Proverbs 8:14-16,  Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.  By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

Our God makes his existence clear to us.

There is no place on earth and throughout the universe that his presence cannot be known.

We have seen in chapter 8 of Proverbs that wisdom makes herself known in all places to the sons of men, even to those who are simple and to those who are fools

There is no IQ test that must be passed in order to see the wisdom of God for it is everywhere.

It does not need to be translated into the languages of men for it is so pervasive that all men everywhere can understand it for God’s wisdom in His creation speaks every tongue.

But the heart of man is so corrupt that it will deceive those at every level of intelligence and bring many to conclude that there is to be no God for me.

But that conclusion is a rebel’s conclusion for it thrusts the proud look at wisdom’s plain and eternal truths.

It sticks out the lip against God’s counsel for as we see in verse 14:

The word "counsel" is derived from the word "consult".

To consult is to seek the opinion of another.

It is to seek advice, to seek instruction for directing your conduct, behavior or judgment.

When seeking counsel from another it is understood that it will be given after careful deliberation or even further consultation with others.

This type of counsel is spoken of in:

Psalm 55:14,  We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

This was sweet counsel but others devise witty inventions, evil plans, conspiracies, in counsel as did the chief priests and elders.

For they came together in counsel for the purpose of finding a way to put Jesus to death.

Matthew 27:1,  When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:

You will notice that this type of counsel is between men and/or women.

All of us have engaged in this type of counsel and in fact the scriptures advance this to us as a wise course of action as we read in:

Proverbs 15:22,  Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established.

Another proverb says in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Counsel brings forth that which is needed to establish something for no man is an island and anything that will be established will affect many men and many things have to be considered.

So we see that counsel with men comes about with deliberation, argument, debate and discussion.

Opinions are shared, pros and cons are discussed and weighed.

Scenarios are listed in order of priority.

In our world counsel takes up much of men’s activities.

Even when we wish to build a house much counsel must take place before the first shovel full of dirt is moved.

Surveys must be taken, plans must be drawn, permits must be pulled, contracts must be signed.

This is all counsel between men in order to arrive at a wise course of action.

Most times you see an attorney advertising his services you’ll see in the background a wall full of legal reference books for every attorney seeks counsel from those books.

Those who live in a republic like the United States must bear unending counsel that takes place in our form of government in order for laws to be passed and money to be appropriated.

All of this discourse is a necessity with men for men are fallible and limited in their knowledge and understanding and must come together in counsel so that something can be established.

This is the natural course of action between men but this is not the course of action that God takes.

This is made clear to us in verse 14 where we are told that wisdom owns counsel and that wisdom is understanding.

It does not say that wisdom counsels and that wisdom has understanding.

It does not mean that counsel flows from wisdom as water would flow from a well but what it means is that wisdom is the well where counsel dwells.

This kind of counsel needs no deliberation or discourse for it is complete in itself.

Counsel with man comes with deliberation and discourse but this is not what takes place with God for God never deliberates, never seeks another’s opinion.

With God counsel is intuitive, that is, God himself is counsel and as such never needs intervention or the help of another.

Jesus said I am the truth.

He did not say I know the truth as if truth came by another.

Here it is said that Wisdom is counsel.

It does not say wisdom can give counsel as if counsel were acquired from another.

But wisdom is the fount of counsel.

I use wisdom and God interchangeable here for God is wisdom, Jesus Christ is wisdom personified.

Isaiah and Paul knew this truth.

Isaiah 40:13-14,  Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? ¹⁴With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?

Romans 11:33-36,  O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! ³⁴For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? ³⁵Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? ³⁶For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Now back to our verse 14 for further instruction.

Here again as we ponder the words "I am understanding" we can see that it is not that he has understanding as if it came from another but it is that he is understanding.

Any understanding that I have came from another, but it is not so with wisdom for wisdom is understanding and all in all derives from Him.

