March 14, 2023

Job 12: 11 “Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food?” (NIV)

If a man is not to judge at all, how shall he know which teachers to follow and which to reject? If a man is not to judge at all, how will he discern what is truth and what is a lie?*

When I renewed my membership in Weight Watchers, it reminded me of a sad fact about food: the food that tastes the best is not usually the food that is best for us. So while my tongue has – shall we say – discriminating taste, it is not the best judge of what I should be eating. Likewise, our ears hear sounds that our brain translates into words but our ears aren’t very reliable in helping us to discern truth. Our tongues may be able to distinguish between fresh food and food that has passed its “sell by” date; and our ears may be able to pick up on the insincerity of another’s words, but decisions about wholesome food and the truth of words require input from other sources.

But perhaps ears and tongues weren’t Job’s point at all. What those body parts have in common is their ability to make judgments. For some, being called “judgmental” is like a curse. But the truth is, we are all judgmental in some way or another. We have to be. How else will we know what tastes good, where it is safe to go, who we should associate with? Every decision we make is preceded by a judgment call. A fine tuned sense of discernment is crucial for the Christian as we distinguish between truth and false doctrine; good and evil; God’s will and selfish desire.

We may think we shouldn’t make judgments about other people but Jesus said otherwise. He warned us that judging others was dangerous; that we would be judged by whatever measure we used on others (Matthew 7: 1 and 2). But he also went on to say that we shouldn’t give what is sacred to dogs or throw pearls to the pigs (Matthew 7: 6); to watch for false prophets (Matthew 7: 15); and that we will recognize people by their fruits (Matthew 7: 20). You can’t do all that without being judgmental!

Yes, Job. We use our senses to determine what tastes good, or what others are saying, but precise discernment comes from knowing the truth. Jesus, of course, is the Truth who has shown us by what measure we should judge others. 

God never gives us discernment that we may criticize, but that we may intercede.*