In my last post, I wrote about focusing on what’s inside, examining ourselves, and ensuring that we are shining from the inside out. This is the second part of the ‘mini-series’, and is focused on discernment of people.

During a study of 1^st Samuel 16, where God had asked Samuel to anoint a new King of Israel, I found it quite interesting that Samuel, an elderly Priest, was also swayed by appearances. More specifically, he was taken in by the appearance of a very handsome man. When Samuel saw Eliab, he thought “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” (vs 6). Samuel wasn’t a teenage girl or young woman swooning over a handsome soldier, captivated by his rugged good looks. Yet, he almost fell for a trap that affects so many of us, the lure of the external over the internal. God had to gently chastise him: “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (vs 7). This serves to highlight how prevalent this trap is, and how easy it is to fall into it, whether you are young or old, male or female, unbeliever, new Christian or even Priest.

It is not immediately clear why Eliab was rejected by God for Kingship. However, we see a glimpse of his character later on. In 1 Samuel 17, when Goliath is taunting the Israelites, David asks the men of Israel who were there for battle, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?”  Eliab heard this and got angry with David. He didn’t stop there though, he tried to belittle David, asking him in front of others, “With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness?” And then he went on to ironically state “I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” Well, well, well. Presumptuous much?

I have to say, I like David’s response: ‘What? I was just asking a question!”. Then he promptly ignored Eliab and continued his questioning 😊 (vs 26-30). Eliab’s haughtiness comes across in this passage, and the Bible makes it clear that God opposes the proud (James 4:6). It is crucial to note that if Samuel was not listening to the voice of God, it is obvious he would have picked Eliab as King straight away. I mean, he even starts with “Surely”! Charm truly can be deceptive (Proverbs 31:30a).

This highlights how important it is to rely on God for guidance in our dealings with others, and the dangers of trusting or depending on our own understanding. Which is why Proverbs 3:5 (ESV) says “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” John 7:24 says “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement.”(ESV). The NL Translation says “Look beneath the surface so you can  judge correctly.”

As humans, it can be tricky to judge people based on what is inside, simply because we cannot usually see what is inside. When deciding whether or not to purchase a house, we can go inside the house and have a look around. However, we can’t go inside people. Even then, some houses have hidden flaws that are not immediately obvious. It’s a similar situation with people. Sure, we can observe character over time, but there are some who have perfected the art of pretence, consciously or unconsciously. Unfortunately, even the best detectives may not detect what’s underneath their human façade. There are people who are so good at lying, even if you knew the truth with 100% certainty, you may actually begin to doubt yourself. We only have to look at how far people will go to hide their age, which is a seemingly innocent characteristic, and then imagine how much further they will go to hide other things. Or think about the many diseases that without a test, we have no way of knowing if we, or others, are infected. I remember a popular slogan that was used during a public health awareness campaign against HIV/AIDS in Africa: “AIDS no dey show for face.”

Even those infected by the now ubiquitous coronavirus do not start showing symptoms from day one. As such, there may be people who may know they are infected, but not tell anyone, or some who genuinely do not know, but will sadly go round unwittingly infecting others. As such, trying to judge a person by their appearance is like trying to determine whether someone is infected by a virus by simply looking at them. Particularly in the early stages, the chance of getting it right is pretty low.

In Luke 20: 46-47 (ESV), Jesus said “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” 1 John 4:1 (ESV) says “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” This shows that even when people look, and even outwardly act like Christians, this does not mean that they truly are. This is why we need to use God’s testing kit. Just to be clear, this does not mean that Christians do not sin, or live perfect lives, because as far as I know, the only perfect human to have ever walked this Earth is Jesus. It means that when we sin, we do not hide our sin under a bushel, but allow God’s light to shine on it and help us overcome it. It also doesn’t mean that just because someone did not match our perception of them, then they are a hypocrite, because our perception could have been wrong all along. Our perception of things is our responsibility, and is not for others to live up to. Furthermore, it is precisely because our perceptions can be completely and utterly wrong that we need help!

So what can we do then? When assessing a house, having a skilled, knowledgeable, experienced surveyor to advise us and save us from expensive mistakes and heartache down the line is key. This is because they can see what we can’t, with our limited knowledge and understanding. Similarly, having a knowledgeable advisor who can see beyond what our natural eyes can see is key. Thankfully, as Christians, we have such a gift in the person of the Holy Spirit, and he is more than able and willing to guide and advise us.

