Bird's-eye view
This proverb presents us with a striking image that gets at the heart of human nature and the necessity of Spirit-given wisdom. The inner workings of a man, his plans, motives, and intentions, are not readily accessible. They are like a deep, still well. You cannot tell the quality of the water by a quick glance at the surface. To get to the good stuff, you need the right equipment and the skill to use it. This proverb tells us that a man of discernment, a man of understanding, is the one who possesses the bucket and rope. He is the one who can skillfully draw out the valuable counsel that lies hidden, whether from his own heart or from the heart of another. It is a commendation of godly wisdom and a caution against superficiality. It teaches us that true understanding requires patience, skill, and a reliance on a wisdom that is not self-generated but is a gift from God.
The verse distinguishes between the raw material of counsel, which may be present but inert, and the active faculty of discernment which brings it to light and makes it useful. In this, we see a picture of our need for Christ. Our hearts are deep and often murky waters, and we are frequently fools when it comes to understanding ourselves. Christ is the ultimate man of understanding who draws out the truth, and by His Spirit, He grants us the discernment to understand ourselves and to wisely counsel others. This proverb is therefore not just practical advice for the courtroom or the elder's meeting; it is a description of a fundamental aspect of our sanctification.
Outline
- 1. The Hidden Nature of Human Counsel (Prov 20:5)
- a. The Metaphor: Counsel as Deep Water (Prov 20:5a)
- b. The Man of Discernment: The Wise Extractor (Prov 20:5b)
- c. Two Applications: Self-Knowledge and Wise Counsel (Prov 20:5)
Context In Proverbs
Proverbs 20 is a collection of miscellaneous wisdom sayings, touching on themes of integrity, justice, diligence, and the dangers of folly. This particular verse, 20:5, fits neatly within the book's broader concern with the inner life of man and the difficulty of truly knowing it. Proverbs repeatedly warns against trusting one's own heart (Prov 28:26) and highlights the Lord as the one who truly weighs the heart (Prov 21:2). This verse provides the positive counterpart to those warnings. While the heart is deep and potentially deceptive, it is not utterly inscrutable. God has provided a means for its depths to be plumbed, and that means is godly discernment. It stands alongside other proverbs that value quiet wisdom over garrulous folly (Prov 17:28) and teach that a wise man gets knowledge and applies it. It is part of the tapestry of Proverbs that teaches us to fear the Lord, which is the beginning of all true knowledge and understanding.
Key Issues
- The Metaphor of "Deep Water"
- The Nature of Biblical Discernment
- The Ambiguity of the Human Heart
- The Role of the Wise Counselor
- Self-Knowledge and Sanctification
The Well and the Bucket
The central image here is powerful and practical. Imagine a man dying of thirst in a dry land, and he comes across a deep well. The water is there, life-saving and pure, but it is a hundred feet down. The presence of the water does him no good at all without a bucket and a rope. The counsel in a man's heart is just like that. A man might have profound insights, godly intentions, or a wealth of experience, but it is all inaccessible. It is deep water.
What is needed is a man of understanding. The Hebrew word for "draw it out" is the same word used for drawing water from a well. The man of discernment is the one who shows up with the bucket. He knows how to ask the right questions. He knows how to listen. He knows when to be silent. He has the skill to lower the bucket past all the surface debris and bring up the clear, cold water from the depths. This is a skill that is desperately needed in the church. We are surrounded by deep wells, both in ourselves and in others, but we are often trying to quench our thirst with surface puddles because we lack the equipment and patience for the real work of discernment.
Verse by Verse Commentary
5 Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep water, But a man of discernment draws it out.
We can read this proverb in two complementary ways, and both are instructive. The first way, which aligns well with the King James rendering, sees the man with deep water in his heart as the one who possesses good counsel to give. He is not a babbler; he is not quick to offer superficial advice. His wisdom is not floating on the surface for everyone to see. He might be quiet, unassuming, and not at all eager to dispense his opinions. If you want his counsel, you are going to have to work for it. You, as the one seeking advice, must be the "man of discernment" who skillfully and patiently draws it out of him. This rebukes our modern penchant for the quick, the glib, and the loud. True wisdom often resides with the quiet man in the corner, not the loquacious man at the center of the room.
The second way to read it, which is favored by more modern translations like the ESV ("The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water"), sees the man of understanding as the counselor. In this scenario, the person receiving counsel is the one with the deep well. He is troubled, confused, and does not know what to do. But deep down, below the level of his conscious turmoil, he often does know the right path. The purpose of God for him is there, but it is submerged. A wise counselor, a man of understanding, does not just pour his own advice on top of the problem. Instead, he skillfully asks questions, listens carefully, and pieces things together, helping the man to articulate what his own heart, enlightened by the Spirit, already knows. He helps the man draw the bucket up from his own well. This is the work of a true pastor, a true friend, a true biblical counselor. He is not there to give you his five easy steps, but to help you see the path the Lord has already laid out for you.
Both readings are true to life, and both honor the nature of biblical wisdom. Wisdom is not cheap, and it is not superficial. Whether we are seeking it from a godly brother or trying to help a brother find it in himself, discernment is the indispensable tool. It is the bucket that brings the life-giving water to the surface.
Application
First, this proverb should humble us about our own hearts. We are not as straightforward as we like to think. Our motives, plans, and desires are deep waters, and we are often poor swimmers. We need to pray for the Lord to give us the discernment to draw out the truth from our own hearts, to examine ourselves honestly before Him. We must not be content with a superficial understanding of our own sin and our own callings. We must ask the Lord to lower the bucket for us, to show us what is really down there.
Second, we must learn to value and cultivate true discernment. In an age of endless chatter and instant hot takes, we must learn the art of drawing out. When we seek counsel, we should seek out the quiet and the tested, not just the loud and the confident. We must be prepared to ask, to listen, and to wait. When we give counsel, our goal should not be to display our own wisdom, but to help our brother draw upon the wisdom God has already given him. This means fewer monologues and more thoughtful questions. It means less fixing and more patient listening.
Ultimately, the perfect "man of understanding" is the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows what is in man. He is the one who can plumb the depths of our hearts perfectly. And through His Word and by His Spirit, He gives us the grace to grow in understanding. He is the source of all true counsel, the well that never runs dry. Our task is to come to Him, the great man of discernment, and ask Him to draw out of us our sin and confusion, and to draw out of His own infinite depths the wisdom we need for life and godliness. The gospel is the great bucket that God the Father lowered into the depths of our fallen world to draw us out of the pit and give us the living water of His Son.