarah denied it, saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh!"

That puts chills up and down your spine, does it not, for God to say something like that?

The subtle changes in the wording of Sarah's thoughts reveal that the Lord was not simply restating her thoughts but was interpreting them as well. So Sarah's relationship with God lacked honesty and trust and faith at that time, which is revealed in her response to God's promise. She laughed and then denied it because she was afraid. And it is quite often the time when people lie is when they are afraid, either of being found out or afraid of someone or whatever the case may be.

Let us turn over to Ecclesiastes 10, verse 12. Those who clearly speak in controlled tones also raise a question as to why, for example, on a witness stand, often you see people trying to control their voices. Is it because they are right or because they are afraid of being found out? The tone of the witnesses' reply can make them seem truthful or that they are lying.

Let us move on to tone and pace. The second one is also affected by emotion. Generally, an excited or nervous person speaks more quickly and the pitch rises. Talking excessively is always questionable and generally is born of a desire to impress, intimidate, or ingratiate. Talking too loudly can be a control factor.

Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool shall swallow him up. The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, at the end of his talk is raving madness. [Well, it sounds like the political candidates there in these debates these days.] A fool also multiplies words. No man knows what is to be; who can tell him what will be after him?

So sometimes it is important to interpret interruptions. Interruptions vary from discourteous to respectful. We normally think that a person interrupting is indicating that what he wants to say is more important than what is being said by others. On the other hand, it could be a subtle attempt to change the subject to protect someone or to add a different line of thought to the original one. Occasionally it just shows enthusiastic agreement that cannot be withheld. So we should not jump to conclusions about these things. We have to weigh them, contemplate them, and give the person the benefit of doubt first to find out where they are going with it or whether they are genuine or discourteous or respectful or what their tone is.

Since listening is an important aspect of discernment, it is almost always better to listen.

What is the rest of the body saying? We have all heard that people not only talk with their mouths, they speak with their bodies. Reading body language has been oversimplified by charlatans. Seminars and books on body language that define specific body movements generically and apply them universally is incorrect.

For example, I have read that when a person crosses his arms, he is being defensive, but that is not necessarily true. Maybe the room is cold, maybe this is his stance when thinking or interested in the subject. I know I do that sometimes. I get interested in something and I start doing that. So I am not angry at you if I find I cross my arms. But you can see the example there that we have to not jump to conclusions about people's intentions.

Please turn with me to Daniel 3, verse 16. So body language is an important indicator and should be carefully observed and verified in each specific instance to properly discern what a person is implying. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego saw this firsthand in Nebuchadnezzar's face.

Daniel 3:16-19 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed towards Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego.

What do you think their thoughts were at that time, looking into his eyes where he had sheer rage? They had faith in God and so they were standing firm.

Daniel 3:19-20 Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. He spoke and commanded they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army, to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

And what did their faith do? What did God do because they had faith? They walked around in there with, it was probably Jesus Christ, and the fire did not even make them smell like smoke or scorch them or anything. That is the type of power God has to help us through anything, no matter what it is, no matter how bad the situation is, and no matter how much rage is in a person's face.

Expressions and mannerisms should match with words. And when they are in conflict, there is a reason.

Now, a psychiatrist named Fred Smith gave this example of human discernment through examination, meaning that he observed. And this is what he saw:

Once I was invited by a friend to sit in on a conversation between a father and son who were having a problem. I was not part of the conversation. So I concentrated on the boy's face to see if I could read any changing expressions. When one matter came up, he developed a tic. Later, the subject came up again and his face again twitched. I joined the conversation and raised the subject once more. Again, his face showed the tic. The tic and the general feeling of the confrontation gave me the impression that he was lying. And when I challenged him, he confessed. His father later told me his son said, "I'm afraid of that guy. He can read your mind." No, I was simply observing his face.

Interesting, is it not? This explanation of human discernment is in no way meant to be a comprehensive explanation of how to discern. It is intended to get you to think deeply about things that are going on around you and in society and what you are seeing, and show you that we can cultivate what I have called "human discernment," for the lack of a better term, which can help us to make wiser judgments even on a human level.

And please do not ever mistake discernment for the cleverness of many psychologists and psychiatrists today. Discernment is an identifying of the true nature of a thing, such as discerning whether a thing is true or false, or good or evil.