God loves us and wants to protect us from the wiles of the devil and those who follow the devil’s bidding. However, it is not usually the obvious dangers we tend to fall for, it is the subtle ones. Charles Spurgeon said “discernment is not a matter of telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.” It is easy to tell the difference between black and white, it is the shades of grey that are the problem. This is why we need God’s guidance and the gift of discernment. As A.W. Tower said, “Among the gifts of the Spirit, scarcely is one of greater practical usefulness than the gift of discernment. This gift should be highly valued and frankly sought as being almost indispensable in these critical times. This gift will enable us to distinguish the chaff from the wheat and to divide the manifestations of the flesh from the operations of the Spirit.”

The only way we can ensure our judgements about people and situations are accurate is by doing so in line with God’s wisdom and direction. Jesus said, “You people judge by outward appearances; I do not judge anyone. But if I judge, my evaluation is accurate, because I am not alone when I judge, but I and the Father who sent me do so together.” – John 8:15-16 (NET Bible). This is such a powerful, confident statement. Jesus was confident in his judgements because he was doing so in sync with the Father.

There is so much heartache we can avoid if we ask for, listen to, and obey God’s leading… in everything from seemingly small decisions to bigger decisions. I have personally experienced both the relief of following God’s guidance and having situations work out perfectly, and the disappointment of not listening and having situations backfire in my face. I can tell you for free which situation I preferred and would want to replicate, but my guess is you’ve already guessed this.

The Bible is a sure-fire way of knowing what God’s will is, and should be the looking glass through which we view the world. Hebrews 4:12 (ESV) says “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Rachel Miller said “Everything hinges on your view of Scripture. Either Scripture will be the lens through which you view the world or the world (science, politics, worldview, etc) will be the lens through which you view Scripture. Ultimately one or the other will be your authority.” We should judge opinions/situations using the Bible, and not, as is sadly the case sometimes, the other way round – judge the Bible using opinions/situations. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2 (ESV).

However, there are some times we require direction for situations that are not necessarily in the Bible, and this is where prayer and listening to God’s leading comes in. We may want to plough ahead and make certain moves, but feel a certain disquiet, a lack of peace, a sense of restlessness. Similarly, we may be nervous about making certain moves, but feel an inner sense of peace that is not linked to circumstances. In either case, it may be worth pausing, praying, and waiting on God for more clarity. Sometimes, this requires patience. Not necessarily because God wants us to stew, but because sometimes we may not be ready for what he wants to tell us. It may also be for our own protection, or because there are certain things we need to learn first, or experiences we need to go through first, before we can adequately grasp what He wants to tell us. It is important to know that if God wants to speak to us, then, as I learnt recently, the onus is on Him to do so. He is willing to go to great lengths to communicate with us… he was even willing to speak through a donkey! (Numbers 22). We just need to listen and obey.

It is also good to seek wise counsel from others wiser than ourselves, who may have already walked some of the paths we are now walking. Even the Bible says in Proverbs 11:14 that “in the multitude of counsellors there is safety”. However, we also need to be careful that the voices of humans do not drown out the voice of God. Sometimes, what God asks us to do may not initially make sense to us or others, if we judge using our human senses. It is important to remember that God is not defined by our definitions, or restricted by our restrictions. We cannot view the divine using human lenses. It is like trying to see the stars with a microscope.

However, even if we have failed to listen to God and taken a wrong turn, all hope is not lost. Just like a car’s navigation system can reroute and continue guiding us to our destination from wherever we find ourselves, God can still guide us from wherever we are at this moment. No matter how painful or costly our poor judgement may be, it is not useless, because we can learn from it, and our experiences can be of great benefit to others as well. It is important though to not continue walking on the wrong path, hoping it will miraculously turn into the right one. The further we keep walking down the wrong path, the longer it may take, and the more difficult it may be for us to find our way back to the right path.

My prayer for us is that we will be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves*, and that our love may abound more and more, with knowledge, insight and discernment, so that we may approve the things that are more excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.**

 

 

 

*Matthew 10:16

**Philippians 1:9-10

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