Scripture Reference: Proverbs 20:18
“Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.”
Proverbs 20:18
As I read today’s Proverb, I immediately think about the previous verse in Proverbs 19:2, “Many are the plans of man, but it’s the purpose of the Lord that shall stand.” At the same time we know we make plans.
We need to make plans in our lives, with our families, and in our work, for what we’re going to do, and how we’re going to do that. So how do we make those plans in accordance with the purpose of God that will stand?
Solomon’s wise counsel in Proverbs 20:18 is so helpful because we’re reminded that plans are established by counsel, that it’s good to surround ourselves with others, and particularly others who are wise. How are we wise? We’re wise through the fear of God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10)
May we surround ourselves with others who give us wise counsel and may we by God’s grace be able to give wise guidance to those around us.
So let’s surround ourselves with other people who fear God, who worship God, who have wisdom flowing from God, and make our plans in accordance with counsel that we receive from others. I love this last phrase in Proverbs 20:18, “By wise guidance, wage war.”
Immediately, I’m reminded of one of my favorite war movies, the riveting flick, “Midway,” filmed nearly 50 years ago. Many of us would be much more familiar with the Japanese language had the US not been victorious in the battle of Midway.
On September 2, 1945, just four years after the devastating disaster at Pearl Harbor, Japanese Emperor Hirohito made the difficult but wise decision to surrender to US forces.
Although a decision to continue the war would mean national suicide, members of the Japanese military came close to refusing Emperor Hirohito's surrender order. Those of you who watched Midway remember it as a real nail biter.
Admiral Nimitz was faced with a decision that the counsel he got from his intelligence officers was the right counsel, and we know that it was, leading to victory. Whether he knew it or not, Nimitz was following Solomon’s counsel.
Having looked at Admiral Nimitz and the Battle of Midway, I think of another battle, where a general didn’t follow the counsel given him, and it cost him every soldier in his command. I’m referring, of course, to the “Battle of the Little Bighorn", where all 210 men of Custer’s 7th Cavalry lost their lives.
Just one example of how pride, arrogance and a determination to do things your way can lead to the worst outcome.
As we’ve learned not to wage war without counsel, I think about all kinds of examples where everyday, we make plans for our lives, our families, and in our work. It’s certainly a blessing to surround ourselves with wise counsel.
This makes me so thankful for the church. This makes me so thankful for brothers and sisters in Christ in my life who help me with decisions I make in my life, in my prison work, and in my family. I need the spirit of God and the wisdom of God and others around me. So do you. This is one of many reasons why every follower of Christ should be in a local church.
I don’t mean sitting in a seat every Sunday, but being involved in a community of brothers and sisters who we’re sharing life with and we’re able to receive counsel from. We’re able to glean from their wise guidance.
May Proverbs 20:18 inspire us to surround ourselves with proven wise counselors! Good advice is necessary for good decision-making, and good advice is only gotten from good counselors. Solomon here taught you to submit your major plans to the scrutiny and criticism of wise counselors, who can save you from disappointment and trouble. This is true wisdom – to deliberate before you act, and to establish your plans by wise counsel.
“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, for your proud and deceitful heart convinces you that your plans are quite good and certain to succeed” (Proverbs 16:2,25; 18:17; 21:2; 28:11; Jeremiah 17:9). You must use a multitude of counselors for safety (Proverbs 11:14; 15:22; 24:6).
It is sin (error) to be hasty in spirit, in speech, or in action (Proverbs 14:29; 29:20; 19:2). Haste is destructive, as it is said, haste makes waste (Proverb 21:5; 25:8). Paul condemned a sinful trait he called being heady, which is to impetuously and recklessly rush ahead in some activity or choice (1 Timothy 3:4).
Slow down to get counsel and good advice. If you are prone to be hasty and impulsive by temperament or training, you must doubly heed this warning.
But holding back in fear and worry is also foolish and will cost you, because you will miss the opportunities of gain and success that occur in every man’s life.
Paralysis by analysis is a curse of melancholies, and wise counselors can give you a kick or push to get you moving on a profitable course. Objective counselors can be a great asset.
If you neglect seeking counsel, you are foolish, lazy, or proud. If you reject counsel you have been given, you are rebellious or stubborn. If you avoid counsel for fear of criticism, your heart is already foolishly infatuated with a risky proposition – you are emotionally attached to your plan. Beware! It is foolish to get your heart involved before your head.
The only perfect counselor is the Lord (Isaiah 9:6). But He has not left you without other counselors. You have His perfect Word, which can make you wise (Psalm 19:7-11; 119:98-100). You have His ministers, who can be perfect counselors by His Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Malachi 2:7).
You have parents, who usually have much greater wisdom and experience, and they also have strong motivation to save you from trouble (Exodus 18:13-27). You have friends and brethren who are known for wisdom (Proverbs 20:25; 27:9-10; Acts 15:1-6).
