THE WAY OF DISCERNMENT

*Sam Findley decided it was time to retire from his garment business, so called in his son Mervyn and gave him the news and a bit of advice. “Son, it’s all yours. I’ve made a success of this business because of two principles – reliability and wisdom. First, take reliability. If you promise goods by the tenth of month, you must deliver by the tenth even if it costs you overtime, double time, golden time. You deliver what you promise.”
Mervyn thought about this for a moment and then asked, “But what about wisdom?” His father shot back at him, “Wisdom is never making such a stupid promise!”

*Another thought about wise discernment. A reporter was interviewing an African safari guide. He asked, “Is it true that jungle animals won’t harm you if you carry a torch?
The guide replied, “That depends on how fast you can carry it.”

*In most cases, wisdom is a matter of practicality; what works to achieve the desired result. Such was the type of wisdom that scripture attributes to King Solomon. Solomon wanted to be practically faithful to God’s will.

*Indeed, King Solomon’s wisdom is legendary in scripture. Today’s passage reveals the source of Solomon’s wisdom; it came from God. These verses before us serve as the bridge narrative from David to Solomon in Israel’s history. David is dead. Solomon is now the King. Now, the young new king must decide what type of King he shall be. Solomon asks Yahweh for the WISDOM TO KNOW HOW to live out the life that he has been appointed to live.
1.    This is what verse 7c is all about when Solomon admits he doesn’t know “…how to go out or come in.” This is a stock phrase in Hebrew and is a reference to how one should live out the duties he or she is responsible for in life.
2.    In effect, Solomon is admitting that he needs God to discern the right path to live out his life in a way that is pleasing to God.

*Solomon’s words reveal that he loves God and understands that he cannot be the King that God intends him to be, the King of God’s chosen people, without the wisdom that can only come from Yahweh.
•    Solomon cannot be a King pleasing in God’s eyes without the power of God’s discernment!

*Part of what makes this narrative so interesting is that Solomon’s answer to God’s question, “Ask what I should give you.” in verse 5 is not the answer we would expect.
1.    No request for a long life.
2.    No plea for wealth.
3.    No request for the death and defeat of his enemies.

*In these verses, we see that the true path of wisdom is to seek God’s Will. Wisdom is the pursuit of God’s Will in this life and not the pursuit of selfish things that meet our wants and desires. True wise discernment is the act of choosing between right and wrong as they are revealed by God.

*Accordingly, because young Solomon chose the path of discerning wisdom, and not selfish ambition, God promised to reward him with exactly those things we would expect Solomon to desire:
1.    Long life
2.    Wealth
3.    Success against his opponents
In practical terms, what Solomon did was choose God over against himself. He chose to follow obedience to God over his own advancement. Yet, in the end, Solomon was actually given what he no doubt wanted.

*There is a powerful lesson revealed in this narrative. While it may sometimes seem as though obedience to God is a sacrifice, in truth obedience to God will actually deliver our deepest desires and fondest hopes for what really makes us satisfied and happy in life.

*In and of itself this revelation alone makes this narrative important to us. However, there is actually something more in this narrative. In verse 12 Yahweh offers a promise to Solomon, and in turn to each of us today, that is potentially life changing:
•    If we but turn to seek and discern what is wise and pleasing according to God’s will, God WILL in fact provide us with the necessary power to truly discern between right and wrong in an absolute sense.
•    We can take incredible comfort in knowing that God helps us to see the difference between right and wrong through his divine eyes beyond and deeper than our limited sight.

*This narrative which outwardly is about defining what type of King Solomon will be in reality also reveals something for each of us.
1.    We are called to choose the path of discernment in life, AND that when we make that choice God will provide us with the wisdom we truly need to genuinely discern between right and wrong.

*In abstract and theological terms this narrative does a marvelous balancing act between the unconditional promise of blessing Yahweh had given to King David, and to his heirs, and the conditional reality that our human experience tells us is a part of every faith decision.
•    This is to say that, yes we are called in some meaningful way to actively choose God in our lives. We need to make a commitment to faith.
•    However, at the very same time we are given the amazing and astonishing unconditional promise that God will provide us with the necessary wisdom to in fact follow the way of true discernment in life.
•    Simply put, when we trust in God, we can trust that we can truly discern right from wrong!
•    WE CAN KNOW HOW TO LIVE AND WE CAN LIVE THAT WAY!

*Without question this text speaks a powerful word of revelation to us today. In a time of when relative truth and contingent truth seem to be the order of the day, scripture assures us that there is absolute truth. When it is right in God’s sight, it is always right. When it is wrong it is always wrong.
•    We can be confident that when we choose the path of discernment according to God’s revealed truth we are right – even when our way is not popular with the world.

*We know that we live in a world today that is distrustful of absolutes and discourages us from seeking to discern absolute, or transcendent, right and absolute wrong. We are encouraged to follow the way of relativism.
•    Encouraged to only to follow the way of what is deemed culturally acceptable.
•    Encouraged to follow the way of discounting transcendent and revealed truth and simply follow the way of the world.

*Yet, too often, this way of the world is contrary to God’s way. We can point to example after example of this:
1.    The politically correct movement is a perfect example. The underlying motivation within politically correct thought is the naïve notion that we should not offend anybody or say anything that hurts the feelings of another. (I am height enhanced, not TALL, She is vertically challenged, not SHORT)
2.    Even though it may be well intentioned PC thought is often misleading and deceitful. Even though it may have good intentions, when it is misleading or deceitful, PC thought is not scriptural.
3.    Reality is often abrasive and difficult to accept. Truth is often harsh and jarring. The Bible never shies away from the truth. Scripture offers us example after example of God’s truth offending the world:
•    Moses offended Pharaoh
•    Nathan offended David
•    Amos offended the Kings of Israel
•    Isaiah offended the Kings of Judah
•    John the Baptist offended Herod’s wife
•    Jesus offended the Scribes and Pharisees
•    The Apostle Paul offended Jew and Gentile alike

*What about us? Have you offended anybody by discerning what is right and wrong and giving voice and witness to the truth? In your life today, is there an opportunity for you to stand against the grain and give witness to God’s right and wrong? As we leave this sanctuary this morning, which way is the path of discernment and truth?

*Faced with the circumstances of our lives, each of us must make our way each day. May we join with young king Solomon and ask God to grant us the way of discernment according to God’s revealed right and wrong. May we also old in our hearts and minds the promise of verse 12 in this passage, God has promised to provide us with the wisdom we need.

*So may it be for us. Amen.


Reverend Marc V. Mason
Trinity Presbyterian Church
August 16, 2009
Travelers Rest, SC