Psalm 147:5 tells us,  Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

Isaiah 40:28,  Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

Job listened many days to counsel from men and he agreed that they had some degree of wisdom but he concluded that there was no comparison between them and the ancient of days.

Job 12:12-13, With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding. ¹³With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.

He concluded as Proverbs 21:30 concludes,  There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

One thing that amazes me as I move though this life is how easily men depart from this knowledge or reject this knowledge or never even seek this knowledge.

Jeremiah spoke of this is his day by comparing what his people substituted for the fountain of living waters.

Jeremiah 2:13,  For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Wisdom, counsel, and understanding are readily available from the fountain of living waters ,but in case after case in our day we see the rejection of those waters and a drive to get stale, corrupted, water from a cistern and a broken cistern at that.

How often we sacrifice the permanent on the altar of the immediate.

We see this in the church of all places where the preaching of the word, the fountain of living waters is being replaced by vapid, distasteful and empty practices which are intended to entertain and satisfy the immediate, but only results in the loss of that which is permanent.

God gives so many gifts in their purest form but men consistently have a tendency to corrupt those gifts by dilution, addition or some witty invention that distorts them as being from God.

Marriage is being corrupted from the purity of God’s plan to one of impurity where marriage can take place between any party.

The simple act of child bearing is fatally corrupted by the so called right to choose.

God gives a right to choose but it is always before the time of conception.

The hardest thing that our Pastor has to strive for in this ministry is purity.

Purity in anything, is almost impossible and had it not been for God’s admonition that with God nothing is impossible it would be impossible on this earth.

But his daily battle concerns purity, for men and women wish to drink out of the broken cistern of corrupt waters.

But we can thank God, the fountain of living waters, that he can call upon Wisdom’s strength.

For wisdom needs strength to carry out its plans.

Oh, how we need strength to carry out Wisdom’s plans.

How our pastor needs the strength that only comes from God to carry out God’s will for this ministry.

God is wisdom, but he is also strength.

God is omnipotent.

Omni means all around and potent means powerful.

God is all around powerful. There is no place where He is weak.

God is wisdom and he is the power to make that wisdom practical in your life.

To neglect it is to drink at the broken cistern.

We are to live with the reminder that we are the sons of God and as the sons of God we are to purify ourselves in his wisdom even as he is pure.

I John 3:2,3,  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. ³And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Wisdom is counsel and understanding, and by these kings rule for we read in:

Proverbs 8:15-16,  By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. ¹⁶By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

Here we have those on earth who are given authority.

There is nothing on earth that has authority in itself for all authority comes from above.

Romans 13:1-2,  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. ²Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

Kings reign, princes, nobles and judges decree and rule.

They reign, they degree and they rule by wisdom.

This is where their power derives and any use of that power outside of this source will bring disorder and chaos to God’s order.

Proverbs 29:2 says,  When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

Wisdom has devised all powers and authorities and has also determined to whom it should be given.

"By me kings reign" tells us that all kings are not only in subordination to Wisdom, but are in power because of wisdom.

Woe be it to those in authority who blind themselves to the wisdom of God, for by wisdom they are endowed with authority to carry out that authority in the wisdom of God.

Too much in our culture and country do we hear that those in authority are servants of the people.

This is error for those in authority have been placed there by wisdom and they are ministers of God and not servants of the people.

An understanding of this distinction makes all the difference in the world in how every judge, every ruler, every king, prince and noble would rule.

Those in power who exercise their God given authority with this understanding will always hear the people rejoice and not mourn.

Those who think they are servants of the people can count themselves among the wicked and will forever hear the mourning of the people.

For those who think they are the servants of the people will not live according to the wisdom of God, but according to the will of the people who without the truth of God will corrupt.

Can a man who knows that his authority comes from God support anything that God is against?

Can a man or woman take marriage and vote to corrupt it like those in authority wish to do so as to gain a certain group’s support.

How can a supreme court justice who derives his power from on high support anything that goes against the wisdom from on high.

The answer comes from an understanding of who they think they work for.