DISCERNMENT: GOD’S COMPASS FOR OUR GREATER PATHS
“GREATER PATHS” Session #7 Lifeway Explore the Bible Quarterly
Proverbs 14:8-14/Matthew 7:24-28/Galatians 6:7-9
Have you ever been lost in the woods? I don’t mean just a “little confused”, but “Hansel & Gretel Lost; we are being pursued by a maniacal witch who wants to place us in a pot for supper and quote Macbeth as she does it: ‘boil, boil, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble!!!’” Lt. Colonel Gene Hambleton USAF has been that kind of lost! During the Vietnam War Gene’s EB-66 (code name: BAT-21) aircraft was conducting electronic surveillance on the enemy when it was shot down by surface-to-air-missiles. Gene was the lone survivor, and had parachuted into the thick North Vietnam Jungle in the middle of the night. Gene was disoriented and didn’t know where he was, but US forces knew his location, and so did the Communists. What ensued over the next 11 ½ days was the largest manhunt and rescue mission of the Vietnam War. Gene had landed in an area crawling with 3000 enemy personnel. Gene’s survival depended upon his radio and guidance communication with Air Force Personnel BUT the enemy was looking diligently for him too and monitoring all of his transmissions. Gene and his radio operator had to develop some kind of code to confuse the Communists as to his whereabouts but at the same time give clear directions to Gene in order to guide him to rescue and safety… The answer was “Golf”. Gene was an avid golfer and had played at every major golf course in the US. The operator would tell him: “Spyglass Hill Hole 7 par 4”. Gene knew the holes so well that he knew at this hole you teed off with the flag to the NW- par 4 and it was so many yards… Gene then knew that the operator wanted him to walk x number of yards NW from his current location and in this way he was led through enemy lines narrowly but safely to rescue. Without intimate, ingrained, first-hand knowledge of the courses, support from hundreds of comrades, and a dependable radio to guide him Gene would have died.
The same is true of us; without God’s Wisdom and guidance we would die… However, when we walk the paths of this life, how do we know where we are and where we are headed? How do we discern the GREATER paths from the lesser? The righteous paths that lead to life, and the false paths that lead to death and destruction? How do we know that it is Jesus we are following and not our own feelings and designs? It is God’s WORD, the leading of the Holy Spirit, and godly discernment and observation that are needed and it is Solomon that makes this point very clear in our passage this week. Let’s take a look….
14:8-14 of Proverbs is what scholars call a Chiasmus. This is an ancient literary device that was used in Semitic, and latter day Greco-Roman writings and letters. Chi is the Greek letter: X and gives the phonetic sound found in the English “ch” but it is not the sound that makes a Chiasmus but the shape of the letter that moves us to the central theme and understanding of the passage… In this case, “X (chi) marks the spot!” The meaning, like ancient treasure, is in the middle of the passage the center of the X. We get there by starting at the beginning and at the end of the passage and “meet in the middle” just like the old Diamond Rio song (Meet in the Middle), and those horrid math “word problems” with multiple variables (that drove me to Theology, English Literature, and History after High School!) like: “If a train is traveling 100 mph NW and another train is traveling SE at 95 mph at what point will they be equidistant from each other?” DON’T ASK… I DON’T KNOW- I DON’T WANT TO KNOW! IT’S TOO COMPLICATED!!! But for our Chiasmus the central theme is found in verses 11 and 12 (the center of the passage): “The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.” Solomon wants us to know the importance of godly discernment as our compass and orienteering towards the Greater path of God’s Wisdom over our own easily deceived notions and perceptions… And where does this “discernment” come from? Not from us, not from the world, not from human reasoning, but from God and His leadership, and our submission to that leadership in our lives (more on this later- see Matt 7:24-28).
Verses 8 and 15 tell us that godly-sensible and discerning people are observant, listen, and pay attention to what they are doing while “fools rush in and are oblivious to what’s going on around them and in them- they follow what’s popular. The way we “think” and what we allow to influence our thinking is very important. A.W. Tozer says of Christian maturity in his book, Knowledge of the Holy, “that what we think of when we think of God is the most important thing about us.” We live in a world where one group has us by the right hand and another by the left and they are pulling us in different directions tearing us apart with many of their subtle influences that we are often not even aware of. It is important that we are aware, that we are observant, that we are allowing God to take every thought captive through His Word at work in our hearts (2 Cor 10:5) and listening to the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:16-17). Almighty God and His WORD must be our guide and take precedence not cultural influences (Ps 119:105). Sensible Christians follow Jesus not whatever’s popular or “the party line” with others even when that line “seems” sensible and tempting to us.
In verses 9 and 14 Solomon shows us that one way we gain discernment is through looking at what we sow and reap in this life. In Galatians 6:7-10 Paul informs us that “what a man sows that will he reap.” Solomon uses the terms “goodwill” and “disloyalty” to contrast the discerning and the foolish. What’s one way you know you are on the right path? The attitudes and actions you sow towards your neighbor. Do you desire and work hard at establishing “goodwill” with others even people you don’t agree with or do you really not care?
How we treat other people, our concern for their welfare, their feelings, and well being and the way we express it matters to God and in the long run sets us up on the path we will walk. If we sow goodwill, mercy, love, grace, kindness, justice, and show the righteousness of God in how we relate to and treat others then we will reap the benefits of God’s Kingdom and His blessings while maybe even getting treated well and reciprocally in return by our neighbor, but if we do not we will still be allowing the old curse of sin to have major influence and sway over our lives and our path because what we sow we reap and what we continually reap will influence how we sow for a lifetime. God’s Greater paths of goodness and blessing in our lives is established through consistent practice (see Gal 6:7-10) but if we continuously reap a bitter harvest from our sinful and selfish actions it can keep us far from God as we learn, establish, and practice foolish habits. If you want to be a person of “goodwill” then “do good” based on God’s will. Solomon wants the people to consider their motives and the motives of others because over the long run our motives will be revealed by our actions. Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:15-20 that this is how we recognize false prophets and their destructive paths… They can only “keep up appearances” for so long, eventually their true nature will be revealed by their bitter and poisonous spiritual fruit. Godly discernment will help you see it sooner than later!
