Even a Fool is Considered Wise…

…when he keeps silent!

It seems that my expectations are met about half of the time when it comes to where I believe a topic is going to lead.

Sorry, it probably feels like I started the conversation about halfway through…

I seldom begin a post with the idea that something I believe to be true or right needs to be communicated, and so I am going to “get the word out”. I instead have learned to wait on the Lord (that is not as spooky as it might sound), to stay in His word and to wait until something I read (or recall) sticks out to me as worth pursuing.

It is not unlike having an itch on your back and asking someone scratch it for you. If you are like me the spot seems to move around until either I accept “good enough” or until I am fully relieved. There comes a moment when a thread I tug or an “itch I scratch” resonates within me and I pursue the topic.

Once defined, I cannot seem to help but have, in the back of my mind at least, an idea of what I will find. This is the result of years of study, or maybe just the root cause of why the topic “jumped out at me” in the first place.

What has been extremely rewarding then, is the statement I made up top: about half of the time, the expectations of where the thread will take us come to pass. Meaning – about half the time I end up somewhere totally unexpected! And I have learned to absolutely love that experience. Why? I guess it is because the entire genesis of these writings was the challenge I believe the Lord gave me to unbridle myself from everything I thought I knew about His plan and discover it as if for the first time.

I hope that doesn’t make it sound like I am just willy-nilly bouncing or chaotically stumbling around. I believe that there are rules of hermeneutics that should be followed, and I do my best to stay true to them. So, it is not the means that are unexpected, but the ends that often surprise me. Despite (or maybe because of) that, once a thread has been pointed out, I do my best to follow it back to wear it is anchored.

All that to say, today’s thread is one of those unexpected outcomes.

The thread (or itch) began in a discussion (okay, discussions) regarding the current events in our country and the divisiveness that has seemed to continue to become more stark and contentious over the years. And the associated assertion that we, as disciples of Christ, being led by His Spirit, should rely on His judgment and assessment of what is right and wrong.

And so I began to justify that conviction by searching for those promises that would support the premise…and those that would refute it. My history would suggest that Jesus’ first coming – Him becoming a baby – was to bring peace on the earth (that is of course what the heavenly host proclaimed…though I seem to remember a qualifier).

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace among men of good will.” Luke 2:14

So actually two qualifiers: first things first – Recognizing that God is worthy of praise and honor and giving them to Him. And then understanding that the resulting peace is with and for those of “good will”.

The structure of the well-known phrase is quite interesting actually. The root word for both “glory” and “good-will” or “pleasing” is the Greek word “dokeō” which means “to have an opinion, to seem”. It would therefore read just as well as: ‘If you have a high opinion of God most high, He will have a high opinion of you, bringing peace.’ But then that doesn’t “sing out” as well.

[I understand that giving attention to seemingly unimportant philological or etymological concepts can be tedious, even unsettling. Some even treat it as an attempt to undermine the conviction that the Bible is Divinely inspired. For me it is just the opposite.

Putting the word of God into the hands of the people of God so that the whole of the body of Christ could participate in the understanding of the doctrines and principles of Christianity (as opposed to only the “professionals”) cost William Tyndale his life. Making sure that subsequent translations have been submissive to the Spirit of God seems to me a matter of stewardship…that our modern tools enable us each to do that with relative ease is a wonderous blessing!]

But then, maybe more to the point, (or counterpoint):

“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and what do I wish if it were already kindled? But I have a dipping to be emersed in, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division…” Luke 12:49-51

He Himself declares that He did not “come to give peace on earth…but rather division” and then goes on to challenge those listening:

“And why do you not even on your own initiative judge what it right?” Luke 12:57

So, He expects us to understand the truth (“what is right” comes from a word that means “correct, righteous, by implication innocent” and that comes from the primary word “dikē” that means “right (as in self-evident), justice (the principle, a decision or its execution)”) and with that understanding, to decide how to behave.

Jesus, in this passage, had just pointed out:

“When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say. ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. And when a south wind blows, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze (test, approve) the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how do you not analyze this present time?” Luke 12:54-56

(By the way, the word “hypocrite” is a compound word in the Greek that when broken down means “to judge or decide from under” and was used to describe an actor or pretender. The picture is one who receives his cue from someone off-stage and then speaks the line as if it were his own. So, Jesus is telling those of that day that they should not need to be prompted with their lines but should have the understanding necessary to not only speak what is true, but to do so because they have, in themselves, the insight required to do so! We are to now the time and season even if we don’t know the day and hour.

If you, like me, feel challenged by His assessment, I expect you too are asking for help to gain the understanding, insight, wisdom and even the knowledge to meet His expectation.

We were told by Him, in this same setting but earlier in the conversation, of a means:

“When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” Luke 12:11-12

We are told also that He (the Holly Spirit) will lead us into all truth:

“But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak of His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak and He will disclose to you what is to come.” John 16:13

Paul, in his letter to those in Corinth, while encouraging them to fellowship in a way that honors Christ and strengthens one another, describes the dynamics of what that fellowship could and should look like. In the midst of that encouragement, he points out that it is really not intended by God for us to live the life of a disciple in our own strength and wisdom. That we not only need one another, but – first and foremost – we need the Spirit of God.

