Job 21:16 (KJV)
Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
There is a great deal of counsel available to us today. Everyone has an opinion. We can find advice concerning our homes, marriages, finances, health, churches, and almost anything else imaginable. But not all counsel deserves our consideration.
Job said, “the counsel of the wicked is far from me.”
There is wisdom in those words.
Job did not say that he would listen carefully to the counsel of the wicked and then decide whether he agreed with it. He did not say he would balance wicked counsel against godly counsel and choose whichever seemed most reasonable. He simply put it far from him.
Psalm 1:1 says,
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly…”
The downward progression begins with counsel. A man listens to the wrong voices. Their reasoning begins to make sense to him. Before long, he is walking their way, standing where they stand, and eventually sitting where they sit.
That is why Proverbs 19:27 says,
“Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.”
Sometimes wisdom is not found in hearing every side. Sometimes wisdom says, “I do not need to hear any more of this.”
We live in a world where wicked counsel is difficult to avoid altogether. It comes through entertainment, social media, news, friends, experts, and even religious voices. We may not be able to prevent every voice from reaching our ears, but we can decide which voices are allowed near our hearts.
The standard must always be the Word of God.
When counsel contradicts Scripture, I do not need to debate with it until I understand every argument. I do not need to keep it nearby just in case it proves useful someday. Once I recognize that it leads me away from God’s Word, I know what to do with it. Put it far from me.
There are some things from which the Christian ought not merely turn away. We ought to put some distance between ourselves and them.
“The counsel of the wicked is far from me.”
That sounds like a good place to live.
#BiblicalCounsel #GodlyWisdom #WordOfGod #DailyVisitWithGod #Job21v16
Bad Advice? Guard Who Influences You
What voices are you allowing to influence your thinking? Job 21:16 reminds us that biblical wisdom includes putting wicked counsel far from us. Share your thoughts in the comments: How do you recognize counsel that contradicts God’s Word?
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