LINK
Solomon talks about the purpose of the Book of Proverbs in chapter 1 v. 2
"THE PURPOSE OF THE PROVERBS IS TO
GUIDED THE PEOPLE AND GAVE THEM WISDOM,
TO HELP THEM DISTINGUISH
BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG.”
The Book of Proverbs must, among other things, train people's discernment so that we can learn to distinguish between right and wrong.
Many probably take the ability to distinguish between good and evil as a matter of course, but the development of society in recent years has probably taught us that it is possible for even well-educated people and highly developed societies to lose the ability to distinguish. With the loss of discernment, the lie enters and takes a central place in social life, unjust legislation, unjust judgments, etc. as a result.
The Hebrew word for distinguishing used here in Proverbs 1:2 is bin בִּין
In the Book of Genesis, which in Hebrew is called Bereshit (in the beginning), one of the central things is that God distinguishes. God makes a distinction between light and darkness, between the waters, and finally he also divides Adam to be the man and the woman, who can then become one flesh.
God's distinction is part of the creative process itself. Skel secures us against chaos, death and darkness.
In Hebrew thought, the ability to distinguish between good and evil is also crucial to understanding something.
You must be able to see the difference between things in order to understand and have insight.
It is the ability to distinguish that gives insight. The most important thing in music is the breaks. If you can't tell the difference, you can't hear the melody.
Sometimes it is probably the will to distinguish between good and evil that is the problem.
In the social debate, the unwillingness to see the nuances sometimes leads to personal attacks and intolerance, where one tries to remove opponents from the public debate. But as the English pastor and Bible teacher Peter Prothero has said, tolerance is not about being able to tolerate those you agree with, but about being able to tolerate people you disagree with.
What is it like when you talk to someone? Are you listening? Are you only trying to win the discussion, or are you also trying to listen to your opponent's case yourself in order to become better at discerning.
Have a blessed day!
