Proverbs 24:6-10

 

Prov 24:6 (KJB)
For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.
 
Solomon may have been initially speaking to his son that a person does not go to war unless they have wise counsel. In ancient times, one way to depose a king was his counselors would make a league with an enemy nation and then go back and assure the king he is able to win the war, when all along the counselors know he cannot. (Luke 14:31 KJV) Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? The king must have wise, dedicated, and truthful counsel. In the Biblical realm, the Christian must also have proper counsel about spiritual things. Unfortunately, there are many Christians who are not wise and able to give good counsel because of biblical illiteracy. Whenever we seek counsel, it must be from those who have proven themselves to be strong in the faith and have good biblical understanding along with good practical Christianity.
 
When we seek the counsel of others, it shows that we have a humble spirit and are more eager to find truth or seek a solution to a situation than feed our own pride. As Christians, we must be very careful to seek out Godly counsellors because the philosophy of the world differs dramatically from that of Biblical Christianity. Since the biblical way of understanding the Bible is to compare Scripture with Scripture, we will find a multitude of counsel in the Bible on any subject or situation we may be facing. It is wise to know that the Bible contains the mind of God and that we may pull from its wisdom at any time without restraint.
 
Prov 24:7 (KJB)
Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.
 
Here we have a fool who sits in the gate with those who are the leaders of the town. It is also where legal activities took place. The fool is wise enough to listen and not to open his mouth in the presence of those who know more than him. True wisdom is beyond the scope of the fool for he has not applied himself to learning and would have nothing to add to the activities going on. It would be like a 5 year old listening to the legal jargon of a group of lawyers. The 5 year old cannot add anything to the conversation. The fool will not open his mouth and reveal how little about reality he knows, therefore, he keeps silent and may learn something as he continues to listen.
 
Prov 24:8 (KJB)
He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.
 
He that deviseth - One who plots
Mischievous - Master of plans
 
Since plotting evil schemes comes natural to man, the one who makes the plans to commit evil shall be called a “master of plans” but not in the good sense. They will be known as one who continually plots evil against others. This moniker will cause him to make no friends since he might plot against them too. This type of person is never satisfied unless they come up with some kind of evil plan. One day they will make a plan which will be their demise because no one can plan evil without any consequences.
 
Prov 24:9 (KJB)
The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.
 
Thought - Plan, evil plan or result of an evil plan
Scorner - Mocker
 
Not only is the execution of an evil plan sin but the very planning of it. One cannot sit down and plan to do evil against another or a group and not consider it a sin, because someone’s hurt is being planned. (Lev 19:18 KJV) Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, which means that we are to seek the good for them that we would seek for ourselves. How would the evil planners like it if someone stole their car or money from them that they need to live on? It would not be so pleasant, so when anyone just plots against another, it is sin because it violates the law of loving they neighbor as thyself. The second half of this verse speaks about a man who is a scorner. They are an abomination because they are always criticizing and causing others to criticize. Instead of them adding something constructive to a situation, they bring discord and destruction and that is why they are an abomination because many good and useful plans are ruined by these fools.
 
Prov 24:10 (KJB)
If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.
 
Faint - Become slack or sink down
 
There is going to come a time in every believer’s life when they are going to be tested. Times of adversity will come and the way we handle it will be an indicator of how strong we are in the faith. If tough times come and we cave in to the ways of the world, then that means our spiritual strength is very weak. Tough times can be a watershed event in our lives because if we find that we are weak in the faith, we can begin to repair those breaches and rebuild ourselves to become a stronger Christian. The days of adversity are also an indicator of how much we trust the Lord. As we saw a few verses back, a truly strong Christian will cast all their cares on the Lord which does not mean we are weak but means we know our limitations and that the Lord has no limitations. It is practical wisdom to trust the Lord during times of adversity.

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