RHEMA 3/14/12  WORD PICTURE OF DISCERNMENT

I laughed when I saw this cartoon! This is a perfect Word picture of what it means to discern! The truth of discerning is that it HAS to go beyond words, beyond life experiences and what our human eyes and ears tell us. When a person is blind and they cant see what they are dealing with, they develop other senses that come to the forefront. Smelling is the parable of discerning.

I am reminded of the hound dogs that can catch a prey without knowing where, they simply follow their noses.

RESPONSE FROM A QW MEMBER:

I've always loved how Watchman Nee explained this:

Song of Songs 7:4  Watchman Nee

Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus

“The nose has not been spoken of until now. The faculty of smell is found only with the mature ones. In spiritual matters, many have bright eyes and sensitive ears. But not many have a nose that can smell. This sense does not come from spoken words or visible things; it is an inward ability that reaches beyond senses and words, which enables a person to differentiate good and bad smells. This is a kind of spiritual intuition that enables a person to identify the things that are of God. It is not by reason or logic, but by a spontaneous and inwardly accurate feeling, which enables a person to discern spiritual matters. At the same time, this olfactory sense enables a person to identify bad smells as well. Many teachings cannot be considered wrong, and many people have nothing that others can find fault with, yet you sense that something is off. This sense is what the nose is all about. "Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus." This speaks of its height and sharpness. Today there are too many Christians with a flat nose.”  (End Watchman Nee)