Prov 2 Godly Wisdom (Pt 3) and Discernment for the Upright

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IV. God stores up and gives wisdom to the upright 2:7  Thus wisdom/discernment vs knowledge, is a moral/character spiritual issue

A. Spiritual Discernment is being guided by the HS to view things: (alleged) facts-truths/events/circumstances from His perspective and values rather than our own, the world's (satan's), or majority tradition. Discernment is a function of seasoned maturity Heb 5

B. We must develop the mind of Christ (Spirit of God uses the Word of God to produce in us the Mind (values & actions {feelings?}) of Christ

C. Eph 5 not foolish but understanding (suniemi) the will of the Lord; Mt 13:23 hears the word,  understands 4920 it;  bears fruit

Php 1:9 pray, that your love may abound more and more by/in epiknowledge and all discernment/perception/insight {scent} (Gen 2:9 tree, Pr 1:22, 2:10 ) 10 That you may manifest/dokimadzo the excellent/value; that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ;

D. Obedience before Success (Josh 1:8-9) Pr 2:1 My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you,  2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;  3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly 8 He guards the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints. 9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path. 10 When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, 11 Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you,

E. Understanding trains discernment 1Kg 3:9 Give Your servant an understanding heart to judge, that I may discern 'twn good and bad:

Heb 5:14 strong meat belongs to them that are mature, who by reason of use have their senses trained to discern both good and evil.

Heb 4:12 word of God is living, powerful, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thots and intents of the heart

Ignatian Discernment (6 GC 2015 - # 07. 1): Indifference...rational...values...feelings.  It provides the opportunity for evaluating activities in solitude with God and oneself. It trains one to listen to the Spirit and to find God at work in the sacrament of the present moment. The focus of each one’s daily life must remain fixed on the purpose that drives our lives.

Discernment in daily life involves us in a process of sifting thru our daily experiences and reflecting regularly on our affective responses to God and to life and its events. It is a process of noting situations and events in which we experience joy or sorrow, peace or turmoil, attractions or revulsions, an opening out to others or a narrowing in on ourselves; and a sense of God's presence or absence. Discernment is concerned with two options or values which appear to be morally good. The process aims at determining what is the right or better choice in particular given circumstances. Discernment is about more significant areas of our affective life which can be evoked by events or people or by our inner thoughts, imagination and dreams. 1) If the direction or choice is toward God and people, then the source is the Holy Spirit. 2) If the direction or choice is away from God and people, then the source is the Evil Spirit.

F. Hate evil love Good  Pr 8:13 fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Ps 97:10 You who love the LORD, hate evil: He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.

Ps 139:21 Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? loathe those who rise up cx You? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies

Isa 11:2 Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord

Isa 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, 21Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. 24 their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.

Pr 13:13 Whoso despises the word shall be destroyed: but he that fears the commandment shall be rewarded.

Ps 81:15 The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him, But their fate would endure forever. 16 would have finest wheat

G. Carnal babes 1Cor 3:1 brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not with solid food; for you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal...like mere men?

1Cor 2:5 your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.  6 we (Apostles) speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew 10 But God has revealed them to us (Apostles) thru His Spirit. 12 we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know...freely given to us by God. 13 things we (Apostles) also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, interpreting spiritual truths to spiritual men. 14 But the natural man does not receive/accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned 15 he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one 16 But we (Apostles) have the mind of Christ

Jn 14:16 He will give you another Helper...abide with you forever --- 17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with (v23) you and will be in you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you

H. Challies: Spiritual Discernment is distinguishing between those words, deeds and appearances that are true and those that are false.

Mature believers should be able to identify and expose the spirit of satan, while all believers are exhorted that they must “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1),  cf prophecy must be tested before belief.

I/d worldliness/manufactured holiness (hypocrisy) vs true holiness-Christlikeness; settle disputes (counsel) make peace; will of God +/-