Paul Harvey, the ABC newsman who for years ended his 5-minute radio program with the catchphrase “now you know the rest of the story,” once told of a man picked up in the middle of the night walking across a bridge naked. He was living in an area where there had been a drought. When the police found him, he assured them he was not drunk, but that the drought had made him hot and dry and he was “walking for rain.” Well, as the story goes, by the time they had gotten the man to the police station, it was raining! Harvey said, “The police let him go!”
When I heard that story, I chuckled. But it was not really any funnier than what I have heard people say when they want to do something and want God to approve of it. “Well, I have prayed about it,” they sometimes say. Or, “God is leading me to do it.”
I am a huge proponent of prayer, and there is no doubt that God leads His children in every step, major and minor. But He never leads contrary to His revealed will and Word. He will not lead a believer to do anything that would contradict a truth or principle set forth in His Word. For instance, God will never lead one to divorce his or her spouse, because God hates divorce. God would never approve of anyone verbally or physically abusing a child (or an adult for that matter), because God loves children and would never want them abused.
The truth of the matter is, we all need to heed the wise counsel of God’s Word: “There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.” (Prov. 19:21) Job got it right when he affirmed that “with him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.” (Job 12:13)
Good counsel is imperative because “man at his best state is altogether vanity.” (Ps.39:5) Solomon wisely warns that “where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors, there is safety.” (Prov. 11:14) And, there is counsel aplenty from our gracious God, who reminds us: “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.” (Prov. 8:14)
We have all tried to go forward without having sought His direction, and the result has been, on occasion, disastrous. It surely was once for the Israelites, who were deceived by the Gibeonites as they lied about who they were and where they were from! (Joshua 9) Against God’s direction, Israel entered into an agreement with the Gibeonites, who were posing as a people from a far country. Here is what we read in Joshua 9:14: “And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel of the Lord.” It was a fault that Israel would regret and suffer the consequences of for generations to come. “Hear counsel and receive instruction that thou mayest be wise in thy a latter end.” (Prov. 19:20)
That proverb was driven home to me early in my ministry. I had been through Bible college and even through seminary, receiving two degrees from institutions known for their stand upon historic, sound Biblical doctrine. Before seeking a place of service, I contemplated attending a graduate school of theology in pursuit of one final degree. It was required, though, that I have a referral from a former professor. I asked one of my professors at Central Baptist Theological Seminary if he would give me a word of recommendation to fulfill the requirements of admission. The good professor denied my request because the institution I had applied to was not known for their stand upon, and defense of, the fundamentals of the faith. In replying to my request, he wrote: “I am going to meet my Lord someday, maybe soon, and I would not want to have to answer for recommending you to a seminary not known for its adherence to the truth.” That is not a direct quote but pretty close to it, as I remember. I did not continue my attempt to enroll in that graduate school, and I have always been thankful that my former teacher made the right call—and, in doing so, gave me good counsel.
I am glad that my professor’s refusal to endorse my unwise course of action did not offend me, so that I would have plowed ahead with my intended course, seeking another teacher who would be willing to comply with my request. My life, no doubt, would have taken a different course, and I doubt seriously that it would have been a good conclusion, 55 years later, had I gotten accepted to the institution, fulfilled the requirements, and received the doctoral degree that I had contemplated receiving. The professor who denied my request had pastored for decades before joining the seminary faculty; in his wisdom, he could discern the possible pitfalls that I would face, submitting my mind to a liberal theological indoctrination, and he would not wish that upon myself or any other student. I have lived to thank his memory a thousand times.
Good counsel, given in the spirit of love, is priceless. David said, “I bless the Lord who hath given me counsel.” (Ps. 16:7) Solomon underscored the need for good counsel because of the deceitfulness of our hearts. “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” (Prov. 19:20) One can only imagine how the course of Israeli history would have been different had the son of the wisest king, Solomon, accepted the counsel of the older men when he sought their advice on how to rule God’s people following his father’s passing. They advised the young king to “lighten up”; to be more compassionate and thoughtful, easing the burden that had grown considerably heavy under Solomon’s administration. Seeking counsel from his younger compatriots, Rehoboam was advised to make the burdens of the sovereign’s subjects even heavier. Unhappily, he followed the unwise counsel of his young cabinet, and the crushing result of the divided kingdom is history. Israel suffered immeasurably from Rehoboam’s neglect of good counsel, and will continue to suffer until their Messiah comes again. Rehoboam did not lack for a multitude of counsellors—but he chose to listen to the wrong ones.
“And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him, and spake to them after the counsel of the young men.” (I Ki.12:13, 14)
YOU and GOD 