Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need

Destruction and Deliverance

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Covenant Theology

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2024-04-27

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver contrasts biblical counsel with humanistic counsel, using Proverbs 1–2 to show that rejecting God's wisdom leads to destruction while heeding it brings deliverance. He illustrates worldly wisdom through Jonadab and Ahithophel, and emphasizes that all counsel is either godly or humanistic, with no neutral ground. The sermon calls believers to examine their lives, choose life by obeying God's Word, and warns that persistent refusal of divine counsel results in God's silence in times of calamity.

[John Weaver] Let's open our Bibles into the book of Proverbs chapter 1 and We're going to be looking at actually chapters 1 and chapter 2 the title of the message is destruction and Deliverance so I want you to look at Proverbs chapter 1 and And let's just read a few verses to begin with, with verse one. The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel, to know wisdom and instruction, to receive the words of understanding, to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity, to give subtlety to the simple, to the young men knowledge and discretion.

[John Weaver] A wise man will hear and will increase learning. and a man of understanding shall attain into wise counsels. To understand the proverb and the interpretation, the words of the wise in their dark saying, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and fools despise wisdom and instruction. Counsel is often required, and at times it is demanded and necessary. We need counsel usually in a multitude of areas. When you stop and think about counsel. It usually revolves around a situation or circumstance where you find yourself and you really just simply do not know what to do. I've often said that a problem is not a problem. If you know what to do, you just have problems when you are totally ignorant or foolish, and you don't know what to do.

[John Weaver] And people get themselves in so many situations, and so much trouble so often. But sometimes we get involved in things, our emotions get so ratcheted up that we just need help sorting things out. And so consequently, then we have to have counsel. And a lot of people will go to a hired counselor. Sometimes they will go to their pastor, sometimes they'll go to a family member, sometimes they'll go to a friend.

[John Weaver] But the truth of the matter is this. Most of the time, We do not understand a distinction in counseling. The truth is, in reality, and I'll explain that statement just momentarily, but the truth is, in reality, that our entire lives are based upon counsel. And they're based upon the counsel that we learned as we were maturing, based upon the counsel that we acquired while we were being educated And sometimes, of course, we receive counsel from our friends and they have been educated the same way we've been educated. And so consequently, most people have never really understood that most counseling is absolutely humanistic to the core. In other words, there's a vast difference, which we're going to see today, between biblical counseling and humanistic counseling. So I want you to look very quickly at just three passages just to show you the importance of counseling in the Word of God. So if you look in Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 14, Proverbs 11 and verse 14, the Bible makes this statement that where no counsel is, the people fall.

[John Weaver] But in the multitude of counselors, there is safety. So where no counsel is, the people fall. If you look in Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 22, Proverbs 15 and verse 22, the Bible says without counsel, purposes are disappointed. But in the multitude of counselors, they're established. So apart from counsel, then purposes, he says, are disappointed. Then if you look in Proverbs chapter 24 and verse 6, Proverbs 24 and verse 6. The Bible says, for by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war, and in the multitude of counselors there is safety. So what is not apparent to a lot of people when it comes to counseling and counselors is that there is a vast difference between biblical counsel and what you and I would call humanistic or worldly counsel. That difference is between destruction and deliverance. I can give you a good illustration of humanistic counseling.

[John Weaver] I spoke many years ago with a man whom I knew. He came to our church several times. His wife was having problems, and so he sent his wife to this psychologist, and I forget what he told me he had to pay the man something like 50 bucks an hour. And this would have been 40 years ago, 50 years ago, almost where that was a large sum of money. And so the counselor told his wife that her problem was that she was sexually frustrated and what she needed to do was go out and have three or four different affairs and that would work everything out. And when the man told me that the counselor told his wife that I looked at him and I said, I have one question for you.

[John Weaver] He said, What is that? I said, Were you stupid enough to pay the man? I said, I don't think I would have ever given him a dime for counsel like that. But I say that to point this out. Have you ever noticed that some people are wise concerning that which is evil, wicked, and wrong. They are crafty. They're subtle. They're cunning. They know how to work every angle and how to come out on top. They know how to take every evil situation and prosper. They know how, basically, to deceive and defraud others, oftentimes without even getting caught. So there are people that are wise in sin and wickedness.

[John Weaver] Let me give you two verses. The first one is Jeremiah chapter four and verse twenty two. Listen to this. God said, for my people is foolish. They have not known me. They are sawdust children and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good, they have no knowledge. They're wise to do evil, but to do good, they have no knowledge. And then the Word of God says in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 in verse 19, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness. So there is a worldly wisdom and there is a worldly counsel. And it's completely, totally contrary to God. Now, I want to give you just very quickly, before I expound on Proverbs 1 and 2, two illustrations of individuals who were wise in evil. So I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, first of all, the second Samuel chapter 13, second Samuel chapter 13.

[John Weaver] And I'm going to share with you here about Jonadab. And Jonadab was a very subtle man, the Bible tells you. Jonadab is the man who actually gave Amnon, who would have been a cousin, He actually gave to Amnon the plan to rape his half-sister Tamar. So if you'll look in 2 Samuel chapter 13 verse 1, and he came to pass after this that Absalom, the son of David, had a fair sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon, the son of David, loved her. And Amnon was so vexed that he fell sick for his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, And Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her. But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shemeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very subtle man. And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king's son, lean from day to day? Wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother, absolute sister. And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick.

[John Weaver] And when my father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it and eat it at her hand. So Amnon lay down and made himself sick. And when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand. Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, go now to thy brother Amnon's house, and dress meat for him.

[John Weaver] And, of course, you know the outcome. He did indeed rape his sister, his half sister. And she begged him not to. She said, if you really want to marry me, ask the king. He will not withhold me from thee. But she said, do not do this evil. Do not do this foolishness. And, of course, he would not listen. But notice if you were the Bible refers to Jonadab as a very subtle man. And the Hebrew word for subtle here literally means to be wise, to be skillful, to be shrewd, to be cunning, to be crafty, to be wily and learned. And so certainly this man was learned in evil and wickedness.

[John Weaver] He planned this thing for Amnon. Of course, it resulted two years later in Amnon's death.

[John Weaver] Now, the second illustration is found in Second Samuel, chapter 16, and this is in reference to Ahithophel. Ahithophel was the counselor of David. And when Absalom rebelled against his father David, Ahithophel joined in the rebellion. Now, there's an interesting verse about Ahithophel. And if you look in 2 Samuel 16 and verse 23, you will see this verse. Listen to it. And the counsel of Ahithophel which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the counsel of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom.

[John Weaver] Now, I must say that that is quite a compliment. That is quite an astounding statement, to say that Ahithophel's counsel was as if one, you know, listened to the oracles of God. He always gave wise and sagacious counseling. However, that wise and sagacious counseling oftentimes, or at least in one time, led to that which was evil, wicked, and wrong. So if you look back in 2 Samuel 16, beginning there with verse 20, because Absalom now has come into Jerusalem.

[John Weaver] David has been driven from the throne and driven from the town. And so, verse 20, then said Absalom to Ahithophel, give counsel among you what we shall do. And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, go in unto thy father's concubines, which ye left to keep the house, and all Israel shall hear that thou art a hoard of thy father. Then shall the hand of all that are with thee be strong. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house, and Absalom went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel now Here's an amazing statement and Here's an amazing act That he went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel everyone knew Exactly what he was doing now? Ahithophel gave this counsel Now you can see that the council very obviously was wicked wrong and vile and But it was designed to accomplish one particular end. And that was it. And if you look at it in verse 21, let me read it again. And Ahithovel said unto Absalom, go into thy father's concubines, which you have left to keep the house.

[John Weaver] In other words, you're going to defile your father's concubines. And all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred, hated of thy father.

[John Weaver] Now look what he says, then shall all the hands of all that are with thee be strong. In other words, here's what the fellow is saying, Absalom, you go into your father's documents. Why? Well, here's why. Because the father forgave the son, but he's not going to forgive those who were with the son. And so everybody's going to be hesitating and say, we're not going to fight because Absalom could go back and get reconciled with his father, then where are we going to be? But when Absalom did what he did, he was saying publicly, I'm not asking forgiveness. I'm not going back. This is the way it's going to be. I'm either going to kill my father or my father's going to kill me. That's it. So the hands of all them will be strong. In other words, they will fight for him because he is not going to back up and back down. So while the Counsel that Ahithophel gave him was what you and I would refer to as wicked and vile, yet it was designed to accomplish one end, and that was to unify those men who were going to fight with Absalom.

