DESCERNING WITHOUT JUDGING

There are situations in our lives where God expects us not to rely on just our natural mind.  He wants us to allow the Spirit to bring truth and light to our spirit so we can see God’s desire accomplished.   An example of this is found in I Samuel 16, which gives the account of David being anointed as king of Israel.

A few of the duties of the prophets in the Old Testament included offering sacrifices, helping the people worship, and at times pointing out the sin in the community.  In this chapter, the prophet Samuel is being sent by God to the house of Jesse to discern which one of his sons is to replace King Saul who was about to be killed.  In verse 6 Samuel looked at the firstborn, Eliab, who was fine-looking and a head-and-shoulders-above-the-rest young man.  He was similar in appearance to King Saul, whom God now rejected.  When Samuel saw him, he said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”  Samuel made the mistake of relying too much on his natural mind in this instance.  Several years earlier, he had clearly heard God confirm that Saul was to be the first king of Israel.  Now Eliab stands before him and he closely resembles Saul.  Samuel must have thought, “This is the kind of man God anoints as a king”.  Appearances had fooled Samuel and God let him know that this was not His choice.

In verse 7, God says, “Do not look at his appearance or his physical stature, because I have refused him.  For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”  Every son of Jesse passed before Samuel as the possible heir to the throne.  It was not until the youngest one, David, was brought to the house that God let Samuel know, “this is the one”.  

There are four principles we should follow when it comes to spiritual discernment:

1)     BEWARE OF MAKING A QUICK OR “SURFACE” JUDGMENT

Samuel looked at Eliab and his immediate reasoning and comparison to Saul caused him to make a snap judgment, “surely this is the one”.  When key decisions are being made about people associated with our business, church, family, or life in general, discernment is a two-edged sword.  Depending on our life experience and outlook, we can tend to judge favorably for the rich, good-looking, and well-built individuals or the destitute, physically challenged, and oppressed.  Samuel fell for the first example and Joshua fell for the latter in the case of the Gibeonite deception in Joshua 9.  The Gibeonites showed up with worn-out sandals and old, crusty bread, looking poor, needy, and destitute.  Joshua was deceived and formed a covenant with a group that God wanted destroyed.  Leviticus 19:15 says, “Don’t show favoritism to the poor or mighty – do what is right.”

2)     LOOKING AT THE HEART IS AGAINST OUR NATURE.   We read in verse 7 that God doesn’t see others the way we do.  We tend to look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.  In the beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”   To me, this is saying that the pure in heart will see with the eyes of God.  I want to be like the prophet Elisha, who was surrounded by his enemies but who looked beyond them to the heavens.  It is there that he saw the chariots of heaven and the army of God standing behind them and surrounding the city where he dwelt. 

3)    PEOPLE WHO ARE SIGNIFICANT TO GOD ARE OFTEN INSIGNIFICANT TO MAN.   You can see this in the Bible with Goliath, who called David a little boy with a stick.  You can see it with Ruth who was seen as a widowed loser by her co-workers in the field of Boaz.  You can see it with Gideon, who was the least of the least, yet became a mighty judge in Israel.  You can also see it with Jesus, who was born in a manger to an unknown couple in an insignificant town and everywhere He went when He began His earthly ministry, the crowds said, “who is this man that He should do these things”?    

4)    APPEARANCE CAN BE DECEIVING.   You can be spiritual, fundamental, and humble but you don’t have to look like it.  Jesus exemplified all three of these attributes.  He grew up in a time and place when the Pharisees were in charge religiously.  They had a very self-righteous and conceited outlook on life and made many superficial judgments.   It is important that we judge others with a kind and redemptive lens, which is helpful.  We need to strive to fulfill what is written in Hebrews 5:14-  "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."   One of the marks of maturity is being able to discern good from evil.  This ability is sadly lacking in many people today, even in the body of Christ.  It is evident even in our politics, where our nation is almost evenly split on which party is good and which is evil. 

My next blog will continue giving insights on discernment.   I will deal with the four essential areas where there must be spiritual discernment in our lives.  God wants us to make “right judgments”.  His kingdom’s advancement depends on it.