Proverbs was a book written by King Solomon, the second son born to King David and Bathsheba. Solomon is known as Israel's wisest king, taking the throne as King after his father. On one occasion, Solomon asked God for wisdom, and God responded favorably. In response, he is known to have written 3000 proverbs and more than 1000 songs.
The purpose of Proverbs is clearly outlined in Proverbs chapter 1, so I won’t go into much detail here other than to say Solomon put pen to paper to give instruction, to help gain wisdom, and to understand what is right and fair. Chapter 1, verse 7, finishes by saying:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
This is helpful for us to understand before delving into the book as it directs our focus and helps us understand the context of what we are reading.
Chapter 11 continues discussing wise sayings, and within that, Solomon addresses the distinctions or comparisons between those who are righteous or follow God's laws, also recognized here as those who hold integrity, and those who are dishonest, who do not follow God's laws or are sinful. It clarifies that integrity guides the upright, and the unfaithful are destroyed by duplicity or deception.
I think it is a stark contrast to how life looks for humanity, but I also find it hard to read. I know many good people who still struggle and many seemingly awful humans who seem to have the best of life. Nonetheless, I know our hope, for those of us who believe in God, is found in an eternity with Him. An eternity as heirs to the throne, sons and daughters of the Father, found inside heaven's gates, not because we are good people, but because a good God chose to love us. But that same love is open to ‘good people’ and all. Romans 10 tells us, "Whoever calls on the Lord shall be saved.” All are welcomed to God's table when we accept Him as Lord and Savior. Proverbs 11 verse 14 says:
“For lack of guidance, a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.”
But what does this mean? Or, better put, what was Solomon trying to convey to his readers?
I think, in some ways, this verse is self-explanatory. Solomon advises those who would read this passage, including his son who would succeed him as King, that nations fall when guidance is not taken. In my view, this is closely aligned to Proverbs 3:5-6, where we read:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Oh, friend, as wise as we may be, as clued in, as filled with common sense as we may seem, our hearts and understandings are flawed. There is right and good reason here why God informs us through Solomon’s words that we cannot rely solely on our knowledge and refrain from taking on the opinions and ideas of others because in doing so, we will find our nations will fall, our decisions will only be made from our viewpoint and will be without a doubt flawed.
However, I feel it needs to be said that I don’t think it is just nations that fail when guidance or advice is not taken; it is also families, homes, cities, businesses, and relationships. They are all at risk when we go at it on our own, ignoring wisdom.
He advises that victory is won when we have asked for advice. To expand on this further, the word guidance in this verse is Ya’ats in Hebrew. The root word for this is Etsah, defined as advice in English. But it means something beautiful in its root meaning. Ya’ats gives us a picture of someone who has walked that road before and is now giving advice on how to do what they have done. And so, in this context, Solomon is suggesting not to grab advice from anyone and everyone who happens to have the same opinion as us to validate us. Instead, we would seek wise advice or guidance from those who have walked these roads. We need to not take advice from people who are clutching straws and throwing out idle words but rather from someone who knows what they are talking about and can give us Holy, experienced, and prayerful advice. This can mean taking advice from Pastors, Elders, Parents, and older members of our church communities, who will have all likely dealt with similar life issues as we have or will know someone wise you can glean from.
Just a day or two ago, I was conversing with a friend when He stopped mid-sentence, and I knew he wasn’t throwing idle words at me, but he was weighing the words before he spoke them out. Friend, that is how we should be, prayerfully considering our words and guidance before sending them out to another person. We are responsible to others to prayerfully consider our words because they will impact another.
The reality is that even our most loving friends, devoted parents, and invested Pastors can get it wrong. None of us are perfect. So, the greatest and most wonderful counselor or guide we can glean from is Jesus. The bible references Jesus many times in the Old Testament alone as the Etsah's, or Ya’ats', advisor.
Jeremiah 32:19 calls Jesus “gadol ha-etsah,” which means “great in counsel!”. Other passages talk in the same way, and we see this in Job 12:13: Job declares to God belongs counsel or Etsah. We also read this idea flourishing in Proverbs 19:20- 21 and Psalm 32:8- 11, among others.
So, may I ask you what question weighs on your heart today? What decisions need to be made that you are struggling to work out? Or what decisions have you made in your strength, and now your nations are falling? Friend, if either of these is the case for you, please can I advise you as Solomon has? That advice and guidance will help us walk into victory. Get hold of a friend who can pray with you, read the word of God, which is alive and active and will help you navigate your life, and pray to Jesus and ask Him for His wisdom, counsel, and guidance. Just as ships are steered from rocks and collisions, God will steer your life from disaster and calamity, and He will lead you as Psalm 23 says to calm waters, green grass, and a restful life.
If you do not know Jesus, friend, I cannot explain how important a relationship with God is in a document. I could not live without Jesus and would hate to deal with life’s trials alone. Please find someone to discuss God with and explain how much you are loved.
So, as we close this article again, I will quote Solomon because I feel it is a good reminder.
“For lack of guidance, a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.”
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Jachan Devol