[John Weaver] So, many individuals are wise when it comes to this world. They're wise in sin. They're wise in wickedness.

[John Weaver] Now, I'd like to show you a verse very quickly, or a passage, I should say, that will distinguish for us the difference between worldly wisdom and godly wisdom, or you could say godly counsel and worldly counsel. So if you'll hold Proverbs 1, but look in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 3, right after the book of Hebrews, Hebrews James. Look in James chapter 3, and let's begin reading there with verse 13. James chapter 3 and verse 13.

[John Weaver] So the scripture asks this question. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation that is good conduct. His works with meekness of wisdom.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm going to hasten to tell you, and I'm going to say this again. From wherever you receive your counsel, it's going to be made known because you're going to act out your counsel. So this is what he's saying in verse 13. Who is a wise man endued with knowledge among you? If you're wise, if you're endued with knowledge, inevitably, you're going to show out of a good conversation, a good conduct, your works with meekness of wit and wisdom. But look at verse 14. But here's the contrast.

[John Weaver] If you have bitter envy and strife in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth. This wisdom that is with bitter envy and strife, This wisdom descendeth not from above, that is it not heavenly, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish. For wherein being in strife are there is confusion and every evil work.

[John Weaver] Now here's another distinction, but the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy, The fruit of the righteous, the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. Now, Gary, I don't have my Greek text in front of me, but verse 17 is the very first word Allah. A.L.L.A.

[John Weaver] Is that what it is? Day. OK. Usually you will find the word Allah. There's the day. But Allah is a strong word of contrast, but still day is a word of contrast to Allah is just a Little bit stronger, but note if you would but and he gives you the but so there is a distinction between those two things now We fail to grasp as you turn back to Proverbs 1 we fail to grasp another Very significant truth. It's a small truth But yet it is very significant and here it is that one sin Always leads to another sin One sin always leads to another sin. Sin may begin small and seemingly insignificant, but it builds and builds and builds until it comes to a crescendo and all of a sudden it is something that is something that just completely destroys you. So every sin then leads to another sin. And it's going to build up into something extremely huge and large. And we tend to forget that every big thing or every large thing is made up of a series of small things.

[John Weaver] So let me just show you what I'm talking about. So Solomon gives some wisdom, beginning there in verse 10. And let's read through verse 19. Watch this. He says, My son, if sinners entice thee, Consent thou not? If they say, come with us, let us lay wait for blood. Let us work privately for the innocent without cause. Let us swallow them up alive as the grave and whole as those that go down into the pit.

[John Weaver] We shall find all precious substance. We shall fill our houses with spoil. Cast in my lot among us, let us all have one purse. My son, walk not thou in the way with them, refrain thy foot from their path, for their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood. They lurk proudly for their own lives.

[John Weaver] So are the ways of everyone that is greedy of gain, which take it away the life of the owners thereof. Now, I want to show you something in this particular passage. You know, in the book of first Corinthians, the word of God says, be not deceived. Evil communications corrupt good manners. And that is when you associate with people that is with wicked people, vile people, you're going to be corrupted.

[John Weaver] That's all there is to it. So I want you to see in Proverbs one, this truth that I'm going to show you right now from Psalm one and verse one. So I want you to look in Psalm one. verse 1, the very first Psalm, and then we're going back to Proverbs 1. Look what David says in Psalm 1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. So let's take that verse apart. He says, blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. So what is counsel? Let's say it's advice.

[John Weaver] They're telling you how to live. So he says, do not walk in the advice or the counsel of the ungodly. Well, what happens if you start listening to the advice of the ungodly? Here's the next. Nor stand in the way of sinners. That's association. Once you start listening to their advice, you begin associating with them. What's the third step? Here it is. Nor sit in the seat of the scornful. That's agreement. So once you listen to the voice, you begin associating. Once you begin associating, you end up agreeing with them. So when you look back in Proverbs chapter one in verse 10, he says, My son of sinners entice the consent thou not.

[John Weaver] In other words, ignore them. Do not listen to them. Turn away from them. Do not associate them whatsoever, turn from them. In other words, you're looking at something like this where they're talking about robbery, they're talking about theft, inevitably, it involves murder. And you start out with something small, but it builds up into something absolutely abominable and great in wickedness. I was reading this past week, of an 11-year-old boy who pulled a pistol on a woman to steal from her and even to try to hijack her car. 11 years old.

[John Weaver] And here's what the psalmist is saying. No, no, no. Don't listen to them. Don't go in their way. Don't listen to all their pleadings. So what they're saying is this. Cast in thy purse with us, or cast in thy lot with us. We're going to have one purse. We're going to get rich, we're going to divide everything. And then he starts talking about murder as well. So the truth is matter of the matter is this.

[John Weaver] Each small step always leads up to something great, something big, something huge. And all the promises that you find in verses 10 through 19 are all based upon what you and I would call humanistic or worldly counsel and reasoning and advice. That's all it is. And each one of these is absolutely contrary to the law of God and to the counsel of God.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look at this. So once he gives you an illustration of what not to listen to in verses nine through our 10 through 19, I want you to look at verses 20 through 23. Here is biblical wisdom crying out. Here's biblical counsel crying out. He says, Wisdom cried throughout. She uttered her voice in the streets. She cried in the chief places of concourse, in the openings of the gates, that is very publicly, in the city she uttered her words saying, how long, you simple ones, would you love simplicity?

[John Weaver] And the scorners delight in their scorning. And fools hate knowledge. Look what biblical counsel and wisdom says. Turn you at my reproof. Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you. I will make known my words. unto you."

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to grasp with me the significance of this order. Here it is. First, men will either listen to biblical counsel and wisdom, or they will listen to humanistic counsel and wisdom. You have those two contrasted right here. The second thing is this. Men will always act upon either biblical counsel and wisdom, or they will act upon humanistic counsel and wisdom. So you're either going to listen to one or the other, and you're going to act upon one or the other. Here's the third thing. There is no alternative. There is no alternative. You say, well, what I think best, well, what you think best is your humanistic desires. It's your humanistic thinking. So you're either following biblical counsel or you're following humanistic counsel. You're either following biblical wisdom or you're following ungodly humanistic wisdom. It's just that simple. Now, here's the thing. Desolation and destruction always awaits those individuals who will not follow biblical wisdom. Only those who follow biblical wisdom have deliverance. So that's why I named this destruction or deliverance. So I want you to watch this.

[John Weaver] Many times people do not even recognize how deeply they have erred until it is too late. And when it's too late, it's just too late. So let me show you this. So in verses 10 through 19, he's talking about humanistic and worldly counsel and wisdom. Then in verses 20, 23 he's saying you better listen to that which is biblical that which is right and which is godly now I want you to watch destruction here.

[John Weaver] It is look in verse 24 Because I have called and you refused I've stretched out my hand and no man regarded. This is wisdom. This is counsel biblical counsel But you have said it not all my counsel and would have none of my reproof what God says I Also will laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your fear cometh When your fear cometh as desolation and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind when distress and anguish cometh upon you Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer They shall seek me up They'll not find me. Why? For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would have never my counsel. They despised all my reproof.

[John Weaver] Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. So turning away from God's truth, turning away from God's counsel, Turning away from God's wisdom always leads to destruction.

[John Weaver] Now, when we talk about deliverance, you have to remember this. Deliverance is the opposite of destruction, just like life is the opposite of death. Exactly as blessings are the opposite of cursings. So if you look in your Bibles, the Proverbs one and verse thirty three, He ends with this verse. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely and shall be quiet from fear of evil. So here's deliverance, but deliverance is only to those who hearken, only those who listen.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is. The phrase, but whoso hearkeneth is from the Hebrew word Shema, which literally emphasizes a certain truth. That means to hear, to listen to, to obey, to hear with attention, to hear with understanding, and to consent as well as to be obedient. So when he's talking then about hearkening unto me, it's not just an audible hearing, it's a spiritual hearing as well. because you don't only hear audibly, you end up in obedience as well. Now, the obedient, he said, shall dwell safely. The obedient shall be quiet from the fear of evil.

[John Weaver] Now, there is a verse in Isaiah 55, in verse three, where God says this, incline your ear and come unto me. Hear and your soul shall live. And then he goes on to say, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you and give you the sure mercies of David. So listen to what he said, incline your ear and come unto me. Then he said here and your soul shall live. Then he said, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you and I will give you the sure mercies of David.