Please turn with me to Ecclesiastes 1, verse 13. One of the clearest examples of a man with wisdom and discernment is King Solomon. As you know, Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes in which he tells how he diligently applied himself to seek and search out by wisdom all the things that are done in this world. And he was searching for the meaning of life.

Ecclesiastes 1:13 I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised [or practiced].

So it is not easy to learn the ability of discernment. It is not easy to grow wiser, it takes work and what does he say there, this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man. So life is not easy. And if you want wisdom and discernment, you are going to have to work at it. It is something we can pray for on a regular basis for God to give us and help us.

To develop wisdom includes both the effort of observation and judgment, and the knowledge acquired in this way. It increases by mental exercise.

Please turn over to I Kings 3, verse 4. Solomon cultivated discernment as a result of the wisdom God gave him. Discernment may be scripture heavy, but I like to hide behind the Scriptures, so to speak, or use the Scriptures as the base, of course. Rather than just tell you the story, I thought we would read it straight from God's mind.

I Kings 3:4-9 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" And Solomon said, "You have shown great mercy to Your servant David my father, because he walked before you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with You; You have continued this great kindness for him, and You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. Now, O Lord my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"

So rather than grabbing for riches, fame, and power, Solomon humbly asked God for a wise and discerning heart.

Now flip over to Proverbs 1, verse 1. The scripture you are very familiar with as the epitome of a wise, discerning person. The bulk of the book of Proverbs is credited to him.

Proverbs 1:1-7 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: To know wisdom and instruction, to perceive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion—a wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, to understand a proverb and an enigma, the words of the wise and the riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The fear of the Lord is not always the key to everything. Verse 7 tells us the core of the issue of true discernment: the fear, reverence, and obedience of God. Solomon reinforces the importance of wisdom and discernment in the book of Ecclesiastes. And he determined to set his heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven. So let us continue with Ecclesiastes. Flip back to Ecclesiastes 12 and we are going to read verses 13 and 14. Solomon states his conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12, verse 13, that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments. In fact, Solomon's wisdom was so great that he kept peace between Israel and the surrounding nations, making him the only Old Testament ruler whose reign was filled with peace and prosperity.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Let us flip back to I Kings chapter 3. Now let us look at more of the result of Solomon's request to God for discernment. His request was granted and he quickly became renowned throughout the world for his great wisdom.

I Kings 3:10-15 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. Then God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked long life for yourself, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding and to discern justice, behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any arise after you. And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days. So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days." Then Solomon awoke; and indeed, it had been a dream.

We have that same guarantee when we are called and we faithfully reply to that calling and we become baptized and receive God's Holy Spirit. We have that same promise from God that He gave to Solomon, only ours is on a spiritual level. Solomon had a human discernment, but he also had not a full measure of God's Holy Spirit, but obviously, God gave him some understanding beyond others on a spiritual level. But we do not know whether he had God's Holy Spirit dwelling in him or not. We are certainly hopeful that he ended his life that way. But we do not have the conclusion to that, I do not believe.

Specific qualities of discernment can be seen in the example of Solomon's wisdom with the two women, each claiming the same baby was hers. You will notice four specific qualities of discernment in Solomon's judgment and they are penetration, discrimination, perception, and insight.

I Kings 3:16-23 Now two women who were harlots came to the king, and stood before him. And one woman said, "O my Lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house; and I gave birth while she was in the house. Then it happened the third day after I had given birth, that this woman also gave birth. And we were together; no one was with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. And this woman's son died in the night, because she lay on him. So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. And when I arose in the morning to nurse my son, there he was, dead. But when I had examined him in the morning, indeed, he was not my son whom I had borne." Then the other woman said, "No! But the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son." And the first woman said, "No! But the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son." Thus they spoke before the king. And the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son, who lives, and your son is the dead one'; and the other says, 'No! But your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'"

First, we see in this penetration is an arrival at the truth or meaning of something or some thought. So that is the point at which Solomon is here trying to figure it out. To penetrate the meaning of something is to understand it, to comprehend it thoroughly and deeply. It implies a searching mind that goes beyond what is obvious or superficial. For example, Solomon, for clarity, reiterated what the two women were saying superficially. The one says, and the other says, as we see in verse 23, and then neither woman could claim she was misunderstood. Solomon repeated it so there was no doubt in everybody's mind where each stood, nobody could backpedal.

