Discernment

1. Discernment
Job 28:28
28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord,
that is wisdom;
and to depart from evil is understanding.
So, what is Discernment?
Ability to Interpret Evidence.
Gen 27:22-23
22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt
him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are
the hands of Esau.
23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were
hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
Had all the facts but didn’t know how to order them.
Can be Clearly Proven before all parties.
Gen 31:31-32

2. 31 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was
afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force
thy daughters from me.
32 With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not
live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with
me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel
had stolen them.
Prove for all to see; discernment on display.
Discernment is Infallible from all sides.
Gen 38:24-25
24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it
was told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter in law hath
played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by
whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be
burnt.
25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father in
law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I with child:
and she said, Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the
signet, and bracelets, and staff.
If Judah has already discerned this pregnancy is evidence
of her guilt; she asks him to exercise more discernment
in discovering the other guilty party.

3. Proper discernment is applicable to all and most
important to be exercised in first person before pointing
to the public.
Is Not always Self-evident.
2Sam 19:34-35
34 And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live,
that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?
35 I am this day fourscore years old: and can I discern
between good and evil? can thy servant taste what I eat
or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing
men and singing women? wherefore then should thy
servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?
He knew how old he was, he knew better than to trust
his judgment of good and evil, he knew he was a burden
to his lord. I wish all men had that much Discernment.
-Is the missing streets signs for a fork in the
road.
1Kgs 3:9

4. 9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to
judge thy people, that I may discern between good and
bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
1Kgs 3:11
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this
thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast
asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine
enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to
discern judgment;
It is not enough to like one side over the other;
discernment understands why one side instead of the
other (the thing a drunk does not have).
-Forces the guilty to know his offence.
1Kgs 20:41-42
41 And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face;
and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the
prophets.
42 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because
thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed
to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life,
and thy people for his people.

5. It was not the prophet that is said to have discernment
but the guilty party.
-All is noise without Discernment.
Ezra 3:13
13 So that the people could not discern the noise of the
shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people:
for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise
was heard afar off.
-Discernment is needed to overcome Fear.
Job 4:15-16
15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my
flesh stood up:
16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof:
an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I
heard a voice, saying,
-First element of Discernment is knowing
something is wrong and not ignoring it.
Job 6:30

6. 30 Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste
discern perverse things?
-Lack of Discernment makes you a prey.
Prov 7:7
7 And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among
the youths, a young man void of understanding,
Prov 17:27-28
27 He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a
man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.
28 Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted
wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man
of understanding.
-Discernment is always connected with a
man under Authority.
Eccl 8:4-5
4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who
may say unto him, What doest thou?
5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil
thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and
judgment.

7. Ezek 44:22-24
22 Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor
her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of
the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a
priest before.
23 And they shall teach my people the difference
between the holy and profane, and cause them to
discern between the unclean and the clean.
24 And in controversy they shall stand in judgment;
and they shall judge it according to my judgments:
and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all
mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.
-God’s Discernment is to give mercy to the
innocent, not to the willingly ignorant.
Jonah 4:10-11
10 Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd,
for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it
grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:
11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein
are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot
discern between their right hand and their left hand; and
also much cattle?

8. Discernment is a reward from God for
exalting him in difficult times.
Mal 3:17-18
17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that
day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a
man spareth his own son that serveth him.
18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous
and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him
that serveth him not.
Mal 3:14-15
14 Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what
profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and
that we have walked mournfully before the
LORD of hosts?
15 And now we call the proud happy; yea, they
that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that
tempt God are even delivered.
Mal 3:16

9. Then they that feared the LORD spake often one
to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard
it, and a book of remembrance was written
before him for them that feared the LORD, and
that thought upon his name.
Earthly Discernment should give you desire
for spiritual Discernment.
Matt 16:3
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the
sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the
face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the
times?
Luke 12:56
56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky
and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern
this time?
Discernment is required to receive Spiritual
things from God.
1Cor 2:14

10. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither
can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned.
A Christian not using Discernment instead
of “receiving” things from God destroyers
himself.
1Cor 11:29
29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and
drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's
body.
A Christian given the ability to see the spirit
world disguised in the natural world.
1Cor 12:10
10 To another the working of miracles; to another
prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another
divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of
tongues:
“Discerning of spirits” is to be able to tell whether a thing is
of the Lord and whether it is not.

11. Spiritual discernment. After the New Testament is
completed, the Lord said, “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit
of prophecy,” implying that every Christian has some type of
gift of prophecy because the Holy Spirit will lead and “guide
you into all truth.”
Some people are going to be more gifted than others, and
those that are gifted will be able to take the Bible and
show you what is going to take place from the word of
God.
Ruckman, Dr. Peter S.. 1 - 2 Corinthians Commentary (The
Bible Believer's Commentary Series) (Kindle Locations 3955-
3960). BB Bookstore. Kindle Edition.
The Word of God that gives Discernment- is
superior to any man’s Discernment.
Heb 4:12
12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and
sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart.

12. Discernment gift to those who will teach the
whole council of God (the word of God),
diligently considering difficult passages.
Heb 5:12-14
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have
need that one teach you again which be the first principles
of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need
of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of
righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age,
even those who by reason of use have their senses
exercised to discern both good and evil.
2Pet 3:15-16
15 And account that the longsuffering of our
Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother
Paul also according to the wisdom given unto
him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of
these things; in which are some things hard to
be understood, which they that are unlearned

13. and unstable wrest, as they do also the other
scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Discernment a necessity of the fall, the
Devils deception.
Gen 3:5
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then
your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil.
1Cor 2:15
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he
himself is judged of no man.
1Thess 5:21
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.