[John Weaver] Now, this is a wonderful truth. It is a wonderful promise. However, there is a problem. The problem is not with God. The problem is not with God's promise. The problem is with us. Because we are sinful, we are depraved, and therefore we desire And we prefer our own ways, and we prefer anything that will satisfy our flesh and our wicked desires. It's just that simple. Here's an interesting thought.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles, holding Proverbs 1, but turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 17. To me this is absolutely astounding and I would challenge you to do this. I would challenge you to read through your Bibles and underline every time that people will not hear or will not listen. I would even make it more specific. I would read through especially the Old Testament and underline how many times Israel would not hear. And Israel was God's professing people.

[John Weaver] They were supposedly in covenant with him. But if you look in 2nd Kings chapter 17 and verse 13, let's read there. 2nd Kings 17 and verse 13, the Bible says, Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah by all the prophets and by all the seers saying, Turn you from your evil ways. and keep my commandments and my statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers and which I sent to you by my service the prophets." Now look at this, notwithstanding they would not hear but harden their necks like to the neck of their fathers that did not believe in the Lord their God. Over and over in the Bible you will find Israel refusing to hear the Word of God. You have to remember in the book of Jeremiah, those people in Judah and Jerusalem wanted to murder Jeremiah simply because they did not like what he was preaching and teaching. It's interesting. It's astounding. When you think about biblical counsel, biblical wisdom, When you think about that which is given us in the Word of God, unhappily, most Christians very seldom read the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Most Christians are inconsistent in listening to the Word of God expounded, explained, and applied. And the truth of the matter is most absolutely refuse to guide their lives by the truth of the Word of God.

[John Weaver] Now I want to show you the consequence. You see, you and I would never leave something extremely valuable just out in the open or leaving it placed on a table for everyone to see. If some of you ladies had a necklace and that necklace was worth 10 or 15,000 Federal Reserve notes. Would you just simply leave it out on your table? Would you just leave it on top of the dresser?

[John Weaver] And the answer is no, you would put it up because you understood its value and you would guard it and you would protect it. But the truth of the matter is this. God's word, God's wisdom, God's counsel is valuable as well. And consequently, he is not going to leave it for people who despise it and reject it and refuse it. You remember that passage in Mark chapter four, where he said, and to you that hear shall more be given.

[John Weaver] And he that heareth not from him shall be taken, even that which he hath. You remember in first Samuel chapter three in verse one, the Bible says the word of God was precious in those days, There was no open vision. In other words, there was no open and public preaching. The word of God was precious. It was valuable. It was scarce. And when you look around today, you find biblical counsel and biblical wisdom is being scarce as well.

[John Weaver] Because people do not want it. I want to show you what's going to happen. What has happened in time past What will happen even in the present the future if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Leviticus chapter 26 Then we're going to go to Isaiah 30 But look if you would in Leviticus chapter 26 first And let's begin reading there with verse 15 Leviticus 26 verse 15 In fact we can read verse 14, that's where it actually starts where God says, but if you will not hearken unto me, I will not do all these commandments. And if you shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor, that is, strongly hate my judgments, so that you will not do all my commandments, but that you break my covenant, I also will do this unto you. I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning egg you.

[John Weaver] that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart. You shall sow your seed in vain for your enemy shall eat it. And I will set my face against you and you shall be slain before your enemies. They that hate you shall reign over you and you shall flee when none pursue it. Did you notice what he said, if you shall despise my statute, if you hate my judgments?

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles if you would please to the book of Isaiah chapter 30 Isaiah chapter 30 and let's begin reading there with verse 12 Isaiah 30 and verse 12 Look again what he says in fact Let's go back up Let's go back up to verse 8. I want you to see this in the context. Look at this verse 8 Isaiah 30 verse 8 Now go write it before them in a table and noted in the book that it may be May be for the time to come forever and ever did you see that for the time to come forever and ever write it in a book? Here's what God says That this is a rebellious people lying children Children that will not hear the law of God Which say to the seers see not and to the prophets prophesy not unto us right things Speaking of smooth things prophesied deceits get you out of the way Turn aside out of the path. Look at this cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us wherefore thus said the Holy One of Israel because you despise this word and Trust in oppression and perverseness and stay there on Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out of a high

[John Weaver] wall whose breaking cometh suddenly in an instant Lord's this walls gonna fall on you and He shall break it as the breaking of the potter's vessel that is broken in pieces He shall not spare so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it assured or shard To take fire from the heart or to take water with allowed the pit so God says because you despise my word I'm going to destroy you. He said, you will be so destroyed, it's like taking a potter's vessel and slamming it on the floor. It's made of clay. And he said, you can't even find a piece to get a drop of water in it, or you cannot find a piece that will pick up a coal out of a fire with it. No, he said, it'll be totally, absolutely destroyed. So here's what God is trying to teach us at this particular point.

[John Weaver] If we want life and blessings, If we want deliverance, then we must honor his word. We must hear his word. There is another truth that we must understand, and that is this. If we want to be delivered, if we want his principles, if we want his precepts, we must work to understand.

[John Weaver] Now, it is true that only the Holy Spirit of God can open our eyes and open our understanding. That is true. And without him, There is absolutely nothing. But the Bible does say in Proverbs 25 verse 2, it's the glory of God to conceal a thing. And it's the honor of kings to search a matter out. So God has made us kings and priests, and it's our responsibility to search things out. Then our Lord said it like this in John 8 in verse 32.

[John Weaver] And he said, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. In other words, deliverance only comes from the truth. So you have to ask this question, then how are we to acquire truth? Well, the Apostle Paul told Timothy in Second Timothy, chapter two and verse seven, consider what I say and the Lord give the understanding in all things. Now it is true. That understanding comes from the Lord. That's what he said in Proverbs 2 and verse 6. Understanding comes from the Lord.

[John Weaver] He must open our eyes. He must teach us. The Holy Spirit must enlighten our eyes. That is true. But then he said, consider what I say. God is not going to give us truth willy nilly. You and I are not going to go to bed. Ignorant and stupid and wake up smart and brilliant. You're not going to take an algebra book and put it under your pillow at night and wake up in the morning being a math genius.

[John Weaver] It just does not work like that. You can sleep on your Bible all you like, but it's not going to make you holy sleeping on your Bible. So what he tells you is you must consider and the word consider is no. It means that you consider you perceive with understanding, and it means that you have Taken heed to the truth of God that you've thought upon it that you pondered it that you've meditated on it that you've made it yours Now with that in mind, I want you to go back in your Bibles

[John Weaver] to the book of Proverbs chapter 2 now watch this if you would Proverbs chapter 2 look in verse 1 after he said in verse 33 of chapter 1 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear. Now look in chapter two, verse one. My son, if thou will receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee, so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart unto understanding, yea, if thou cryest after knowledge, and lift up thy voice for understanding, if thou seekest or is silver, Searches for his hidden treasure Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God for the Lord giveth wisdom Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous. He's a buckler to them that woke up rightly He keepeth the paths of judgment and preserve it the way of his Saints now I want you to listen very carefully When you look at those first few verses in Proverbs chapter 2, he says, my son, if thou will receive my words and hide

[John Weaver] my commands with thee, so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom and apply thine heart to understanding. Yea, if thou cry'st after knowledge and lift it up by voice for understanding, if thou seekest or is silver, and searches for his hidden treasures, then shall they understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Now, God says if you will receive, if you will hide, if you will indeed incline, if you will apply, if you will cry, if you lift up your voice, if you seek his silver, and search for his treasures, skip down to verse nine, then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity, yea, every good path. Wow.

[John Weaver] Consequently, you're going to have then deliverance instead of destruction. Now, let me show you. What in the world are you going to be delivered from? Well, let's look in verse 10. Proverbs 2, verse 10. He says, when wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul, discretion shall preserve thee, and understanding shall keep thee. Oh, it's going to keep you, it's going to deliver you. From what? To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh forward things, who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, who rejoice to do evil and delight in the forwardness of the wicked, whose ways are crooked and they are forward in their paths. So God says, if you will listen to my wisdom, if you will take my counsel, you're going to be delivered from an evil man, the man that speaketh wicked things, the man who walks out of the path of righteousness, the man who delights in that which is evil, God said you'll be delivered

[John Weaver] from him, but that's not all skip down to verse 16. He says to deliver thee from the strange woman Even from the stranger which flattered with her words Which forsake the guide of her youth and forget it the covenant of her God for her house and flighteth unto death And her paths unto the dead none that go into her return again neither take they hold of the paths of life, so God says, here it is.

