“When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: to deliver thee from . . . evil” (Proverbs 2: 10-12 KJV).
Discretion is the ability, due to one’s wisdom and knowledge, to see the difference between the true and the false that seem similar and choose the true. Discretion is the faculty of discrimination; to make a judgment of and mark the difference or distinction between things by some note or mark. Discretion is the ability to distinguish between two things that seem to be exactly alike.
There is both good and evil in this world, and we need to be able to discern between the two and choose the good. Sometimes evil is camouflaged and appears as good, but if we have good discretion, we can see through its camouflage, choose the good, and be delivered from evil. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25 KJV).
If evil were obviously evil and not, as is usual, camouflaged to look good, we could, without any discretion, see the difference between the two and would hopefully choose the good.
But because evil comes camouflaged for the purpose of deceiving, misleading, and entrapping in order to corrupt and destroy, we must see the difference between what seems to be good and what is truly good, choose the truly good, and deliver ourselves from the enemy’s deception.
It is like those two pictures in the newspaper that are almost exactly alike, but upon careful examination, you find the seven small things that make them different.
Some people have better discernment than others. Some have a power of discernment that is fine-tuned and can see quickly and clearly the difference between two things that appear the same to the untrained person. It is to them we go when we are not sure if there is a difference.
Good discretion comes from adopting a biblical point of view. With biblical knowledge and understanding of God’s principles and standards for living, we can discern evil, deliver ourselves from it, and walk the high road.
A trap does not work unless it is camouflaged to make it look normal and safe. Evil does not work unless it is camouflaged to look normal and safe. But just as the discerning eye of the woodsman can see a trap, the mature Christian can see the evil hidden behind what seems to be good and harmless and avoid it.