In what to us might seem like an odd segue, Paul points out what must have been a known issue to those in Corinth (a city that was a center for pagan forms of worship):

You know that when you were pagans, led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is anathema”; and no one can say “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 1Cor.12:2-3

Simply put, Paul is differentiating what must have become a common or at least growing concept in the Grecian cities under Rome, that Jesus was a “minor god in the Roman pantheon”. It is even possible that this very idea was the result of Paul’s second trip – the one that took him to Corinth (note: “however you were led”).

If we recall, Paul stopped over in Athens and began preaching in the synagogue and in the marketplace. The Greeks first reaction was to consider him a babbler or to accept that he was teaching about “some strange deities” (see Acts 17:17ff). He then went to the forum on Mars Hill and references seeing the statue to the unknown god and began to reason with them – that Jesus and the Father were the unknown Gods that they (the Greeks) desired to come to know. (By the way, we are told that this method was not as effective as Paul had hoped.)

And so, it is quite likely that Paul is correcting a misconception that had continued to develop in that region since he was there, a misconception that he had, at least in part, fostered.

The standard that Paul is pointing to is the standard of the Holy Spirit. The issue is that of faith; of conviction and confidence. That Jesus was considered to be a minor god to whom offerings should be given (the classical meaning of the word “anathema”) is contrary to the Spirit of God. And the complementary concept, that only those who have been born of the Spirit will believe (and speak out) that Jesus is the Lord, is also declared.

This declaration and clarification were necessary in order for Paul to move on to the importance of how the fellowship of the believers in Jesus as Lord, were enabled to fulfill their destiny in Christ.

To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good; to each one of those born of the Spirit. They each have been gifted with something from the Spirit that is clearly visible and identifiable. And, that that giving of gifts, is for the common good – that which, when combined together, proves to be beneficial for all!

In this letter, Paul enumerates nine differing, “clearly visible and identifiable” gifts. He does similar enumerations in his letter to those in Ephesus and those in Rome (the letter to Rome being written at about the same time as this one to the Corinthians). He ends this enumeration by reinforcing that:

…one and the same Spirit works all these, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. For just as the (human) body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 1Cor.12:11-12

And as we remember, after spending adequate time describing the “two sides of the same coin” aspects of one body made up of differing members…Paul goes on to describe the more excellent way: Love (the word is “agapē” which is the noun form of “agapaō” that is used to describe the love that God shows to His created order)!

Backing up just a bit: of the gifts Paul notes, is one that is stated as “the distinguishing or discerning of spirits”. The word here is “diakrisis” it is a variation of “diakrinō” which harkens back to what we read above with Jesus encouraging us all to have: the initiative to “judge and decide” (“krinō”). And this gift is in regard to a very specific expression of judgment – that which is having to do with the spirit behind or motivating an action, word or behavior. (I know that that language can cause people’s radar to blip, but we need to remember that our warfare is a spiritual one!)

But to be clear, this is not – as the context proves – expected to be a gift to all of the members of the body, but to those to whom it has been given as a clearly visible and identifiable aspect of the One Spirit working in each of us for the common good.

So…what about the rest – those to whom this variety of gift has not been given? How would Jesus expect us/them to discern? How can we/they not be found as “hupokritēs”, to just be repeating a line prompted from off-stage?

It would seem, that to us/them there is an ancillary means by which we can speak from our own hearts and faith with clarity of understanding. And if there is any lingering doubt about that possibility I would like to call out two points.

The first is also from Paul. In an earlier section of the letter we have been referencing he addresses another development that he felt strongly was driving them apart from each other, rather than bringing them together in unity.

The people of faith were struggling with their relationships to the degree that they were actually taking each other to court – courts that were occupied by the unrighteous (the word is “adikos” it is the word “dikē” with the negative prefix in front – so, “not right (as in self-evident), not justice (the principle, a decision or its execution)” – instead of presenting the issue before the holy ones.

Paul goes on with what can best be described as a treatise on the superiority of relying on those who have been shown the truth and have been freed from the slander and lies of the enemy of our souls rather than on the law courts and judges that a fallen, broken world can seat.

He then challenges them:

So, there is not one among you who will be able to decide between his brethren, but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers. Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 1Cor.6:7

The second point comes from an idea as it is circulated through the rest of the New Testament and back to the Old as well. The language centers more on the lack (or maybe even opposite) of having the ability to discern or assess or judge as being the challenge – insinuating that the stasis of being born of the Spirit is the ability for right judgment; that to fail to do so suggests the deficiency from the norm.

Take Jesus’ words to His disciples, who were amazed after seeing the fig tree withered as a result of His cursing it.

Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt (our word “diakrinō”), you will not only do what was done to this fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will come into being. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matt.21:21-22

So if I read this right, Jesus is warning them that the same ability to discern those things of the world, can become the inability to experience the fullness of His promises, the answer to prayers!

