Proverbs 11:14 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Proverbs 11:14

Comments

The Hebrew word used here for counsel is a word which describes steering an ox-drawn plough, or even a boat's helm, by means of ropes. In this proverb, Solomon mixes his metaphors, for his overall picture is still the city or city-state. The sense is - Where there is no helmsman the city falls. Who will the people turn to for advice when threatened by an enemy? It has probably got to come from their own leaders, because they are surrounded and cannot access help from outside. Wise counsel will make all the difference. Should they resist or surrender? Should they seek terms? Is there something which their enemies want more than the trouble of starving them into submission over a protracted period? Two passages in Scripture refer to a situation like this which was solved by wisdom within the city: 2 Samuel 20:15-22 and Ecclesiastes 9:14-18. 'In the multitude of counsellors,' declares Solomon, 'there is safety.' The Hebrew word translated multitude is a very beautiful and rich word. It actually refers to a garment, and is also used to indicate a multitude. A special point about this word is that it speaks of quality as well as quantity. It is, if you like, descriptive of a beautiful garment: a large robe, illustrating the whole church as a body of people of great quality. The entire church is a quality body of counsellors, and, most important of all, they should all agree. This multitude is not a divided body of opinion, but one that thinks and speaks in a manner illustrated by a single, beautiful garment.

Application

The idea here is that we have in the church a community of quality thinkers who process matters according to the same principles, and therefore come to similar conclusions. On moral matters, they all will come up with the same advice. On doctrinal queries, they will come to the same conclusions. Will we find agreement like this in the House of Commons? Will we find it in any institution on earth? Only in the church of Christ, where the people believe in an infallible Bible, will we find a great company of deep thinkers, arriving at the same conclusions on the major issues of life. Only here do the people have a set of clear principles by which to process and resolve problems, so that they come to the same opinion.

It is an obvious truth that where there is no order, direction, or law a city will collapse and fall into squalor. A church is the best social unit, but only when it is ruled by the infallible counsel of God's word. Sincere and unreserved yieldedness to the clear directions of God's word on the part of all members is essential for the harmony, prosperity and happiness of a church. Just as the city is preserved by listening to wise counsel, so the church of God and its members should value those to whom God has given wisdom. There are of course counsellors who lack wisdom. In the context of this illustration, they could be people who only say what they know others wish to hear, or who are too easily manipulated. Or they may be those who simply do not know how to defend the city. Those who give counsel in the church must be those who love and know Scripture, who have integrity, who value the truth more than the praise of men, and who love God’s people. But we must use the counsel that God provides for his people. Those who wish to make every decision alone and who feel it is a sign of weakness to seek counsel will fall for lack of it. We do not possess all wisdom ourselves, but rely on others. By the blessing of God there is in every church a group of like-minded believers who can think through difficult issues as they arise.

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Proverbs 11:14 Commentary and Bible Study