I Kings 3:24-25 Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king. And the king said, "Divide the living child in two and give half to one, and half to the other."

The second thing we see is discrimination. Discrimination stresses the power to distinguish and select what is true or appropriate or excellent. For example, Solomon said to divide the living child in two in verse 25. He had to distinguish the lie from the truth. That is, he was setting up a situation. It also involves defining what you see or hear. First, you must see or listen to what is around you. And then you must think about what defines and characterizes it. What are the characteristics of this thing, this thought, this situation?

I Kings 3:26-27 Then the woman whose son was living spoke to the king, for she yearned with compassion for her son; and she said, "O my Lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him!" But the other said, 'Let him be neither mine nor yours, but divide him." So the king answered and said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother."

The third is perception. Perception implies observation and often sympathetic feeling. The ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses. It is a process of becoming aware by way of a gut feeling, by way of an internal impression or feeling. For example, Solomon said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him; she is his mother," in verse 27.

I Kings 3:28 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had rendered; and they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

The fourth was insight. Insight suggests depth of discernment coupled with understanding sympathy. Solomon displayed insight through the entire discernment process of determining who the real mother was.

Now, if you turn over to the next chapter to I Kings 4, verse 29 we will continue reading.

I Kings 4:29-31 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart [that is, understanding and sympathy] like the sand of the seashore. Thus Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men.

So penetration, discrimination, perception, and insight are all needed qualities to make a right judgment. By fearing God and keeping His commandments, we can develop God-given righteous judgment. And this is the whole duty of man: to fear God and keep His commandments. As human beings, we can develop a limited amount of discernment on our own. But true spiritual discernment is another matter altogether.

Please turn over to Deuteronomy 4 as we approach that subject. What is spiritual discernment? What is its foundation? How does God give it? Spiritual discernment is the process of determining God's will and desire in a situation for one's life. It is comparing things in life to God's standard of righteousness to see if it matches His will so that we can rightly apply the knowledge we acquire during our lifetimes in a righteously wise way. God's Word is the foundation of spiritual discernment. His commandments, statutes, and His judgments are the foundation of our wisdom and understanding.

Deuteronomy 4:1-6 "Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal Peor; for the Lord your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you. Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, 'Surely this nation is a wise and understanding people [or a discerning people].'

Sadly, this nation did for a while impress the world, but it is just a laughingstock because of its foolishness. Now, how sad that here is the answer to this nation, all its problems right here, and they turn their nose up at it. The Democratic Party votes not to have God on their stage, not that the Republicans are any better. They are worldly as well.

Deuteronomy 4:8-10 "And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, especially concerning the day you stood before the Lord your God in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, 'Gather the people to Me, and I will let them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.'"

That is a command, that we teach our children God's way. We increase discernment in our children by teaching them God statutes, judgments, and laws, so our children can live righteously. If we do not teach them, they have a greater probability of being discernment-less and even worse, foolish.

Proverbs 15:21 Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment [or wisdom as the King James version says], but a man of understanding walks uprightly.

There is no other way to be righteous, to be good rather than evil.

Proverbs 28:7 Whoever keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons shames his father.

And gluttons not only means overeating, it means over-anything, overdoing everything.

Turn with me if you will please to Hebrews 4, verse 11. It is amazing how hard it is for we humans to do these things. It takes concentration. It takes constant communication with God. It takes constantly keeping the Word of God in front of you. I do not mean every minute of every day, but I mean in your mind. The Word of God contains the wisdom needed to rightly discern the thoughts and intents of the mind. Whatever God says to us is full of living power. It cuts deep into our innermost parts and exposes the way we really are. And the Word of God uncovers our true thoughts and intentions.

Hebrews 4:11-13 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

The Greek word for discerner in verse 12 is kritikos. It means that which relates to judging, fit for, or skilled in, judging. And this is the origin of the English word critical. For example, if you are going going to closely investigate and examine something, you do a critical analysis of it. So the thoughts and intents of the heart are being critically analyzed by God, not in the way of criticism, but in the way of deeply judging what we are made of.

