“Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.” (Isaiah 32:1)
It is a true enough statement that: “People see what they want to see.” Evidence can always be found to bolster what we want to believe. Our verdict on any matter can fall very wide of the mark when we see what we want to see. We require little persuasion when our mind is already made up. Oh how desperately we need to see what God wants us to see!
Samuel was convinced that the Lord’s anointed was standing before him when he saw Eliab. But “the LORD seeth not as man seeth” (1 Sam. 16:7). If we are to judge correctly, coming to sound conclusions, making wise decisions, we cannot lean to our own understanding, seeing what we want to see. Humility and lowliness of mind would have us walk more softly and speak more slowly. “The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things” (Prov. 15:28).
When our heart is haughty and our eyes lofty we venture to speak of “great matters” and “things too high” for us. Waiting on the Lord requires us to hold a matter before Him with the expectation that He will give us light on it. Our feet will not move without Him; our mouth will not speak without Him. “The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD” (Prov. 16:1).
Though we sit in Solomon’s throne, we are but children, ill-equipped apart from the wisdom of God to judge any matter rightly. What is God looking for? “… But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word” (Isa. 66:2) Our feet go astray when God’s way is higher than ours. Our speech goes astray when His thoughts are higher than ours. Let us pray: “Lord, I don’t want to see what I want to see. I want to see only what You want me to see.”
God forbid we love our own insights, and mistake them for the truth as God sees it. No one needs our opinion. Everyone needs God’s truth. Love having God’s judgment in your goings. He who sits on the highest throne, wants His princes to rule in judgment. He is delighted when we see what He sees, unclouded and uncorrupted by our own or anyone else’s judgment. He loves when we speak only what we have heard from Him.
“Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right” (Prov. 16:13).
“He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend” (Prov. 22:11)