[John Weaver] You can have biblical wisdom and biblical counsel and be delivered, or you can have humanistic wisdom and humanistic counsel and be destroyed. It's just that simple.

[John Weaver] Now, here's the interesting thing. Proverbs chapter two ends with either deliverance or destruction. I want you to look at it. Look in Proverbs chapter two. Notice if you would begin there with verse 20 He says that thou mayest walk in the way of the good men now we're talking about biblical counsel and wisdom and keep the paths of the righteous for the upright shall dwell in the land and the perfect shall remain in it, but the wicked

[John Weaver] shall be cut off from the earth and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it. So when you look at Proverbs chapter 1 and Proverbs chapter 2, you see this strong contrast then between humanistic counsel and wisdom and biblical counsel and wisdom. Humanism always leads to death and destruction. Biblical divine wisdom and counsel always leads to deliverance and to life. I want you to think with me and I want you to follow me just for three or four passages. Here's the first application. I want you to see what God has done is he has set before us life and death. He has set before us blessings and curses. So he is telling us that we may choose life and we may choose blessings or we may choose death and we may choose verses so let's go back in our Bibles if you would first of all the Deuteronomy chapter 11 Deuteronomy 11 and look if you would please at verse 26 Deuteronomy 11 verse 26 look at this look what God says Deuteronomy 11 verse 26.

[John Weaver] Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse, a blessing. If you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I command you this day and a curse, if you will not obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, but turn aside out of the way, which I command you this day to go after other gods which you have not known. So God said, I've set before you blessings and curses Now if you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 30 Deuteronomy chapter 30 And look if you would please at verse 19 Deuteronomy 30 and verse 19 He says I call heaven and earth to record or to record this day against you and that I've set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life that both thou and thy seed may live."

[John Weaver] So what did he say? I've set before you life and death, blessing and curses. I want you to choose life.

[John Weaver] Now, if you would turn right over in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah, chapter 21, Look in Jeremiah chapter 21 and verse 8. Jeremiah 21 and verse 8. Here's what God tells Jeremiah. Jeremiah 21 verse 8, and unto this people thou shalt say, thus saith the Lord, behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. You know the Bible tells you in Proverbs 12 and verse 28, in the way of righteousness is life and in the pathway thereof there is no death. In the way of righteousness is life. We can say in the way of biblical counsel there is life. In the way of biblical wisdom there is life. I want you to turn to one more passage. This is my second and last application, and you will find this in the book of Zechariah, chapter 7. Zechariah is next to the last book of the Old Testament, Zechariah, then Malachi. So look in Zechariah, chapter 7, if you would, and just wait there just for a moment.

[John Weaver] We have actually seen this truth that I'm going to enunciate right now. Proverbs chapter 1 and That is this when you refuse God's counsel when you refuse God's wisdom It always ends up in death and destruction You remember that passage there in Proverbs chapter 1 And he said they would have none of my counsel They refused all of my reproof. They said, therefore, they shall call upon me, but I will not hear. They shall cry, but I'm not going to answer. He ends up by saying they shall eat the fruit of their own ways. Here's a principle.

[John Weaver] This is known as the lex talionis, which I've mentioned before, which is the law of retribution. It's where God makes the punishment fit the crime. The crime in Proverbs 1 was a refusal to hear God, to listen to God, to receive his counsel and receive his wisdom. The retribution was when they're in trouble and the end of their life and they're being destroyed, they're crying and God says, I'm not listening. You wouldn't listen to me. I'm not listening to you and the fact is he says that again if you'll look at Zechariah chapter 7 and verse let's begin reading with verse 11 look at this but they refused to harken and pull away the shoulder and stop their ears that they should not hear Yea, they made their hearts

[John Weaver] as an adamant stone Lest they should hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent in his spirit by the former prophets Therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts Therefore it has come to pass that as he cried and they would not hear so they cried and I would not hear saith the Lord of hosts God said I cried I told you to listen, I commanded you to listen, and you refused. You would not hear me. Now, therefore, you're crying and I'm not going to hear you.

[John Weaver] It's just like I said earlier, you don't leave something that is extremely valuable just laying around out in the open. And when you refuse God's words, and God's counsel, and God's wisdom, He will take it, and He says, you don't want it? Fine. When you want it, it'll probably be too late, but I'm just saying, I call, you refuse, you call, I'm not listening. Our entire life, all of our life will either be following biblical counsel or humanistic counsel. So here's the question. How do I know whether or not I'm following humanistic counsel or biblical counsel?

[John Weaver] And the answer is very simple. Examine your life. See if what you're doing is biblical because the scripture says As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23, verse 7. Proverbs 4, 23, keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. We actually live out that which we think, that which we believe. David said in Psalm 116, I believe, therefore have I spoken. We can always tell whether or not We're following biblical wisdom or humanistic wisdom of what we think and what we do. And God says, choose life. And choose blessings, bring your life into conformity, the word of God or in the path of righteousness. There is deliverance.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And we ask, Lord, that you would indeed make this holy and give us, Lord, an attitude of obedience, a disposition to obey, a desire to obey. And Lord, then enable us by your grace and your mercy to actually obey. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen. ♪ ♪ you

Destruction and Deliverance

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	ZLaGHirABQo
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need
Genre	Sermon
Date	2024-04-27
Dictation Name
Book	Book 043: Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need — Chapter 20
Source Timed Segments	73

Formatted Transcript

Introduction to Counsel and Its Importance

Weaver introduces the topic of counsel, noting that people often seek advice in difficult situations, but most counseling is humanistic rather than biblical.

Let's open our Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 1. We're going to be looking at actually chapters 1 and chapter 2. The title of the message is "Destruction and Deliverance." So I want you to look at Proverbs chapter 1, and let's just read a few verses to begin with, with verse 1: "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; to know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; to give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion."

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 1:5-7

"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: to understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Counsel is often required, and at times it is demanded and necessary. We need counsel usually in a multitude of areas. When you stop and think about counsel, it usually revolves around a situation or circumstance where you find yourself and you really just simply do not know what to do. I've often said that a problem is not a problem if you know what to do; you just have problems when you are totally ignorant or foolish, and you don't know what to do.

And people get themselves in so many situations, and so much trouble so often. But sometimes we get involved in things, our emotions get so ratcheted up that we just need help sorting things out. And so consequently, then we have to have counsel. And a lot of people will go to a hired counselor. Sometimes they will go to their pastor, sometimes they'll go to a family member, sometimes they'll go to a friend.

But the truth of the matter is this: most of the time, we do not understand a distinction in counseling. The truth is, in reality—and I'll explain that statement just momentarily—but the truth is, in reality, that our entire lives are based upon counsel. And they're based upon the counsel that we learned as we were maturing, based upon the counsel that we acquired while we were being educated. And sometimes, of course, we receive counsel from our friends and they have been educated the same way we've been educated. And so consequently, most people have never really understood that most counseling is absolutely humanistic to the core. In other words, there's a vast difference, which we're going to see today, between biblical counseling and humanistic counseling. So I want you to look very quickly at just three passages just to show you the importance of counseling in the Word of God. So if you look in Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 14, Proverbs 11 and verse 14, the Bible makes this statement: "Where no counsel is, the people fall."

Biblical Foundation for Counsel

He cites Proverbs 11:14, 15:22, and 24:6 to establish that counsel is essential and that a multitude of counselors provides safety.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 11:14

"But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."

So where no counsel is, the people fall. If you look in Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 22, Proverbs 15 and verse 22, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 11:14

"Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established."

So apart from counsel, then purposes, he says, are disappointed. Then if you look in Proverbs chapter 24 and verse 6, Proverbs 24 and verse 6, the Bible says, "For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety." So what is not apparent to a lot of people when it comes to counseling and counselors is that there is a vast difference between biblical counsel and what you and I would call humanistic or worldly counsel. That difference is between destruction and deliverance. I can give you a good illustration of humanistic counseling.

Illustrations of Worldly Wisdom

Weaver gives examples of Jonadab and Ahithophel as men who were wise in evil, showing that worldly counsel can be cunning but leads to wickedness.

Let me give you two verses. The first one is Jeremiah chapter 4 and verse 22. Listen to this. God said,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 4:22

"For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge."

They're wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. And then the Word of God says in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 19, "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." So there is a worldly wisdom and there is a worldly counsel. And it's completely, totally contrary to God. Now, I want to give you just very quickly, before I expound on Proverbs 1 and 2, two illustrations of individuals who were wise in evil. So I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, first of all, to 2 Samuel chapter 13, 2 Samuel chapter 13.