Here in verse 12, it is literally "critical of the thoughts and intents of the heart." And it could also be stated as "discriminating and passing judgment on the thoughts and feelings."

Let us turn over to Psalm 139, verse 1. The thoughts and intents of the heart are brought into view by the Word of God. The truth of God will detect the actual feelings of the hypocrite and deceiver. They cannot always conceal their emotions and the time will come when truth will reveal their unbelief and their secret sins. So God uses and gives spiritual discernment and He uses it in examining our actions and state of a heart and mind.

Psalm 139:1-3 O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought far off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.

The Lord knows all there is to know about us. Verse 1 states the theme of the whole psalm: You have searched me and known me. God knows all my activities, all my words, even my deepest thoughts, and this indicates an intimate relationship. God is intimately involved in our lives. He is discerning and expects us to develop it as well. And He is more than willing to give us the help to do that.

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Now if you will turn with me to Proverbs 2, verse 1. The thirst for guidance is universal. The righteous and unrighteous alike have a perceived need for insight, but it is only truly available through God, that is, spiritual insight.

Proverbs 2:1-7 My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding, yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly.

Paganism uses magic and divination to gain insight. We in God's church use God and His Word for that. As seen from King Saul's evil example in I Samuel 28, he relied on magic and divination. Every true Christian should be able to discern between the occult related lies and God's truth.

Again, in Dr. Peck's book, People of The Lie on page 190, he writes,

It seems clear from literature on possession that the majority of cases have had involvement with the occult—frequency far greater than might be expected in the general population. It is difficult to discern which comes first, the occult involvement or the possession. I do not mean to imply that most people who involve themselves with the occult will become possessed, but they do seem to increase their chances.

The traditional church has spoken of the danger of the occult as far back as its literature goes. From the beginning, the traditional church has recognized the reality that certain human beings could have supernatural powers such as ESP or prophetic ability. It labeled such power as charis or gifts. By this word gift, the church implies that such power should be given to humans by God at a time and for a purpose go of God's own choosing. And when one involves oneself in the occult, wittingly or unwittingly, one is attempting to obtain, maintain, or enhance such power for one's own purposes. This the church calls magic.

Practitioners of the occult often also refer to it as magic, but they distinguish between white magic and black magic. White magicians decry black magicians for practicing their art for malevolent motives, but feel comfortable with their own practice because they are convinced of their loving motives. But it is very easy to be self-deceptive about one's motives. So as far as the church is concerned, magic is magic, and all of it is black or potentially so.

Please turn over to Psalm 119. Today, worldly people turn to friends and therapists and consultants or mediums. But God's people must look to Him and ask for discernment.

Psalm 119:123-125 My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation and Your righteous word. Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy, and teach me Your statutes. I am Your servant; give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies.

Now let us flip over to the New Testament, I Corinthians 2, verse 10. Anyone with God's Holy Spirit is going to have a certain amount of spiritual discernment, but it must be developed. But it cannot be developed merely through observation amid examination. Only God gives true spiritual discernment through the Holy Spirit. According to Barnes' Notes on I Corinthians 2, he says,

The Corinthians entertained an excessive fondness for human learning and wisdom. They loved philosophical disquisition and oratorical display, and may therefore have been impatient of the uniting words of Paul. To correct their mistaken taste, the apostle asserts and proves the utter insufficiency of human wisdom, either to discover spiritual things or to appreciate them when discovered.

So it is the Spirit of God that enables us to discover the spiritual things of God.

I Corinthians 2:10-13 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit [which] is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Stopping there for a moment, without the Holy Spirit how can humanity discern spiritual things? It is impossible. They cannot. They may be able to discern worldly matters through their own cultivated powers because of the human spirit that God has placed in them, but they are limited to the earthly realm.

I Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The English word discerned in verse 14 is the Greek word anakrino. It has several applications and this is what it suggests: 1) To distinguish or separate out; to investigate by looking throughout objects or facts. 2) To examine, scrutinize, question. 3) To hold a preliminary judicial examination preceding a trial. This first examination implies more to follow and is often presented in the nonlegal uses of the word. And then 4) The word is also used regarding determining the excellence or defects of a person or thing.