Hold on…how can that be?

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and does not reproach, and it will be given to him, But he must ask in faith without any doubting (“daikrinō”) for the one who doubts (“daikrinō”) is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord; double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:5-8

It seems to me that both of these passages on prayer and their answers are focused on the act of judgment being a hinderance to the purposes of God! (And so, back to my opening: I did not see this coming at all!)

If I am understanding His Word correctly, there is a standard that exists that we can stray from in either of two directions. On the one side, if we are too assured of our ability to look right, sound right and be right, then we lack the ability to truly judge our absolute dependence on Him. Or maybe better said: if we hold, with confidence, that our own standard of truth is enough to honor Him, we are susceptible to being drawn astray. But if we over-think, over-analyze, or over-reason His promptings and leadings, we will drift on the ocean like a ship without a rudder. And again, maybe better said: if we absolutely trust in the Truth of Who He is, then what, from earth, seems impossible is, in fact, an undeniable reality.

So discernment, the ability to distinguish and judge, may not be as much of an intuition as it is a compass point, or the bubble on the level, or the plumb-line.

---

For confirmation of any broad topic, there is always good reason to look to the rest of the Bible. As it so happens (but of no surprise) the concept is indeed found in the Old Testament as well. The primary word that seems best to parallel “daikrinō” is the word “bin” which means “to discern, understand”.

For purposes of focus, since the word is found over 150 times in the OT, I decided that I would narrow the search to the books of poetry (79 uses) and then to the Psalms. Within the book of Psalms, just shy of half of the occurrences of “bin” are found in the 119^th Psalm – which, with its 176 verses, still makes it a fairly insightful source for review. I have listed all of them together.

Make me understand the way of your precepts, so I will meditate on Your wonders. v27

Give me understanding, that I may observe Your law and keep it with my whole heart. v34

Your hands made me and established me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. v73

The wicked wait for me to destroy me; I shall diligently consider Your testimonies. v95

I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Your precepts. v100

From Your precepts I get understanding; therefore, I hate every false way. v104

I am Your servant; give me understanding, that I may know Your testimonies. v125

The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. v130

Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live. v144

Let me cry come before You, O LORD; give me understanding according to Your word. v169

As you all likely know, the beauty of Psalm 119 is not only found in the acrostic layout, in the order of the Hebrew alphabet, but in its focus on the words of God. Each line including at least one acknowledgment of the importance of His laws.

Within the selections that also point to discernment and understanding are the words that point to the Truth: “precepts” (the word is “piqqud” which comes from the word “paqad” which speaks of giving attention to something); “law” which is the “torah” and means “direction or instruction”; “commandments” – “mitsvah” which comes from “tsavah” and means “to lay charge uopon or give charge to, command, order”; “testimonies” which comes from a word that indicates repeating or recalling a story; and “words”, which indicates those actually spoken by the LORD.

And if that were not enough a quick search of Proverbs, the book of Wisdom, adds to the overwhelmingly strong doctrine that I believe defines the standard from which our ability to discern, judge, decide and understand can and must come. (I have included just a few of the 29 instances.)

To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, to receive instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice, and equity; to give prudence to the naïve, to the youth, knowledge and discretion, a wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Prov.1:2-7

My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, make your ears attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, give your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasure; then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity in every good course. Prov.2:1-9

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips he is considered prudent. Prov,17:28

Evil men do not understand justice but those who seek the Lord understand all things. Prov.28:5

And so, it seems to me that we can keep ourselves centered on the Truth that is His word, leaning on His Spirit to bring clarity to the complete revelation that He has given us. That we should consistently prompt and challenge and engage in discussions with others of the body of Christ, those whose gifts differ from our own, about the wisdom and knowledge and understanding that we have discovered in our meditations. That our greatest risk comes not from a lack of understanding or discernment itself, but from our taking our eyes of the target, the centerline, the True north and therefore drifting to the right or left.

I think the best illustration of this is found in the conversation Jesus had with those who desired to be counted among His disciples. He tells the one that He has no place to lay His head. One whom He calls seeks permission to bury his father (the language suggests that the father had yet to die), and he is told to let the dead bury their own –

“…but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is ready, well-placed for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:60b-62

Have you ever noticed how your body follows your eyes? That, no matter how hard you try to stay on course, looking to the left (or right or behind) causes you to drift? That is precisely what Jesus is addressing. The advice: keep your eye on the mark at the end of the row and you will plow a straight furrow; shift your eyes to either side and your furrow will also drift, and your efforts will be less productive. Drifting one way takes us toward self-dependence; drifting the other causes us to be unsure of His faithfulness. Staying on course, being as our new birth enabled us to be, allows us to discern, judge, decide, and understand what is right and to walk that path without wavering.

Or as Joshua put it, near the end of his life:

Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you will not go among these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make oaths or serve them, or bow down to them. But you are to cling to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. Joshua 23:6-8