And I'm going to share with you here about Jonadab. And Jonadab was a very subtle man, the Bible tells you. Jonadab is the man who actually gave Amnon, who would have been a cousin, he actually gave to Amnon the plan to rape his half-sister Tamar. So if you'll look in 2 Samuel chapter 13 verse 1:

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 13:1-14

"And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her. But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man. And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king's son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister. And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick."

"And when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand. So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand. Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's house, and dress him meat." And, of course, you know the outcome. He did indeed rape his sister, his half-sister. And she begged him not to. She said, "If you really want to marry me, ask the king; he will not withhold me from thee." But she said, "Do not do this evil. Do not do this foolishness." And, of course, he would not listen. But notice, if you would, the Bible refers to Jonadab as a very subtle man. And the Hebrew word for subtle here literally means to be wise, to be skillful, to be shrewd, to be cunning, to be crafty, to be wily and learned. And so certainly this man was learned in evil and wickedness.

He planned this thing for Amnon. Of course, it resulted two years later in Amnon's death. Now, the second illustration is found in 2 Samuel chapter 16, and this is in reference to Ahithophel. Ahithophel was the counselor of David. And when Absalom rebelled against his father David, Ahithophel joined in the rebellion. Now, there's an interesting verse about Ahithophel. And if you look in 2 Samuel 16 and verse 23, you will see this verse. Listen to it:

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 16:20-23

"And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom."

Now, I must say that that is quite a compliment. That is quite an astounding statement, to say that Ahithophel's counsel was as if one, you know, listened to the oracles of God. He always gave wise and sagacious counseling. However, that wise and sagacious counseling oftentimes, or at least in one time, led to that which was evil, wicked, and wrong. So if you look back in 2 Samuel 16, beginning there with verse 20, because Absalom now has come into Jerusalem. David has been driven from the throne and driven from the town. And so, verse 20:

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 16:20-23

"Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do. And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel."

Now, here's an amazing statement and here's an amazing act, that he went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. Everyone knew exactly what he was doing. Now, Ahithophel gave this counsel. Now you can see that the counsel very obviously was wicked, wrong, and vile. But it was designed to accomplish one particular end. And that was it. And if you look at it in verse 21, let me read it again:

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 16:20-23

"And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house."

In other words, you're going to defile your father's concubines. "And all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father." Now look what he says: "Then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong." In other words, here's what the fellow is saying: Absalom, you go into your father's concubines. Why? Well, here's why. Because the father forgave the son, but he's not going to forgive those who were with the son. And so everybody's going to be hesitating and say, "We're not going to fight because Absalom could go back and get reconciled with his father, then where are we going to be?" But when Absalom did what he did, he was saying publicly, "I'm not asking forgiveness. I'm not going back. This is the way it's going to be. I'm either going to kill my father or my father's going to kill me. That's it." So the hands of all them will be strong. In other words, they will fight for him because he is not going to back up and back down. So while the counsel that Ahithophel gave him was what you and I would refer to as wicked and vile, yet it was designed to accomplish one end, and that was to unify those men who were going to fight with Absalom.

So, many individuals are wise when it comes to this world. They're wise in sin. They're wise in wickedness.

Contrast Between Worldly and Godly Wisdom

Using James 3:13-18, he distinguishes earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom from the pure, peaceable wisdom from above.

So the scripture asks this question: "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom." That is good conduct. Now, I'm going to hasten to tell you, and I'm going to say this again: from wherever you receive your counsel, it's going to be made known because you're going to act out your counsel. So this is what he's saying in verse 13: "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?" If you're wise, if you're endued with knowledge, inevitably, you're going to show out of a good conversation, a good conduct, your works with meekness of wisdom. But look at verse 14. But here's the contrast. "But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."

Now here's another distinction: "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." Now, Gary, I don't have my Greek text in front of me, but verse 17 is the very first word—is it "alla"? A-L-L-A. Is that what it is? "De." Okay. Usually you will find the word "alla." There's the "de." But "alla" is a strong word of contrast, but still "de" is a word of contrast; "alla" is just a little bit stronger. But note, if you would, "but"—and he gives you the "but." So there is a distinction between those two things. Now, we fail to grasp, as you turn back to Proverbs 1, we fail to grasp another very significant truth. It's a small truth, but yet it is very significant, and here it is: that one sin always leads to another sin. One sin always leads to another sin. Sin may begin small and seemingly insignificant, but it builds and builds and builds until it comes to a crescendo and all of a sudden it is something that just completely destroys you. So every sin then leads to another sin. And it's going to build up into something extremely huge and large. And we tend to forget that every big thing or every large thing is made up of a series of small things.

The Progression of Sin and the Call of Wisdom

Weaver explains from Proverbs 1:10-23 that sin escalates from small steps to destruction, and biblical wisdom cries out publicly, calling for repentance.

So let me just show you what I'm talking about. So Solomon gives some wisdom, beginning there in verse 10. And let's read through verse 19. Watch this. He says, "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit." "We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: my son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: for their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives."

"So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof." Now, I want to show you something in this particular passage. You know, in the book of 1 Corinthians, the Word of God says, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." And that is when you associate with people that is with wicked people, vile people, you're going to be corrupted. That's all there is to it. So I want you to see in Proverbs 1 this truth that I'm going to show you right now from Psalm 1 and verse 1. So I want you to look in Psalm 1, verse 1, the very first Psalm, and then we're going back to Proverbs 1. Look what David says in Psalm 1:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 1:1

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

So let's take that verse apart. He says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 1:1

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly."

So what is counsel? Let's say it's advice. They're telling you how to live. So he says, do not walk in the advice or the counsel of the ungodly. Well, what happens if you start listening to the advice of the ungodly? Here's the next:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 1:1

"nor standeth in the way of sinners."

That's association. Once you start listening to their advice, you begin associating with them. What's the third step? Here it is:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 1:1

"nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

That's agreement. So once you listen to the voice, you begin associating. Once you begin associating, you end up agreeing with them. So when you look back in Proverbs chapter 1 in verse 10, he says, "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not."

In other words, ignore them. Do not listen to them. Turn away from them. Do not associate with them whatsoever; turn from them. In other words, you're looking at something like this where they're talking about robbery, they're talking about theft, inevitably, it involves murder. And you start out with something small, but it builds up into something absolutely abominable and great in wickedness. I was reading this past week of an 11-year-old boy who pulled a pistol on a woman to steal from her and even to try to hijack her car. 11 years old.

And here's what the psalmist is saying: No, no, no. Don't listen to them. Don't go in their way. Don't listen to all their pleadings. So what they're saying is this: "Cast in thy lot with us. We're going to have one purse. We're going to get rich, we're going to divide everything." And then he starts talking about murder as well. So the truth of the matter is this:

Each small step always leads up to something great, something big, something huge. And all the promises that you find in verses 10 through 19 are all based upon what you and I would call humanistic or worldly counsel and reasoning and advice. That's all it is. And each one of these is absolutely contrary to the law of God and to the counsel of God.

Now, I want you to look at this. So once he gives you an illustration of what not to listen to in verses 10 through 19, I want you to look at verses 20 through 23. Here is biblical wisdom crying out. Here's biblical counsel crying out. He says, "Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: she crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?" "And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."

Consequences of Rejecting God's Counsel

He warns from Proverbs 1:24-32 that those who refuse God's counsel will face calamity and find no answer when they finally cry out.

It is—look in verse 24: "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: they would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof." "Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them." So turning away from God's truth, turning away from God's counsel, turning away from God's wisdom always leads to destruction.

Deliverance Through Obedience

Weaver highlights Proverbs 1:33 and Isaiah 55:3, showing that hearkening to God brings safety, quiet from fear, and an everlasting covenant.

Now, when we talk about deliverance, you have to remember this: deliverance is the opposite of destruction, just like life is the opposite of death. Exactly as blessings are the opposite of cursings. So if you look in your Bibles, in Proverbs 1 and verse 33, he ends with this verse:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 1:33

"But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil."

So here's deliverance, but deliverance is only to those who hearken, only those who listen. Now, the interesting thing is, the phrase "but whoso hearkeneth" is from the Hebrew word "shema,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 1:33

" which literally emphasizes a certain truth. That means to hear, to listen to, to obey, to hear with attention, to hear with understanding, and to consent as well as to be obedient. So when he's talking then about hearkening unto me, it's not just an audible hearing, it's a spiritual hearing as well. Because you don't only hear audibly, you end up in obedience as well. Now, the obedient, he said, shall dwell safely. The obedient shall be quiet from the fear of evil.

