God’s Word and the Counsel of Others - Proverbs 11-12

Proverbs 11:14

Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Solomon has a lot to say about making plans. In Proverbs 15:22 he tells us to make sure we have other advisors to our plans and without them, plans may fail. 

Proverbs 15:22 (ESV)

Without counsel plans fail,

but with many advisers they succeed.

In Proverbs 20:18 and Proverbs 24:6 he further recommends that we seek others input before we move into a plan. 

Proverbs 20:18 (ESV)

Plans are established by counsel;

by wise guidance wage war.

Proverbs 24:6 (ESV)

for by wise guidance you can wage your war,

and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

There is much to learn in these proverbs about planning and action in our lives, but perhaps a missing lesson is how much emphasis God puts on the interaction of others in our lives. God could say making plans should be reserved exclusively from seeking His truth in His Word and through His Spirit. But, using Solomon's Words, God is, indeed, telling us that planning is something that should come from seeking counsel of others, as well. God gives good plans through His Word and His Spirit bears witness with our spirit in regard to what we should and should not do. However, God has given us "others" for the perfection of those plans. Wisdom is available through His Word and His Word is exponded by other believers in our lives.  When we solely rely on God's Word and His Spirit we are not wrong, but God's Word tells us to include the counsel of others, as long as that counsel squares with God's Word. God speaks to us by the counsel of others. Now, we must filter their counsel through God's Word. In Acts 21 when the prophet Agabus propheised that Paul would be taken prisoner, everyone wanted Paul to stay away from Jerusalem. But Paul knew their "counsel" needed to be filtered by God's Word.  Since God had already told him to go to Jerusalem, Paul was not going to make plans by their counsel. Counsel from others is needed to find God's will for our plans. 

Acts 21:13-14 (ESV)

Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”

The counsel of others in our lives is only to be heeded when it is offered in God's will.  When we listen to good counsel and take the correction it will give us, we can have the victory, safety and security. Getting the opinions of others about our choices in life gives us safety and security, as it comes into alignment with what God has already told us.