Commentary - Proverbs 11:14

Bird's-eye view

This proverb sets before us a fundamental principle of godly governance, whether in the home, the church, or the state. It presents a stark antithesis: on the one hand, a people without guidance, without wise direction, are destined to fall. On the other hand, a people who have access to an abundance of counselors find safety, deliverance, and victory. The verse is not a simple commendation of committee-think or decision by democracy. Rather, it is a commendation of humility in leadership. The wise ruler recognizes his own limitations and understands that God has distributed wisdom among many. Therefore, he actively seeks out and listens to sound advice before committing to a course of action. The ruin of a nation and the safety of a nation are here contrasted, and the fulcrum upon which they pivot is the presence or absence of wise counsel.

The Hebrew word for "guidance" carries the idea of steering a ship, giving us a potent image of a vessel floundering on the rocks for lack of a skilled helmsman. Conversely, the "salvation" or "safety" found in many counselors is the successful navigation of treacherous waters. This is a deeply practical proverb, warning against the arrogance of the isolated ruler and commending the security that comes from a plurality of sound minds. It is a principle that applies to a father planning his family's future, a session of elders shepherding a church, and a civil magistrate governing a nation.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

Proverbs consistently extols the virtue of seeking wisdom and counsel while warning against the folly of self-reliance. This verse fits squarely within that broader theme. For instance, Proverbs 12:15 says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice." Proverbs 15:22 reinforces our current text directly: "Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed." And again, in Proverbs 24:6, "for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory." The book of Proverbs is a training manual for young men, particularly future leaders, and a central part of that training is learning to distrust one's own unaided wisdom. The truly wise man is the man who knows he needs wisdom from others. This proverb, like many others, is setting up a contrast between the path of the fool, who trusts himself and falls, and the path of the wise man, who seeks counsel and is secure.

Key Issues

The Ditch on Both Sides

As with many practical principles in Scripture, there is a ditch on both sides of this road. One ditch, clearly identified in the text, is the ruler who takes no counsel. He is a lone ranger, an autocrat, a man who thinks he knows it all. He is heading for a cliff, and he is taking his people with him. This is the ditch of arrogance.

But there is another ditch. What about the man who is paralyzed by too much advice? A man with one watch knows what time it is, but a man with two is never quite sure. Can a multitude of counselors lead to paralysis, with the leader pulled first this way, then that? It certainly can, if the nature of counsel is misunderstood. The proverb says there is safety "in" an abundance of counselors, not "by" an abundance of counselors. They are the context for a wise decision, not the mechanism of it. The counselors are advisors, not voters. They are there to lay out the options, to point out the pitfalls, to bring their varied experiences to bear on the problem. But at the end of the day, the leader must still lead. He must weigh the counsel and make the decision. The second ditch is the abdication of leadership under the guise of seeking counsel, where the leader simply tries to find a consensus or an average. That is not leadership; it is polling. The proverb commends the gathering of wisdom, not the avoidance of responsibility.

Verse by Verse Commentary

14a Where there is no guidance the people fall,

The first clause lays out the negative case, and it is stark. The word for "guidance" here is tachbuloth, a term that comes from the world of sailing. It refers to the steering of a ship, the skill of a pilot who knows the currents, the winds, and the location of the rocks. Without this skillful direction, a ship is at the mercy of the elements. And so it is with a people. A people, a nation, a family, a church, without wise, directive counsel, will inevitably "fall." This is not a matter of "if," but "when." The fall is a certainty. It speaks of collapse, ruin, and failure. This happens when leaders are either absent, or when they are present but foolish, refusing to seek or heed wise advice. They are steering the ship of state, or the ship of the church, straight for the reef, because they are looking at their own internal compass instead of the fixed stars.

14b But in abundance of counselors there is salvation.

The contrast is sharp and hopeful. The alternative to falling is "salvation." The Hebrew word is teshuah, which means deliverance, safety, or victory. It is the same word used for God's deliverance of His people in battle. This safety is found in a specific place: "in abundance of counselors." The word "abundance" or "multitude" is key. The wise leader does not just have one pet advisor who always tells him what he wants to hear. He seeks out a plurality of wise men. Why? Because wisdom is not concentrated in one man. One counselor sees one angle, another sees a different one. One has experience in this area, another in that. By gathering many such counselors, the leader gets a fuller, more three-dimensional picture of the situation. He is protecting himself, and his people, from the blind spots that every individual necessarily has. But notice, the text says a multitude of "counselors," not simply a "multitude." We are not talking about a yelling mob or a Twitter poll. We are talking about men of proven wisdom and character whose role is to advise, not to rule. The safety comes from having all the best options and warnings laid on the table before the man who must ultimately make the decision.

Application

This proverb has direct application to every sphere of governance God has ordained. In the civil realm, it is a rebuke to all forms of tyranny and a commendation of a republican form of government where rulers are accountable and must work with others. A dictator who surrounds himself with sycophants is a man with no true counselors, and he will drive his nation into the ground.

In the church, this is the principle of presbyterianism. The church is not to be ruled by one man (whether a pastor or a pope), nor by the entire congregation (a democracy), but by a council of elders. The session of elders is the "multitude of counselors" that provides safety for the flock. Each elder brings his own wisdom, his own perspective, and his own knowledge of the congregation to the table. When they deliberate together under the authority of Scripture, the church is steered wisely. A pastor who will not listen to his elders is a dangerous man.

And in the family, the father is the head of the home. He has the final responsibility. But this does not make him an unaccountable autocrat. A wise husband and father will have a multitude of counselors. His first and most important counselor is his wife, his helpmeet. He should consult with her on all major decisions. He should also have older, wiser men in his life whom he can go to for advice. He is the captain of the ship, but he is a fool if he thinks he is the only one on board who knows how to read a map. The man who isolates himself and makes decisions in a vacuum is the man who will run his family aground. The man who humbly seeks wisdom from the counselors God has placed around him is the man who will bring his family safely to port.