Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 25:1-34 (day four)
In our last chapter, David demonstrated discernment of God’s direction over the counsel of his men. This week, in chapter 25, we have several examples of people demonstrating discernment. The first were the young men who worked for Nabal. They recognized Nabal’s foolishness and wisely informed Abigail of his folly. Abigail exercised discernment when she intervened for her husband with David. David recognized that Abigail’s counsel, unlike his men in the cave, was accurate to God’s directions. David blessed her for her discernment. (v. 33) Discernment is accurately seeing the truth of a situation, regardless of the competing noise of bad counsel.
How do we learn discernment? John MacArthur has said, “Through the Holy Spirit, God dispenses His wisdom to believers. His Word is so comprehensive, so effective, and so complete that, 1 Corinthians 2:15 says, believers can judge ‘all things.’ Christians who know Scripture can have such a comprehensive ability to discern things because they have ‘the mind of Christ.’”
Discernment is a skill. I truly believe that having knowledge of something and having personal connection and experience of the Subject can help us with discernment ability.
Believers, who know and understand Scripture, should have the ability to discern, judge, evaluate or understand spiritual matters better than non-believers; therefore should have the ability to differentiate between right and wrong, righteous and evil, moral and immoral, ethical and unethical or to discern make-or-break situations and can execute decisions that are righteous and can be a blessing to self and others.
Abigail was a blessing to her husband and to those who surrounded her. She was humbled and was able to discern the make-or-break situation and took the right actions to avoid disaster for her husband and his men. Very wise and determined woman indeed! She was an active and submissive type of woman!
I am totally in agreement with this statement, “Christians who know Scripture can have such a comprehensive ability to discern things because they have ‘the mind of Christ.’” True Christians have the ability to discern the truth from falsehood. They act spiritually and have the “mind of Christ” for sure!