(Belated) Wisdom Wednesday :Wise Counsel
Submitted by: Debbie’s Dad
A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
(Proverbs 1:5-6 NASB)
Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is victory.
(Proverbs 11:14 NASB)
In these passages, we are reminded of the importance of receiving counsel (advice) from others who are wise. These are those who fear the Lord (the beginning of wisdom) and follow Him. This is true in our individual lives as well as it is true for national leaders. In the Old Testament, we find both good and bad examples of leaders that sought counsel to make critical decisions. We look at Rehoboam and Hezekiah as examples:
- A Bad Example – Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and his wife Naamah. He became the first king of Judah (the southern kingdom, with Jerusalem as the capital) succeeding his father. The account in I Kings 12: 1-24 describes how the new king was confronted by the northern and smaller segment of the kingdom, Israel, requesting relief from the heavy taxes his father imposed. Rehoboam sought counsel from His father’s older counselors, who recommended reducing taxes and workload. Then he sought counsel from the younger men he grew up with – they advised a severe increase in taxes and workload. The result was a division as Israel seceded from the kingdom, forming a separate kingdom under the leadership of Rehoboam’s brother, Jeroboam. His failure to follow the wise counsel and his expansion of harsh oppression, led to the beginning of the weakening that led to the downfall of the nation.
- A Good Example – Hezekiah was the 12th king of Judah, 200 years after Rehoboam’s reign. Hezekiah was a good king over Judah. The author of 2 Kings recorded the positive testimony of Hezekiah’s faithfulness by saying that he “… held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook”. Isaiah records the personal and painful times that Hezekiah called upon Jehovah when he was in times of great need; this provides some insight into the depth of his faith. The author of the book of 2 Kings records his faithfulness and insight in times of success. Hezekiah’s wise counsellor was the prophet Isaiah. In 701 BC, Hezekiah faced a major crisis as Assyria invaded the land of Judah and threatened the capital, Jerusalem. King Hezekiah called on Isaiah (2 Kings 19), humbled himself, and accepted his word from the Lord, saving Jerusalem. Later, he became sick to death at age 39, but called on Isaiah again and prayed with Isaiah and his life was extended fifteen years (2 Kings 20:5–7). Hezekiah had other counsel in the royal court, including Eliakim over the household, Shebna the scribe, Council of Elders (leaders) of the priests, and Joah the recorder (Isaiah 36-37). But Hezekiah called on the man of God, Isaiah, and listened to his counsel.
Let us be like Hezekiah and seek wise counsel from godly people so that we may walk with the Lord and make wise decisions.