In verses 10 and 13 Solomon makes two observations: first that appearances can be deceiving because no one really knows the heart of another but God, and secondly is the universal observation that life consists of joy and sorrow for everyone- it is a part of being human. So what does this mean for us today? It means we don’t have to begrudge a wicked person who “seems happy and at peace with himself” because it could all be a front and a façade. It also means that we have to be careful with our emotions and not use them as an adequate indicator for our understanding of God’s Truth. When I lost my leg, I wasn’t happy, I didn’t “feel like” forgiving anybody let alone the man that hit me, I was depressed, and I felt alone and abandoned by God… BUT was that the TRUTH???? If I was depending on my emotions as a guide I would have been in real serious trouble! But joys and sorrows come to all of us but God’s Truth is not determined by how I feel about it. I could have given up and walked away and/or lashed out, or I could wait upon the LORD and trust in His promises and Commands that never change and wait as my emotions caught up with what God’s WORD and the Holy Spirit told me was true. I’m glad I waited! Perhaps your emotions are in turmoil today… Will you trust in Jesus and His Word? Will you wait upon God and acknowledge to Him how you feel while at the same time not letting those feelings over circumstances be your guide into your understanding of God’s Truth? Trust Him and wait for your emotions to catch up with what God reveals to you as being True through His WORD and His Spirit- you will be glad you did!
Finally, we have arrived at the center of our Chiasmus at our “X marks the spot” (verses 11 and 12). Godly discernment helps us determine the Greater paths of Life, and the lesser paths of death; of the way of flourishing and the way of destruction and this discernment comes from the WORD of God- it comes from above not from us. Matthew 7:24-28 is the parable of the wise and foolish builders. In the ancient world they didn’t dig foundations like they do today. A builder chose a spot of ground to act as the foundation and built upon it (in this case rock & sand) this is the only difference between the houses in the whole story. The houses are built with the same materials, they are of the same quality, they experience the same storms and uncertainties of life but one is destroyed and the other survives because one is built on the rock of listening and responding to the WORD of Christ and His Kingdom of Heaven while the other is built on the shifting and sinking sands of earthly knowledge and influences. One is solid the other constantly shifts, one is eternal, the other is temporal, one is based on the integrity of God, while the other upon the whims of man. One saves and one destroys.
Which one will you listen to and act upon today? The words “cures” and “curse” have the same letters but the contrast between the two is dramatic just like Solomon’s passage… If we switch the “s” and “e” in our lives we are placed on a path going in the opposite direction… That is the essence of repentance (of turning around towards God and taking a different path) or hardening our hearts and going the way of the world. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, His cross and resurrection can make our “curse” of death and destruction become His “cures” of our sin by His blood and righteousness, and a personal relationship with Him to eternal life. Which path will you choose today- the lesser path of wrath, separation, and death or the Greatest Path of God’s redemption and eternal life in Jesus’ name? The choice is yours. Please know that I am praying for you all. Hang in there! We will be together one day soon. Keep the Faith, care for each other, and pray for all believers everywhere and for the lost around us that they may be found and brought into the Kingdom! Pray for Matt and Amanda that God will continue to use them in a powerful way as they prepare to go into Mexico and Guatemala- I got to see the difference that 7 years of your prayers have made in their lives last Sunday as they spoke! I hope you have been as encouraged from Matt’s devotions I have! The Harvest is coming… Rain will come upon our land. Don’t give up! Love in Christ, Darrin. “I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ. Jesus.” Philippians 1:6.
Isolation to Intimacy Elijah: 1 Kings 17
Written by Matthew Waldraff
For many of us, the life of Elijah (1 Kings 17-19, 2 Kings 1-2) serves as an example of boldness in our faith to stand against the adversaries of God. Elijah is known for his closeness to God and many are familiar with his standoff against the prophets of Baal, where it was definitively shown that God is the only true and living God (1 Kings 18). Yet, we often overlook the times in Elijah's life that were marked with seasons of isolation. As Elijah's ministry culminates to the showdown in 1 Kings 18, we must pause and examine the Lord's use of isolation in the wilderness to prepare and further develop Elijah's intimacy with Him in 1 Kings 17. The story begins with Elijah's prophecy of an extended period of drought, and the Lord's command for Elijah to flee to the brook of Cherith. The Lord promises to sustain and provide for Elijah as He sends ravens to feed him and is present with him in the season of drought. In the time of Elijah's preparation we clearly see that the Lord provides for his daily needs, but also commands him to go and minister to the widow of Zarephath. Elijah's isolation was an important time of solidifying his faith and transforming that faith into boldness to proclaim the goodness of God to others. Often times in our seasons of wilderness, such as a global pandemic, we can lose sight of God and focus solely on our isolation. Nevertheless, God's presence and provision does not leave us, and our times in the wilderness can be used as important times of preparation. Similar to the case of Elijah, God ultimately uses our seasons of isolation to show us his care and mercy and provide us with opportunities to extend that care and mercy to others. Although our routines and lives seem to be placed on hold in the wilderness seasons, God's work never ceases.
Pray for Matt and Amanda as they serve.