THIRTY SAYINGS OF THE WISE
SAYING NUMBER TWENTY
Proverbs
24:5–6, reads:
5 A wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might, 6 for by wise guidance
you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
The
inspired author tends to marry two important truths:
1. “A
wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which
they trust.” (Proverbs 21:22, ESV)
PLUS
2. “Where
there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there
is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14, ESV)
In
this saying the strong wise person is
united to many advisors and the issue seems to surround a military
scenario. This strength of understanding
is gleaned from the advice of good counsel. “The might of the wise is not solitary,
nor is wisdom gained in isolation, but only through the teaching of others.”[1]
Or stated otherwise, “The man who
listens carefully to wisdom’s counselors will increase his strength and be
enabled to wage war successfully.”[2]
Dr. Bruce Waltke observes, “The counter-argumentation of many
counselors, who with a spirit of humility learn from each other, guarantee that
the finally agreed upon strategy will succeed.”[3] How important it is to sit in counsel with
those who humbly, honestly disagree.
There is a phenomenon known as groupthink. In this system group members, albeit married
couples or Church Boards try to minimize conflict and reach a decision by
suppressing their viewpoints. On the surface, this appears to be harmonious,
but ultimately proves to be devastating.
Success comes, not from individual strength of wisdom but from the
humility to learn from others – others who may even disagree. May we welcome the differing perspectives of
our spouses, our colleagues and friends.
[2] Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible
Commentary (p. 1242). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[3] Waltke, B. K. (2005). The Book of
Proverbs, Chapters 15–31 (p. 272). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co.
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