Now, there is a verse in Isaiah 55, in verse 3, where God says this:

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 55:3

"Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David."

So listen to what he said:

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 55:3

"Incline your ear, and come unto me."

Then he said,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 55:3

"Hear, and your soul shall live."

Then he said,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 55:3

"And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, and I will give you the sure mercies of David."

Now, this is a wonderful truth. It is a wonderful promise. However, there is a problem. The problem is not with God. The problem is not with God's promise. The problem is with us. Because we are sinful, we are depraved, and therefore we desire and we prefer our own ways, and we prefer anything that will satisfy our flesh and our wicked desires. It's just that simple. Here's an interesting thought.

The Necessity of Diligent Seeking

He stresses from Proverbs 2:1-9 that understanding requires active pursuit—receiving, hiding, inclining, crying out, and seeking wisdom as treasure.

to the book of Proverbs chapter 2. Now watch this, if you would. Proverbs chapter 2, look in verse 1, after he said in verse 33 of chapter 1, "But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil." Now look in chapter 2, verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 2:1-9

"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints."

Now I want you to listen very carefully. When you look at those first few verses in Proverbs chapter 2, he says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 2:1-9

"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide

my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God." Now, God says if you will receive, if you will hide, if you will indeed incline, if you will apply, if you will cry, if you lift up your voice, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures, skip down to verse 9: "Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path." Wow.

Deliverance from Evil Men and the Strange Woman

Weaver explains that biblical wisdom delivers from the way of evil men and the seduction of the strange woman, preserving the upright.

Consequently, you're going to have then deliverance instead of destruction. Now, let me show you. What in the world are you going to be delivered from? Well, let's look in verse 10. Proverbs 2, verse 10: "When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee." Oh, it's going to keep you, it's going to deliver you. From what? "To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths." So God says, if you will listen to my wisdom, if you will take my counsel, you're going to be delivered from an evil man, the man that speaketh wicked things, the man who walks out of the path of righteousness, the man who delights in that which is evil. God said you'll be delivered

from him, but that's not all. Skip down to verse 16: "To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life." So God says, here it is. You can have biblical wisdom and biblical counsel and be delivered, or you can have humanistic wisdom and humanistic counsel and be destroyed. It's just that simple.

Final Contrast: Life and Death Set Before Us

He concludes with Deuteronomy 11:26, 30:19, and Jeremiah 21:8, urging believers to choose life by obeying God's commandments.

shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it." So when you look at Proverbs chapter 1 and Proverbs chapter 2, you see this strong contrast then between humanistic counsel and wisdom and biblical counsel and wisdom. Humanism always leads to death and destruction. Biblical divine wisdom and counsel always leads to deliverance and to life. I want you to think with me and I want you to follow me just for three or four passages. Here's the first application. I want you to see what God has done is He has set before us life and death. He has set before us blessings and curses. So He is telling us that we may choose life and we may choose blessings or we may choose death and we may choose curses. So let's go back in our Bibles, if you would, first of all to Deuteronomy chapter 11. Deuteronomy 11, and look, if you would please, at verse 26. Deuteronomy 11 verse 26. Look at this, look what God says. Deuteronomy 11 verse 26.

"Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known." So God said, I've set before you blessings and curses. Now if you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 30. Deuteronomy chapter 30, and look, if you would please, at verse 19. Deuteronomy 30 and verse 19: "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live."

So what did he say? I've set before you life and death, blessing and curses. I want you to choose life. Now, if you would turn right over in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 21. Look in Jeremiah chapter 21 and verse 8. Jeremiah 21 and verse 8. Here's what God tells Jeremiah. Jeremiah 21 verse 8: "And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death." You know the Bible tells you in Proverbs 12 and verse 28, "In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death." In the way of righteousness is life. We can say in the way of biblical counsel there is life. In the way of biblical wisdom there is life. I want you to turn to one more passage. This is my second and last application, and you will find this in the book of Zechariah chapter 7. Zechariah is next to the last book of the Old Testament, Zechariah, then Malachi. So look in Zechariah chapter 7, if you would, and just wait there just for a moment.

The Law of Retribution and Call to Self-Examination

Weaver applies the lex talionis from Zechariah 7:11-13, warning that God will not hear those who refused to hear Him, and calls for self-examination.

This is known as the lex talionis, which I've mentioned before, which is the law of retribution. It's where God makes the punishment fit the crime. The crime in Proverbs 1 was a refusal to hear God, to listen to God, to receive his counsel and receive his wisdom. The retribution was when they're in trouble and at the end of their life and they're being destroyed, they're crying and God says, "I'm not listening. You wouldn't listen to me. I'm not listening to you." And the fact is he says that again if you'll look at Zechariah chapter 7 and verse—let's begin reading with verse 11. Look at this: "But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts

as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts." God said, I cried, I told you to listen, I commanded you to listen, and you refused. You would not hear me. Now, therefore, you're crying and I'm not going to hear you. It's just like I said earlier, you don't leave something that is extremely valuable just laying around out in the open. And when you refuse God's words, and God's counsel, and God's wisdom, He will take it, and He says, "You don't want it? Fine. When you want it, it'll probably be too late, but I'm just saying, I call, you refuse; you call, I'm not listening." Our entire life, all of our life will either be following biblical counsel or humanistic counsel. So here's the question: how do I know whether or not I'm following humanistic counsel or biblical counsel?

And the answer is very simple. Examine your life. See if what you're doing is biblical, because the scripture says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." We actually live out that which we think, that which we believe. David said in Psalm 116, "I believed, therefore have I spoken." We can always tell whether or not we're following biblical wisdom or humanistic wisdom by what we think and what we do. And God says, choose life. And choose blessings. Bring your life into conformity to the Word of God, and in the path of righteousness there is deliverance.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Biblical vs. Humanistic Counsel

Summary: All counsel is either rooted in God's Word or in humanistic thinking; there is no neutral ground, and the choice determines destruction or deliverance.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'there's a vast difference... between biblical counseling and humanistic counseling' and 'you're either following biblical counsel or you're following humanistic counsel.'

The Progression of Sin

Summary: Sin begins small but builds into greater wickedness, as seen in the enticement of sinners in Proverbs 1:10-19.

Evidence: He says, 'one sin always leads to another sin... it builds and builds and builds until it comes to a crescendo.'

The Call of Wisdom and Human Refusal

Summary: God's wisdom cries out publicly, but people often refuse to listen, leading to their own destruction.

Evidence: Weaver reads Proverbs 1:20-23 and comments on the refusal of Israel to hear God's prophets.

Consequences of Rejecting God's Counsel

Summary: Those who despise God's counsel will face calamity, and God will not answer when they cry out in distress.

Evidence: He cites Proverbs 1:24-31 and Zechariah 7:11-13, emphasizing the lex talionis principle.

Deliverance Through Obedience and Seeking

Summary: Deliverance comes to those who actively seek God's wisdom, incline their ear, and obey His commandments.

Evidence: Weaver expounds Proverbs 2:1-9 and 1:33, stressing the conditional 'if' and the promise of safety.

The Choice Between Life and Death

Summary: God sets before His people life and death, blessing and cursing, and commands them to choose life by obeying His Word.

Evidence: He references Deuteronomy 11:26, 30:19, and Jeremiah 21:8, urging believers to 'choose life.'

Key Arguments

Counsel is Inescapable and Determines Destiny

Summary: Every person lives by some form of counsel, and the source of that counsel—biblical or humanistic—determines whether they experience destruction or deliverance.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'our entire lives are based upon counsel... most people have never really understood that most counseling is absolutely humanistic to the core.'

Worldly Wisdom is Crafty but Wicked

Summary: Examples like Jonadab and Ahithophel show that humanistic counsel can be shrewd and effective for evil purposes, but it is contrary to God.

Evidence: He describes Jonadab as 'a very subtil man' and Ahithophel's counsel as 'wicked, wrong, and vile' yet designed to unify Absalom's followers.

Sin Escalates from Small Beginnings

Summary: The enticement of sinners in Proverbs 1 illustrates how listening to ungodly counsel leads from small compromises to grave sins like robbery and murder.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'you start out with something small, but it builds up into something absolutely abominable and great in wickedness.'