Paul is speaking of the unconverted person here who is governed by his own human reasoning. The unbeliever does not receive understanding or truth through God's Spirit, but through his own human spirit, which is limited in grasping spiritual matters. And so he regards God's truth as ridiculous. A person without the Spirit of God cannot discern the spirit of the law because the unconverted human mind is only capable of understanding the letter of the law. And that is why God gave ancient Israel the letter of the law because they did not have God's Spirit as a whole people. God's Spirit was influencing them, but was not indwelling them. (It was indwelling specific people like Moses and David and so on.) They could not understand any more than the letter law and they could not even keep that. They all went to idolatry and Sabbath breaking.

So the human spirit cannot understand and properly apply that which it cannot make sense of—the spiritual intent of God's law. And that is what Jesus Christ came back to reveal and He gave us His Holy Spirit so that we could actually apply both the letter and the law, which is the intent of God's law. That is why ancient Israel could not do it.

I Corinthians 2:15 But he who is spiritual judges [that is, discerns] all things, yet he himself is rightly judged [or discerned] by no one.

Now, this verb again, anakrino, translated discern in verse 14 is the same verb translated judges and judged in verse 15. The idea in each case is to make intelligent spiritual decisions following the examination. So the person who is guided by the Spirit draws discerning conclusions about all things, that is, about all kinds of spiritual things. But such a spiritual person is not subject to spiritual judgments or discernment by anyone who does not have God's Holy Spirit. How can someone who does not have God's Spirit pass any judgment on us at all as far as spiritually speaking? Only God can do that.

I Corinthians 2:16 For "who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Now, Paul quotes from Isaiah 40:13 here in verse 16. We are not subject to human judgment in spiritual things. The quotation in the form of a question casts doubt on the natural person knowing God's wisdom. But the statement gives reassurance that we do know it. God's elect, having His Spirit, are not subject to spiritual judgments of anyone who does not have God's Holy Spirit.

Paul shows that individuals who are addicted to the gross indulgences of the senses are incapable of discerning and appreciating spiritual things. But it is more inclusive than that. All human beings, no matter how free from sin they are or well educated intellectually, are incapable of spiritual discernment without the indwelling of God's Spirit, unless He is giving them specifically understanding to a person who does not have God's Holy Spirit. But He gives extra discernment, which He did to Solomon.

The simplicity of God's truth is met more often with bitter opposition and pointed contempt from people of worldly wisdom than from people who are less educated in secular knowledge. Just look at the college professors, scientists, leaders, and college graduates of today and you realize they not only lack common sense, but they are extremely ignorant in spiritual matters. Most of these same worldly people scornfully regard the gospel of Christ as foolishness and contemptuously reject its message.

The natural man cannot know the things of the Spirit of God. He can know of them in a very limited speculative way and may even elaborate on them with limited accuracy, but he cannot know them to intellectually accept and receive them and love them. The Bible commentators are in this category.

Let us wrap this up. Now, the spiritual person's feelings and principles and views and hopes and fears and joys cannot be fully understood and greatly appreciated by any worldly person—not fully. The unbeliever does not comprehend the principles that motivate the spiritual person. He does not have the same joys. The unconverted person does not truly sympathize with the converted person's beliefs.

Verse 16 has the reason. A Christian is led by God, and since the worldly person does not really recognize God, he cannot recognize the converted person in whom God's Spirit dwells.

No human can completely understand God. Nobody can fully comprehend His plans and His feelings and His views. Nobody by nature, under the influence of their natural desires, is either willing to accept His truth or loves them when they are revealed. By accept, I mean live them fully. But the true Christian is inspired by God. And we have His Spirit and we have the mind of Christ. Only God's Spirit can render the message of Christ truly comprehensible to someone.

So every faithful Christian is a spiritual person that is led and empowered by God's Spirit.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

We must live God's way of life, keeping His statutes and commandments. We must ask for discernment with a humble attitude. We must remain close to God through Bible study, prayer, and fasting. Spiritual wisdom, understanding, and discernment are conditional and dependent upon our obedience and reverence to God.

So we certainly have our work cut out for us, that is, that life is burdensome. And we have to work hard at developing discernment with God's help.

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