In
2 Samuel 14:15-17, the woman whom Joab engaged from Tekoa continued to finish her
fictitious story. Her aim was to make David believe that her claims were real.
However, David saw through her fake story about what she was driving at. He
suspected that Joab was behind her ruse. He then questioned the woman asking
her to answer him honestly. David pointedly asked if Joab was behind everything
that she had just done. Knowing that her ruse had been uncovered, and she could
no longer bluff the king, she admitted honestly. She told the king that it was
indeed Joab who had masterminded the whole matter. What is interesting was her
ability to prevent the king from exploding in anger. She wisely praised the
king for his sagacity and ability to discern and see through her story to the
purpose of her mission. She then plainly revealed that it was Joab who had
engaged her to do all that she had done.
From
an account like this, we see how important it is in life to be discerning.
Notice how David was first misled into thinking that the woman’s fictitious
story was real. He was genuinely interested to help the woman out of her
supposed predicament. What’s important in this account is that finally, David
was able to see through her ruse and discerned that she was only a mouthpiece
for a mastermind behind her fake story. So he asked her if it was Joab, and had
her confirmation that it was indeed him. With discernment, David was able to
see through everything to identify what the woman was doing. In other words, he
was discerning.
Simply
put, discernment is the ability to identify and grasp a truth from the obscure.
Discernment is something we can nurture with the help of God. It is what every
Christian needs more than ever today. Why? It is because we are living in an
insincere, over-communicated world, overloaded with both true and false information.
To live effectively, we need to be able to identify between what is genuine and
what is spurious; what is needed, and what is not. Besides, as Christians, we
need to discern and differentiate
between what is of God and what is not. This will help us to be more perceptive
and not to be taken in by everything that is hocus-pocus. Paul’s words in 2
Timothy 3:13 alerts us to the fact that in the last days that “…evil men and impostors will
proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” Mistaken zeal has led many well-intentioned
Christians to run helter-skelter down different rabbit holes, seeking and
searching for falsely perceived needs. One thing that can help us to
cultivate discernment and perceptiveness is the Word of God. Every one of us
must read, study, reflect, meditate, memorize, and apply the principles of
God’s Word. The more adept we are with the Word of God, the more able we are to
discern between what is true and what is not. We will then be able to choose
right and live to please the Lord. Jesus’ words to Martha in Luke 10:42 still
rings true today. He said, “One thing is needful, and Mary had chosen the good
part that shall not be taken from her.” Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet,
listening to His Word. Like her, we must take time to sit with Jesus and be
filled with His Word. This is a definite way to nurture discernment and be enabled to live discerningly.
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