Safety in the Muilitude of Counselors Prov. 11:14 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Counsel slows you down and gives you more time to consider the thing – that’s why many people skip it – they want to be more impulsive – they want to say “I prayed about it” and then go to it – you better get counsel and you better get it from the multitude of counselors.

Get counsel even though you think you are on the right track– Prov 11:14; because where no counsel is the people fall, purposes are disappointed Prov 15:22; in Jos 9:14 they didn’t ask counsel they just acted on sight.

Make sure that the counsel you seek is WISE counsel – Prov 24:6; 2 Sam 16:23 – Ahithophel was such a wise counselor that his counsel was as the oracles of God.

Make sure the counselors are godly counselors, not ungodly – 1 Chr 10:13 Saul asked counsel of a woman who had a familiar spirit – a Mormon will confess that “a spirit told me” when asked why he believes that the Book of Mormon is the word of God – check with your pastor.

Make sure the counsel is consistent with God’s word – there is no counsel against the Lord Prov 21:30 – so therefore pray and read and ask – in Gen 3, the devil led Eve contrary to God’s word – the Pharisees established their own tradition and rejected the word of God.

Get counsel from a multitude [three] not just one – 2 Chr 32:3 Hezekiah sought counsel to stop the water in order to keep it from the enemy – the old prophet convinced the young prophet to disobey God 1 Ki 13:18-19.

Consider all of the counsel before rejecting any of the counsel – Rehoboam rejected the counsel of the old men – 1 Ki 12:8, 13-14 generally the counsel of the elder is better than the counsel of the younger – do not seek counsel from your young friends who think just like you do – obtaining counsel is not just looking for confirmation on a decision you have already made – if you have already made the decision what’s the use of asking – look for “real” counsel before deciding.

Remember, counsel is not going to bail you out when you are wrong – Absalom, 2 Sam 15:31 the defeated counsel of Ahithophel; 1 Ki 12:28 Jeroboam’s two calves – you are still accountable for the consequences when you follow bad counsel.