Rejecting God's Counsel Invites Divine Retribution

Summary: God's response to those who refuse His wisdom is to laugh at their calamity and refuse to answer when they cry out, a just retribution for their prior rejection.

Evidence: He quotes Proverbs 1:26-28 and Zechariah 7:13, 'as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear.'

Active Seeking is Required for Understanding

Summary: Biblical wisdom is not passively received; it requires diligent effort—crying out, seeking as for hidden treasure—before God grants understanding.

Evidence: Weaver emphasizes the conditional 'if' in Proverbs 2:1-5 and says, 'God is not going to give us truth willy-nilly.'

Obedience Brings Deliverance from Evil

Summary: Those who embrace God's wisdom are delivered from the way of evil men and the seduction of the strange woman, preserving their path in righteousness.

Evidence: He reads Proverbs 2:10-19, noting that wisdom 'shall preserve thee' and 'deliver thee from the way of the evil man.'

Life and Death are Set Before Us

Summary: God explicitly presents a choice between life and death, blessing and cursing, and commands His people to choose life through obedience.

Evidence: Weaver cites Deuteronomy 30:19, 'I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life.'

Scripture References

Proverbs 1:1-4

Context: Introduction to the purpose of Proverbs: to know wisdom, instruction, and discretion.

Proverbs 1:5-7

Context: A wise man will hear and increase learning; the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

Proverbs 11:14

Context: Where no counsel is, the people fall; in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 15:22

Context: Without counsel purposes are disappointed; in the multitude of counselors they are established.

Proverbs 24:6

Context: By wise counsel you shall make your war; in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Jeremiah 4:22

Context: God's people are foolish, wise to do evil but to do good they have no knowledge.

1 Corinthians 3:19

Context: The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; He takes the wise in their own craftiness.

2 Samuel 13:1-14

Context: Jonadab's subtle counsel to Amnon to rape Tamar, illustrating worldly wisdom used for evil.

2 Samuel 16:20-23

Context: Ahithophel's counsel to Absalom to lie with his father's concubines, a wicked but shrewd plan.

James 3:13-18

Context: Contrast between earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom and the wisdom from above that is pure and peaceable.

Proverbs 1:10-19

Context: Warning against enticement by sinners; their path leads to destruction.

Psalm 1:1

Context: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners.

Proverbs 1:20-23

Context: Wisdom cries out in the streets, calling the simple to turn at her reproof.

Proverbs 1:24-32

Context: Because they refused God's counsel, He will laugh at their calamity and not answer when they call.

Proverbs 1:33

Context: Whoever listens to wisdom will dwell safely and be quiet from fear of evil.

Isaiah 55:3

Context: Incline your ear and come to Me; hear, and your soul shall live; I will make an everlasting covenant with you.

2 Kings 17:13-14

Context: Israel refused to hear the prophets and hardened their necks, not believing in the Lord.

Leviticus 26:14-17

Context: If you despise My statutes, I will appoint terror and consumption over you; your enemies will eat your seed.

Isaiah 30:8-14

Context: Because they despise God's word and trust in oppression, their iniquity will break them like a potter's vessel.

Proverbs 2:1-9

Context: If you receive My words and cry for understanding, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find knowledge.

Historical References

Jonadab's counsel to Amnon

Context: Jonadab, a subtle man, advised Amnon to feign illness and request Tamar to prepare food, leading to her rape.

Ahithophel's counsel to Absalom

Context: Ahithophel advised Absalom to lie with David's concubines publicly to strengthen the hands of his followers.

Israel's refusal to hear the prophets

Context: Throughout the Old Testament, Israel repeatedly refused to listen to God's prophets, hardening their necks.

Important Quotes

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Significance: Establishes the foundational principle that true knowledge starts with reverence for God, contrasting the wise and fools.

For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Significance: Illustrates the perversion of wisdom when it is used for evil rather than good, supporting the contrast between worldly and godly wisdom.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Significance: Defines the characteristics of divine wisdom, contrasting it sharply with earthly wisdom.

Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.

Significance: A sobering warning of divine retribution for those who reject God's counsel, central to the message of destruction.

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Significance: The promise of deliverance for those who listen to God's wisdom, encapsulating the positive outcome of biblical counsel.

If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

Significance: Emphasizes the diligent effort required to obtain divine wisdom, a key application point.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

Significance: The ultimate call to decision, framing the entire sermon as a choice between two destinies.

Discussion Questions

What are some practical ways to distinguish between biblical counsel and humanistic counsel in everyday decisions?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that all counsel is either biblical or humanistic, with no neutral ground.

How does the example of Jonadab and Ahithophel challenge our understanding of 'wisdom' in the world?

Context: These men were shrewd and their counsel was effective for evil, showing that worldly wisdom can be crafty.

In what ways does sin 'build and build' in our lives, and how can we recognize the small steps that lead to greater sin?

Context: Weaver warns that sin begins small but escalates, using Proverbs 1:10-19 as an illustration.

Why does God 'laugh' at the calamity of those who reject His counsel, and how should this affect our view of His justice?

Context: Proverbs 1:26 describes God mocking when fear comes, a difficult concept that Weaver explains as retribution.

What does it mean to 'seek wisdom as silver' in a practical, daily sense?

Context: Weaver stresses the active pursuit of wisdom from Proverbs 2:4, contrasting passive reception with diligent effort.

How does the promise of deliverance from the 'strange woman' apply to modern temptations?

Context: Proverbs 2:16-19 warns against the seduction of the strange woman, which Weaver applies to any enticement away from God's path.

What does it mean to 'choose life' in the context of Deuteronomy 30:19, and how do we do that daily?

Context: Weaver concludes with the call to choose life by obeying God's commandments, making it a personal decision.

How can we examine our lives to determine whether we are following biblical or humanistic counsel?

Context: Weaver asks listeners to examine their lives by comparing their thoughts and actions to Scripture.

Applications

Examine the Source of Your Counsel

Summary: Evaluate whether the advice you follow in life—from media, friends, or your own reasoning—is rooted in Scripture or humanistic thinking.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'our entire lives are based upon counsel... most people have never really understood that most counseling is absolutely humanistic to the core.'

Reject Ungodly Counsel Immediately

Summary: When sinners entice you, do not consent or associate with them; turn away from their path to avoid the progression of sin.

Evidence: He says, 'My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not... ignore them. Do not listen to them.'

Actively Pursue God's Wisdom

Summary: Do not expect wisdom to come passively; cry out for understanding, seek it as hidden treasure through diligent Bible study and prayer.

Evidence: Weaver emphasizes, 'God is not going to give us truth willy-nilly... you must consider... ponder it, meditate on it.'

Choose Life by Obeying God's Commandments

Summary: Make a conscious decision to align your life with God's Word, recognizing that obedience leads to blessing and deliverance.

Evidence: He cites Deuteronomy 30:19 and urges, 'choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.'

Heed God's Voice Before It Is Too Late

Summary: Respond to God's call now, lest you face calamity and find that He no longer answers your cries.

Evidence: Weaver warns from Proverbs 1:28, 'Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer.'

Examine Your Life for Biblical Consistency

Summary: Regularly assess whether your thoughts and actions reflect biblical wisdom or worldly thinking, as your life reveals your true counsel.

Evidence: He says, 'Examine your life. See if what you're doing is biblical... We can always tell... by what we think and what we do.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:00:01Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T06:14:15Z

