Reading Between the Lines

By Paul Chappell

My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge.

Proverbs 5:1-2

Operation Fortitude was one of the most important parts of the Allied war effort against Germany during the Second World War. Yet despite its importance, almost no one outside of what was called the London Controlling Section even knew of its existence. That’s because the purpose of Operation Fortitude was to deceive the Germans so they would not reinforce their defense at Normandy, which would be the site of the Allied invasion of Europe.

They intentionally leaked false information and planted misleading news stories, fed detailed copies of supposed invasion plans to known German spies and created elaborate phantom armies to confuse the German military about their true intentions. When the attack was actually launched in June of 1944, they continued their efforts, releasing stories to suggest it was only a diversion with the real invasion to follow later. The success of this secret operation contributed greatly to the victory over Germany.

Discretion is the ability to sort out truth from error. Someone defined it as the ability to read between the lines. Someone else pointed out the vital importance of discretion this way. “You get education when you carefully read the fine print on a contract. You get experience when you don’t.” God knows that we are facing a stream of temptation from Satan who is a great deceiver. To help protect us, He has given us His Word to teach us discretion.

By becoming familiar with the truth, we find it easier to recognize and reject error. This is why the acquisition of wisdom is so important—it goes hand in hand with developing discretion. As we grow in grace on our way toward Heaven we should be strengthening our skill at reading between the lines and avoiding the deception of the enemy.

Today’s Proverbs Precept:

Reading, studying, and memorizing Scripture will equip you to see through the lies of the enemy.