9 With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.
10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,
And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
12 He who despises his neighbor lacks [b]sense,
But a man of understanding keeps silent.
13 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is [c]trustworthy conceals a matter.
14 Where there is no guidance the people fall,
But in abundance of counselors there is [d]victory.
15 He who is guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it,
But he who hates [e]being a guarantor is secure.
16 A gracious woman attains honor,
And ruthless men attain riches.
As this proverb progresses, we see several contrasts between the fate of the righteous and that of the wicked. We see the behavior of wise and trustworthy people vs. the fickle and foolish. That’s all well and good, but how do we make good decisions, and avoid playing the fool?
In v. 14 we get a really good tip. Without guidance, bad things happen, but when you can get good counsel, victory ensues. And really, not just “good counsel”, but an abundance of counsel, the more the merrier. Something I’ve heard John Delony talk about is how much we need each other, and one of the reasons is so that we know if what we are thinking (or saying) is nuts.
When we are faced with difficult situations, a million ideas can go through our mind. Maybe it’s because of this, or what if it’s that. Maybe I didn’t think that one thing through, or perhaps someone did something without me knowing? The list goes on, and the internal dialog can consume us, so we need counsel.
We need to talk it out with someone, we need more information, and ultimately, we need to find out if any of the things we are thinking are true. We might find out it’s all a bunch of nonsense, but we’ll never know until we say it out loud and get input from someone else.
So in whatever you are doing, whatever you are facing, don’t go it alone. Don’t isolate and think, “oh, I’ll figure it out…” If you really want to figure it out, find some good friends, or someone who has taken a few more trips around the sun, and get some counsel. You might hear some crazy ideas from others also, but the truth will come out in the end.
Of course, don’t forget to involve God in all of this, let him guide you to the right people to speak into your life and provide the clarity you lack. Ask Him to give you confirmation and direction and to find the help you need. He’s a good father, and He will not disappoint!