At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)

Where no counsel is, the people fall: But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 11:14

Before you do something significant, you should take counsel. When the rulers of a society do not do so, we are told, the people fall. On the opposite side, which would be in the realm of safety, a multitude of counselors is much to be desired.

This is yet another area where we find a ditch on both side of the road. A man with a watch knows what time it is, but a man with two watches is never sure. A king with one counselor knows what to do, and a king with two counselors might find himself pulled this way, and then that. And if the king has a multitude of counselors, might not the result be paralysis?

Not necessarily. First, we should note that this proverb tells us unambiguously which option should be preferred. When there is no counsel, there is danger. On the other hand, where there are many counselors, there is safety. So we should know that if we are in positions of responsibility—parents, pastors, business owners, and so on—and a big decision is coming up, we should want to gather up input from many.

But we shouldn’t want to get that input from a yelling mob, right? It says a multitude of counselors, not from simply “a multitude.”

In order to keep the multitude of counselors functioning in an orderly way, they should not be allowed to think of themselves as a rudimentary democracy. They are advisors, not voters. Wise counselors (which would be the only kind you should want) should understand that their role is to get all the best options out on the table before the person who must make the decision. And when that decision is made, the advisors step back, knowing their task has been completed.

Those who are privileged to occupy this position should also labor to avoid using tactics other than their counsel. In other words, they should want to be part of a body of advisors, and to do this without getting dragged into palace intrigues. That kind of thing is no good—unless of course you are Hushai thwarting the evil schemes of Ahithophel (2 Sam. 17).

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At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)

As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.

Proverbs 10:26

There are some valuable lessons that we can take away from this proverb. The first is that laziness in servants is a royal nuisance, which is the lesson we probably already knew. If you have had the misfortunate to have employed a sluggard, the on-going aggravation will be like smoke in the eyes, like vinegar to the teeth—both really unpleasant.

The second thing is something that is obvious when you think about it, but we sometimes don’t think about it. That is the fact that laziness is a public affair. When an employee is sent to do something, to discharge a task, the nuisance that results if that employee is a foot-dragger is a very public nuisance. Private laziness has public consequences. The thing that needed to get done didn’t get done, and everybody knows who was sent to do it. And realities that God has determined (through the nature of things) should be public should be . . . well, public. There is no reason to accentuate this kind of thing, but there is no reason to hide it either.

And this is related to the third thing. Sometimes we cover for the laziness of our employees out of a pretended solicitude for the feelings of those employees—like Joseph resolving to divorce Mary quietly. We think we are being godly and considerate, like Joseph was being. But perhaps something else is going on.

The reason this proverb is in Scripture is so that we might learn wisdom from it, and learning wisdom from this proverb means that we learn not to send fools on a wise man’s errand. The lesson of the proverb is not so that we might develop a taste for vinegar, or learn the next stage in smoke endurance. The lesson is for us to stop engaging the services of lazy fools. We need to stop suffering fools gladly.

But if we didn’t cover or mitigate the consequences of this, then not only would everybody see what the lazy servant keeps doing, they would also see what we keep doing when we entrust them with yet another task to make a hash out of. We sometimes think we are covering the sins of others when we are actually refusing to deal with our own.

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At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)

The memory of the just is blessed: But the name of the wicked shall rot.

Proverbs 10:7

The management of lies requires ongoing maintenance. This means that as long as a hypocrite is active, and overseeing his own reputation, he can usually keep things together, at least for a time. But time is a great conveyor belt, and like it or not, everybody gets ushered into the presence of God at the same basic rate of speed.

When we are gone, our memory remains. This proverb says that the memory of the just is like wine, it ages and improves over time. The name of the wicked, however, rots, and a bad smell attends it.

It is not recognized often enough that men who are greatly revered by Christians today were men who were often roundly vilified during their lifetimes. The kind of men who have statues and memorials built in their memory, after they are safely dead and gone, are the kind of men who were a perfect nuisance to the complacent in Zion while they were here. The list of such men, were we to assemble one, would be very long indeed.

Jesus notes how this works. The memory of the just is blessed, and even those who would have conspired in their murder are forced to honor them now (Matt. 23:29).

The hypocrite tries to curate his reputation now, and loses it in the long haul. The righteous care only what God thinks, meaning that they don’t care about their reputation short term—and this is why God blesses their reputation long term.

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At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)

He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: Therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

Proverbs 20:19

We sometimes believe that the wisdom found in Proverbs is clankingly obvious. Stay away from painted ladies, don’t be a lazy bum, and make sure to rotate your tires.

But there are often shades of meaning to be found in the simplest proverbs, and this one provides a good example.

A gossip or talebearer is not simply one who gets the news out. It is not just a matter of information circulating. The first thing this proverb tells us that the person who “goes about” as a talebearer is not just someone who spreads the news. He is also one who reveals secrets—telling things that ought not to be told at all.

The second thing is that one of the “tells” of a talebearer is the fact that he is a flatterer as well. In other words, one of the ways he gets his hands on the information he wants to circulate (and to reveal) is by means of flattery. He butters you up, you begin to trust him (for how could someone with such fine insight into your character be untrustworthy?) and so you confide in him. You can keep a secret—its the people you tell who can’t. Suffice it to say that talebearing and flattering are sins that go together. They pair well, in other words.

The last thing we can draw from this proverb is that we are supposed to avoid certain kinds of people. In this case, we are told to avoid a person who is constantly telling you how wonderful you are. That’s a real danger sign, right there. That kind of thing can be fun to listen to (particularly if you believe you are not getting the respect you deserve in other departments of your life), but it gets kind of thin and pale after just a bit. But even if it didn’t get old for you, you are likely going to pay a price for that flattery when your secrets start to circulate.

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At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. 16: 11)

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: But he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

Proverbs 12:11

If you work hard enough, you will have bread enough. As a proverb, this is a general statement, and that makes it generally true. If you search diligently, I am sure you can find someone who tilled his land industriously, and yet had a crop failure. That kind of thing does happen.

But as a general rule, the Bible confirms what common sense tells us. If you work hard, you will do well. This is not universally true, but it is true enough to be a safe bet.

The world is not risk free, and there are hazards. But because a sovereign God is “the house,” He has seen to it that the odds are in our favor. Not only that, but everyone who comes into this “casino” is given a manual which, if read, will sweeten the odds even more. Till the land and the wheat will grow.

Guard the flock and the wolves will go hungry. Keep equal weights and measures in your business, and watch God bless it.

But the fool wants to bet against the house, and even though the results are fairly predictable, he can still manage to get people who are void of understanding to follow him. A vain person lures the stupid people to follow him, and all of it is based on what has been called a “will to fiction.” In this vain world, people want intentions to guarantee effectiveness. At base, all of this boils down to a revolt against reality.

But effectiveness is determined by the way the world actually is, and is not at all under the authority of daydreamers. And the way the world is requires that the soil be tilled before the wheat can grow.

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