Developing Spiritual Discernment
In today’s world, as with times past, spiritual discernment is a discipline that needs
to be desired, sought after and exercised. With all the false teachers and false
prophets who spread false teaching and false doctrine, if we don’t keep our eyes on
Jesus and stay in God’s Word, the Bible, we can easily be lead astray if we don’t
practice the gift of spiritual discernment.
Let’s take a look at what King Solomon had to say about discernment.
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1 Kings 3:9a, King Solomon prayed for discernment “Give your servant
therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may
discern between good and evil”
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1 Kings 3:11-12a, God answers Solomon’s request saying “Because you
have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or
the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to
discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word.”
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1 Kings 3:12b, and here is what God gave to Solomon “Behold, I gave you
a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before
you and none like you shall arise after you”
After God gave Solomon a “wise and discerning mind” (1 Kings 3:12b), he passed
that knowledge on to us by writing Proverbs. We can gain so much insight into
Solomon’s wisdom and discerning mind as we expound Proverbs 2:1-5.
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Proverbs 2:1-5 says “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.”
There are eight verbs in verses 1-4 that I draw your attention to “receive…
treasure... incline… apply… cry… lift up … seek… search.” Verbs are action
words that imply doing something. In other words, effort must be expended to
become wise, to discern and to understand the things of God.
Although Solomon was obviously writing to a young man, “My son”, by extension,
we must realize that the Bible is God’s Word to us as the Holy Spirit moved and
spoke through men of God.
“if you receive my words”
Notice that we are to receive the Word of God for it is the light unto our path (Psalm
119:105). We receive the Word of God by reading our Bibles consistently, by sitting
under good solid Bible teachers, by watching sound Bible teachers and listening to
Christian messages on CD, DVD and the radio. In other words, filling our eye gate
and our ear gates with the Word of God is the first step to being spiritually
discerning.
“And treasure my commands within you”
If we consider the Word of God a treasure, that His commands are worthy to be
followed because God only has the best plan for us (Romans 8:28) and if we store
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Developing Spiritual Discernment
the Word of God in our hearts and minds, then we are on the way to being a
spiritually discerning person.
“So that you incline your ear to wisdom”
This means we are to have a “mental tendency, a preference or an attitude toward
hearing wisdom.” This reminds me of someone who leans forward; they turn their
ear to hear exactly what is being said. This individual is on the edge of their seat
listening inventively to what God has to say “inclining” or straining to catch every
syllable, every word, not missing one precious thing that God has to say to them.
“And apply your heart to understanding”
We are then to apply what we have “inclined” our ear to. This means that we are to
“put to use for practical purposes” again, this is an action to “set our hearts on
understanding.” The Bible says that we are to be “doers of the Word, and not hears
only” (James 1:22). In other words, we need to apply what we read to our everyday
lives and live out what we read Jesus and the Apostles teaching and doing.
“Yes, if you cry out for discernment”
We are to “cry out” and ask God for the ability to divide truth from half-truths, truth
from error and right from wrong. We are to ask God to help us understand and to
“separate” the good from the bad.
“And lift up your voice for understanding”
The Bible says that every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:15) and as
mentioned above in 1 Kings 3:9-12, when Solomon desired wisdom, discernment
and understanding, God blessed him for desiring these noble traits and not for
desiring “long life or riches or the life of your enemies”. In the context of trials and
temptations, we’re told that if we lack wisdom, we should ask of God who gives
liberally and without reproach (James 1:5).
“If you seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures”
True wisdom is Godly wisdom and not worldly wisdom. As the world seeks for riches
and treasure supposing that they are the end-all to their happiness, Christians are to
seek after the things of God (i.e., the kingdom of God, the righteousness of God, the
knowledge of God) and all these other things will be added unto us (Matthew 6:33).
The three “ifs” are then followed by the “then” introducing the result.
“Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of
God.”
Notice that discernment and understanding is attainable and possible according to
this verse.
To fear the LORD means to have a reverential “awe” for the one who spoke the
universe into existence. It means that we bow our knee and are “star struck” at
God’s amazing and awesome power and we give Him all the glory and honor for He
alone is worthy.
This verse says that when we recognize how great and awesome He is, a person will
have a reverential “fear of the LORD” and he will gain wisdom and knowledge
(Proverbs 1:4; 2:10), and understanding (Proverbs 2:2, 3, 10).
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