You have pastors, elders and deacons who have been placed in your life as a solid source of counsel. What kind of counselors do you seek and use for your weighty decisions? Though older men are not always wise (Job 32:9), they generally are wiser (Job 12:12).
A believer is better than a pagan, if there are moral considerations; they should have God’s wisdom in their heart and the highest degree of concern for your safety and prosperity. Look for critical counselors for sure, for the landscape is littered with the corpses of optimists.
Solomon sought to teach his son Rehoboam this valuable piece of counsel, knowing that if he listened to the right people, his reign as King could be noteworthy. In a sorrowful manner, the entire kingdom of Israel was split into two separate nations, all because Rehoboam showed his foolishness by choosing the counsel of younger men, rather than his fathers, wiser, older men.
When a plan or purpose is established, it is made stable, secure, and permanent. It has a solid foundation for the future, and this is obtained by good counsel. When plans and purposes are pursued without good counsel, they are usually disappointed (Proverbs 15:22)...
"Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established."
How can you avoid the mistakes that so many make? By keeping this proverb diligently! Commit it to memory!
Merely seeking counsel to fulfill this proverb is not enough, for you must also listen to the advice and follow it. Otherwise, the whole mechanism of safety and success is violated and overthrown. As I just mentioned, Rehoboam sought counsel, but he rejected the advice of the wise men who had counseled his father (1 Kings 12:1-19). And he lost the kingdom for it.
A multitude of counselors is not needed for every decision, and you can see this by the inclusion of war in the proverb. War is the weightiest decision made by men, for it determines the lives and futures of whole nations and enormous hardships. It should only be pursued after thorough counsel from many angles (Luke 14:31-32). So the lesson does not apply to all decisions, but rather to larger ones with serious consequences and risk.
But matters like marriage are certainly worthy of counsel. The pain and consequences can be horrible; most people entering marriage have no experience at it, so they need the good advice of others (Proverbs 19:13).
An uninvolved third party can save you much grief in this decision, and he or she can probably spot potential problems more easily than you. Any person considering marriage should take advantage of solid Bible-based counseling before walking down the aisle.
Other matters like business ventures, employment changes, housing moves, health issues, child training, investment alternatives, and similar plans should be subject to counsel. Why would you rush ahead in such large decisions without seeking good advice? The consequences of mistakes in these decisions far outweigh the hurt pride of correction.
A multitude of counselors is wisest, for many advisors can give you much to consider from different perspectives and various experiences. Share their counsel with a wise man, and it will result in even better counsel; you will have leveraged counselors.
The bottom line should be found by considering the overall weight of answers, the answers of the wisest counselors, and the advice on the most important aspects of your plan or purpose.
Your choice to seek counsel takes time, so it requires discipline and patience, which will oppose your excitement and haste to get your neat idea moving forward. It also requires humility to ask others for their opinion, implying your need for their assistance.
Such caution is prudent discretion, and such humility is wisdom. Do not let anything convince you that you cannot afford the time or that you can make decisions better yourself. Young man, you need wise counsel more than most. Folly and vanity are bound in your heart; sober counsel can save you from trouble and pain. Older man, you are not above this lesson, for the hearts of all men are deceptively dangerous (Jeremiah 17:9). It is pride, not principle, which keeps you from seeking counsel and letting others test your plans.
The ultimate Counselor is the Holy Spirit, who guides you by the Bible, not feelings. He comes alongside us, everyday, as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105). If you submit your plans to the Lord, He will establish your thoughts (Proverbs 16:3; 3:5-6).
If your heart is in fellowship with Him, you can move ahead with plans, submitting all to His will (Proverbs 16:9; James 4:13-15).
The more you learn the word of God, the more wisdom you will have (Psalms 19:7-11; 119:98-100; Isaiah 8:20). The book of Proverbs is filled with the wisdom of the wisest man with the most experiences in life, and he wrote with the inspiration of God (Proverbs 1:1-9). The Lord Jesus Christ has all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and the closer you are walking with Him, the more wisdom you will have yourself (Colossians 2:8).
Father God, I pray that You would make me this kind of person in other’s lives. Lord, help me to give counsel and wise guidance that flows from the fear and worship of You.
God, I praise You. I praise You for people in my life who have given me counsel like this, who give me counsel like this even now in my life. I pray that You would surround each of us with godly brothers and sisters who will give us wise counsel and guidance as we make plans in accordance with Your purpose.
I pray that You would make all those reading this strive toward becoming wise counselors for others around us, pointing people to Your purpose as we fear and worship You. God, thank You.
Thank You for not leaving us alone. In the confusion of this world, we need wisdom and You promised to give it. You promised to give it from your hand, and You promised to give it through others.
All Glory be to Your name for Your provision of wisdom. So help us to make wise plans then in accordance with your purpose and light of counsel and wise guidance around us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
From: Fight the Good Fight of Faith & Life Journal: By Gregg Harris
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