Wisdom's Counsel

We take so many necessities for granted. How would we get our water without a faucet or a fountain? In Bible times, they would carry a vessel to the well and draw out the water by hand. The water, way down at the bottom of the well, would have to be drawn by up to the mouth. Obviously, the water was worth the work; you cannot survive without it. Proverbs 20:5 compares wisdom to water in this way. “Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.” Wisdom, like water, is worth the work. Certainly, there is work involved in studying wise counsel, like that found in Proverbs. But obtaining wise counsel is its own reward. For this reason, I’ve entitled Proverbs 20, “Wisdom’s Counsel.”

What is wisdom’s counsel saying to us from Proverbs 20? Wisdom’s primary counsel is found in verse 3: do not be a meddling fool, and cease from unnecessary strife. Throughout the chapter, Solomon provides counsel concerning common things people meddle with, that cause them unnecessary strife.

The first piece of counsel is not to meddle with wine. We see this in the very first verse. Intoxicating beverages are the drink of a fool. Consuming such beverages is physically foolish because they are full of empty calories that just make you fat. Those who persist in drinking often find they develop liver disease. For these reasons and others, meddling with wine is poor stewardship of your physical body.

Wine is not just physically foolish; it is also foolish in other ways. Alcohol is mentally foolish. Imbibing intoxicating beverages impairs the cognitive faculties of a person under its influence. Even when the immediate effects have worn off, alcohol is dangerous in another way: it can be highly addictive. Not only mentally foolish, but it is also socially foolish. Alcohol causes a person to relax and release his inhibitions. The moral consequences of that are never good. In addition to the physical, mental, social, and moral foolishness that experience teaches us, Scripture also provides additional information about the dangers of intoxicating wine (Prov. 23:29-35; 31:4; Isa. 28:7; Hos. 4:11; Eph. 4:18). Do not meddle with intoxicating beverages because they only bring strife.

The second piece of counsel in Proverbs 20 is not to meddle with authority. Verses 2, 8, and 20-21 give us the principle that it is unwise to provoke your authority to anger. Whether towards a civil authority like a king, or the authority of an employer, or parents, the text says that “you sin against your own soul” when you unnecessarily provoke a powerful authority. Verse 8 is interesting. When the king merely looks at someone who is doing evil, they will stop. Such is the effect of his authority on the wrongdoer. It reminds me of when a police officer is on the road. Everyone around him drives the speed limit. His presence in the area suggests potential consequences and indirectly encourages compliance.

Verses. 20-21 apply this powerful authoritarian presence in the context of parent and child. Sometimes all the parent has to do is make eye contact with the child, and their child will change his behavior. Do not meddle with authority and you will avoid strife.

The third piece of counsel in Proverbs 20 is not to meddle with your future. Verses 4 and 13 contrast the danger of being a sluggard with the wisdom of preparing for the future. Verse 13 shouts to the lazy man, “Open your eyes!” Stop sleeping! Wake up! If you open your eyes and work hard, you will avoid poverty. Do not meddle with your future by being lazy or shortsighted. Set aside for the future now to avoid being reduced to begging when harvest time comes. If you want to have something tomorrow, you must work for it today.

The fourth piece of counsel is this: do not meddle with self-proclamation. Verse 6 states that “most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” It is foolish to stop serving to tell people how good a servant you are. Simply stay faithful to the tasks God has called you to accomplish. After all, verse 9 asks, “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” The obvious answer is that no one can boast of perfection. It is a foolish thing for a sinner to proclaim his own goodness. Do not meddle with self-proclamation; that kind of pride leads to a fall and creates strife. Instead, be the faithful and humble person who, according to verse 6, has become increasingly hard to find.

The fifth piece of counsel is not to meddle with an untrustworthy person. Verse 10 and verse 23  both remind us to avoid crooked merchants. This idea of diverse weights and measures was also mentioned in Proverbs 11:1. The wisdom of Proverbs is to beware of people trying to hustle you for money. Clearly, hustlers are untrustworthy. Also, do not meddle with the con man or the strange woman mentioned in verse 16. Both types of individuals are working for your destruction behind your back. Remember that the the strange woman is the same promiscuous female described through the book of Proverbs. The warnings of Proverbs 5-7 are serious. Stay away from the strange woman, and avoid the talebearer. Notice the word “meddle” in verse 19. Do not meddle with a talebearer; he will reveal your secrets. Such a person is untrustworthy people. If you have fallen prey to these types of untrustworthy people in the past, you understand that heir deception may have seemed sweet at the time, but the long-term consequences for meddling with them are like eating gravel (v. 17).

Take the warning of wisdom’s counsel from Proverbs 30. Do not be a meddling fool, and cease from unnecessary strife. Do not meddle with wine, your authorities, your future, with self proclamation, or with untrustworthy people. If you are meddling with these things, it is very likely your future will be full of avoidable strife. Take wisdom’s counsel, and do not be a meddling fool.

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The above article was written by Pastor James C. Johnson. He is the pastor of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fl. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.

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