Commentary - Proverbs 15:22

Bird's-eye view

Proverbs 15:22 sets before us a sharp contrast between two kinds of men with two different approaches to their work in the world. On the one hand, you have the isolated man, the maverick, whose plans are hatched in the echo chamber of his own mind. His purposes, the proverb tells us, are "disappointed" or frustrated. He is the rugged individualist who is about to learn that rugged individualism often leads to being ruggedly stuck in a ditch. On the other hand, you have the man who understands his limitations and surrounds himself with a "multitude of counselors." His plans are "established," or they succeed. This proverb is a straightforward commendation of humility and a warning against the pride of going it alone. It teaches that wisdom is not a solo endeavor but is found in the fellowship of the saints, in the give and take of godly counsel.

The principle is not simply about corporate decision-making or running a committee meeting. It is a deeply theological point about how God has structured the world and His church. We are members of one another, and God distributes His gifts of wisdom throughout the body. To neglect counsel is to neglect God's appointed means of grace and guidance. The man who refuses to ask for directions is not just stubborn; he is acting like a practical atheist, assuming he possesses an attribute of God, which is self-sufficiency. This proverb, then, is a call to humble, corporate, and covenantal living.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

This proverb sits within a book that relentlessly extols wisdom and warns against folly. A central theme in Proverbs is that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Prov. 1:7), and this fear manifests itself in humility. The man who fears God knows he is not God. He knows he has blind spots. Proverbs 15:22 is a practical application of this foundational truth. It follows verses that contrast the words of the wicked and the upright (v. 2, 23, 26, 28) and the way of the lazy and the diligent (v. 19). The refusal to seek counsel is a form of proud speech, it declares one's own sufficiency, and it is a form of intellectual laziness. Thus, this verse is woven tightly into the fabric of the book's major themes: humility versus pride, wisdom versus folly, and community versus isolation.

Key Issues

Verse-by-Verse Commentary

Without consultation, plans are frustrated... (v. 22a)

The first thing to do with a proverb like this is to grab the wisdom lying right on the surface. If a fellow is full of big ideas and never checks with anyone about anything, he is signing up for a series of rude awakenings. His purposes are "frustrated," which means they are broken, foiled, and brought to nothing. The Hebrew word has the sense of breaking a covenant or annulling an agreement. This man had an agreement with reality, so he thought, but reality was not a signatory to the deal. He thought his plan was brilliant, but because he kept it to himself, its flaws remained hidden until they blew up in his face.

This proverb is aimed squarely at the industrious, can-do man who doesn't think he needs to budget for the possibility that he might be wrong about something. He is not necessarily lazy; he might be very busy. But his business is all contained within the cramped quarters of his own skull. That place is a room of continuous applause. No one ever raises an objection in there. No one points out that he forgot to account for shipping costs, or that his primary supplier is about to be indicted by a grand jury. By refusing counsel, he blinds himself. This is pride in its working clothes. It is the pride that says, "I've got this." And the Lord, who opposes the proud, ensures that he, in fact, does not "got this."

But with many counselors they succeed. (v. 22b)

Over against the failed isolationist is the man whose plans are established. They succeed, they stand, they are confirmed. And why? Because they were forged not in the silent echo chamber of one man's mind, but in the noisy, bustling workshop of "many counselors." Two heads are better than one, and as the proverb says, a multitude of them is better still.

Now, we must immediately address how this principle can be misapplied. A man with one watch knows what time it is; a man with three is never quite sure. Seeking counsel from ten different men does not mean you will get ten identical pieces of advice. In fact, it is almost guaranteed that you will not. This is not a call for decision by committee, where you simply count the votes and do whatever the majority says. That is not seeking counsel; that is abdicating responsibility. The man with the plan is still the man with the plan. He is the one who must ultimately weigh the counsel, sift it, evaluate it, and make the decision before God. The counsel is data; it is perspective; it is wisdom that must be processed. Seeking counsel from ten men might mean you end up not doing what eight of them advised. But that does not make the exercise a waste of time. There is wisdom to be found in all ten, even in the objections and the concerns of the men whose advice you ultimately set aside. It is far better to be weighing the wisdom of others than to be trapped inside your own head, listening to the standing ovation.

The Sin of Self-Sufficiency

At its root, the refusal to seek counsel is a theological problem. It is a functional denial of our creatureliness. God alone is self-sufficient. For a man to act as though he needs no input, no correction, and no external wisdom is for him to play God. This is the primordial sin of the Garden repackaged for the boardroom, the church plant, or the family budget meeting. Adam and Eve took counsel from the serpent, it is true, but they refused the counsel of God. They decided they were equipped to be their own arbiters of good and evil. Every man who refuses to seek counsel is their true spiritual descendant, setting himself up as his own god, sufficient in his own wisdom.

The gospel cuts the root of this sin. The gospel declares that we are not sufficient. We are sinners in need of a Savior. We are blind and need Christ to give us sight. We are foolish and need the wisdom of God, which is Christ Himself (1 Cor. 1:24). A man who has been truly humbled by the cross, who understands his own bankruptcy apart from Christ, is a man who will naturally seek counsel. He knows he is not smart enough to run his own life, let alone some grand enterprise, without the help of God and the wisdom God has placed in his brothers.

Application

So, the application is straightforward. Before you launch that business, before you make that major purchase, before you move your family across the country, before you confront that sinning brother, have you sought counsel? And from whom are you seeking it? This proverb assumes godly counselors, not a collection of fools who will simply tell you what you want to hear (2 Tim. 4:3). Seek out men who fear God, who know His Word, and who have a track record of wisdom. Seek out older men who have seen more of life's battles than you have. Seek out men who are not afraid to tell you that your brilliant plan has a fatal flaw.

And when you receive counsel, receive it with humility. Don't argue and defend your plan at every turn. Listen. Ask questions. Take notes. Thank them for their time and their wisdom. Go away and pray over what you have heard. Remember that the final decision is yours to make before God, but make it an informed decision, one that has been tested and refined in the crucible of brotherly counsel. The man who does this will find his plans established, not because he was so clever, but because he was humble enough to receive the grace of God given through the wisdom of many.