Clean Transcript

Destruction and Deliverance

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Let's open our Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 1. We're going to be looking at actually chapters 1 and chapter 2. The title of the message is "Destruction and Deliverance." So I want you to look at Proverbs chapter 1, and let's just read a few verses to begin with, with verse 1: "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; to know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; to give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion."
#1 | 0:11 to 0:53 | cleaned
"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: to understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Counsel is often required, and at times it is demanded and necessary. We need counsel usually in a multitude of areas. When you stop and think about counsel, it usually revolves around a situation or circumstance where you find yourself and you really just simply do not know what to do. I've often said that a problem is not a problem if you know what to do; you just have problems when you are totally ignorant or foolish, and you don't know what to do.
#2 | 0:54 to 1:48 | cleaned
And people get themselves in so many situations, and so much trouble so often. But sometimes we get involved in things, our emotions get so ratcheted up that we just need help sorting things out. And so consequently, then we have to have counsel. And a lot of people will go to a hired counselor. Sometimes they will go to their pastor, sometimes they'll go to a family member, sometimes they'll go to a friend.
#3 | 1:49 to 2:18 | cleaned
But the truth of the matter is this: most of the time, we do not understand a distinction in counseling. The truth is, in reality—and I'll explain that statement just momentarily—but the truth is, in reality, that our entire lives are based upon counsel. And they're based upon the counsel that we learned as we were maturing, based upon the counsel that we acquired while we were being educated. And sometimes, of course, we receive counsel from our friends and they have been educated the same way we've been educated. And so consequently, most people have never really understood that most counseling is absolutely humanistic to the core. In other words, there's a vast difference, which we're going to see today, between biblical counseling and humanistic counseling. So I want you to look very quickly at just three passages just to show you the importance of counseling in the Word of God. So if you look in Proverbs chapter 11 and verse 14, Proverbs 11 and verse 14, the Bible makes this statement: "Where no counsel is, the people fall."
#4 | 2:19 to 3:44 | cleaned
"But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety." So where no counsel is, the people fall. If you look in Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 22, Proverbs 15 and verse 22, the Bible says, "Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established." So apart from counsel, then purposes, he says, are disappointed. Then if you look in Proverbs chapter 24 and verse 6, Proverbs 24 and verse 6, the Bible says, "For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety." So what is not apparent to a lot of people when it comes to counseling and counselors is that there is a vast difference between biblical counsel and what you and I would call humanistic or worldly counsel. That difference is between destruction and deliverance. I can give you a good illustration of humanistic counseling.
#5 | 3:45 to 5:01 | cleaned
I spoke many years ago with a man whom I knew. He came to our church several times. His wife was having problems, and so he sent his wife to this psychologist, and I forget what he told me he had to pay the man—something like 50 bucks an hour. And this would have been 40 years ago, 50 years ago, almost, where that was a large sum of money. And so the counselor told his wife that her problem was that she was sexually frustrated and what she needed to do was go out and have three or four different affairs and that would work everything out. And when the man told me that the counselor told his wife that, I looked at him and I said, "I have one question for you."
#6 | 5:02 to 5:55 | cleaned
He said, "What is that?" I said, "Were you stupid enough to pay the man?" I said, "I don't think I would have ever given him a dime for counsel like that." But I say that to point this out: have you ever noticed that some people are wise concerning that which is evil, wicked, and wrong? They are crafty. They're subtle. They're cunning. They know how to work every angle and how to come out on top. They know how to take every evil situation and prosper. They know how, basically, to deceive and defraud others, oftentimes without even getting caught. So there are people that are wise in sin and wickedness.
#7 | 5:56 to 6:41 | cleaned
Let me give you two verses. The first one is Jeremiah chapter 4 and verse 22. Listen to this. God said, "For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge." They're wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. And then the Word of God says in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 19, "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." So there is a worldly wisdom and there is a worldly counsel. And it's completely, totally contrary to God. Now, I want to give you just very quickly, before I expound on Proverbs 1 and 2, two illustrations of individuals who were wise in evil. So I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, first of all, to 2 Samuel chapter 13, 2 Samuel chapter 13.
#8 | 6:42 to 7:52 | cleaned
And I'm going to share with you here about Jonadab. And Jonadab was a very subtle man, the Bible tells you. Jonadab is the man who actually gave Amnon, who would have been a cousin, he actually gave to Amnon the plan to rape his half-sister Tamar. So if you'll look in 2 Samuel chapter 13 verse 1: "And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her. But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man. And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king's son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister. And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick."
#9 | 7:52 to 9:06 | cleaned
"And when thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come, and give me meat, and dress the meat in my sight, that I may see it, and eat it at her hand. So Amnon lay down, and made himself sick: and when the king was come to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat at her hand. Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's house, and dress him meat."
#10 | 9:07 to 9:39 | cleaned
And, of course, you know the outcome. He did indeed rape his sister, his half-sister. And she begged him not to. She said, "If you really want to marry me, ask the king; he will not withhold me from thee." But she said, "Do not do this evil. Do not do this foolishness." And, of course, he would not listen. But notice, if you would, the Bible refers to Jonadab as a very subtle man. And the Hebrew word for subtle here literally means to be wise, to be skillful, to be shrewd, to be cunning, to be crafty, to be wily and learned. And so certainly this man was learned in evil and wickedness.
#11 | 9:39 to 10:20 | cleaned
He planned this thing for Amnon. Of course, it resulted two years later in Amnon's death.
#12 | 10:21 to 10:27 | cleaned
Now, the second illustration is found in 2 Samuel chapter 16, and this is in reference to Ahithophel. Ahithophel was the counselor of David. And when Absalom rebelled against his father David, Ahithophel joined in the rebellion. Now, there's an interesting verse about Ahithophel. And if you look in 2 Samuel 16 and verse 23, you will see this verse. Listen to it: "And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom."
#13 | 10:28 to 11:17 | cleaned
Now, I must say that that is quite a compliment. That is quite an astounding statement, to say that Ahithophel's counsel was as if one, you know, listened to the oracles of God. He always gave wise and sagacious counseling. However, that wise and sagacious counseling oftentimes, or at least in one time, led to that which was evil, wicked, and wrong. So if you look back in 2 Samuel 16, beginning there with verse 20, because Absalom now has come into Jerusalem.
#14 | 11:18 to 12:00 | cleaned
David has been driven from the throne and driven from the town. And so, verse 20: "Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do. And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel." Now, here's an amazing statement and here's an amazing act, that he went into his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. Everyone knew exactly what he was doing. Now, Ahithophel gave this counsel. Now you can see that the counsel very obviously was wicked, wrong, and vile. But it was designed to accomplish one particular end. And that was it. And if you look at it in verse 21, let me read it again: "And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house."
#15 | 12:00 to 13:22 | cleaned
In other words, you're going to defile your father's concubines. "And all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father."
#16 | 13:22 to 13:34 | cleaned
Now look what he says: "Then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong." In other words, here's what the fellow is saying: Absalom, you go into your father's concubines. Why? Well, here's why. Because the father forgave the son, but he's not going to forgive those who were with the son. And so everybody's going to be hesitating and say, "We're not going to fight because Absalom could go back and get reconciled with his father, then where are we going to be?" But when Absalom did what he did, he was saying publicly, "I'm not asking forgiveness. I'm not going back. This is the way it's going to be. I'm either going to kill my father or my father's going to kill me. That's it." So the hands of all them will be strong. In other words, they will fight for him because he is not going to back up and back down. So while the counsel that Ahithophel gave him was what you and I would refer to as wicked and vile, yet it was designed to accomplish one end, and that was to unify those men who were going to fight with Absalom.
#17 | 13:35 to 14:44 | cleaned
So, many individuals are wise when it comes to this world. They're wise in sin. They're wise in wickedness.
#18 | 14:45 to 14:55 | cleaned
Now, I'd like to show you a verse very quickly, or a passage, I should say, that will distinguish for us the difference between worldly wisdom and godly wisdom, or you could say godly counsel and worldly counsel. So if you'll hold Proverbs 1, but look in your Bibles to the book of James chapter 3, right after the book of Hebrews—Hebrews, James. Look in James chapter 3, and let's begin reading there with verse 13. James chapter 3 and verse 13.
#19 | 14:55 to 15:27 | cleaned
So the scripture asks this question: "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom." That is good conduct.
#20 | 15:31 to 15:44 | cleaned
Now, I'm going to hasten to tell you, and I'm going to say this again: from wherever you receive your counsel, it's going to be made known because you're going to act out your counsel. So this is what he's saying in verse 13: "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you?" If you're wise, if you're endued with knowledge, inevitably, you're going to show out of a good conversation, a good conduct, your works with meekness of wisdom. But look at verse 14. But here's the contrast.
#21 | 15:45 to 16:17 | cleaned
"But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."
#22 | 16:18 to 16:41 | cleaned
Now here's another distinction: "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." Now, Gary, I don't have my Greek text in front of me, but verse 17 is the very first word—is it "alla"? A-L-L-A.
#23 | 16:41 to 17:10 | cleaned
Is that what it is? "De." Okay. Usually you will find the word "alla." There's the "de." But "alla" is a strong word of contrast, but still "de" is a word of contrast; "alla" is just a little bit stronger. But note, if you would, "but"—and he gives you the "but." So there is a distinction between those two things. Now, we fail to grasp, as you turn back to Proverbs 1, we fail to grasp another very significant truth. It's a small truth, but yet it is very significant, and here it is: that one sin always leads to another sin. One sin always leads to another sin. Sin may begin small and seemingly insignificant, but it builds and builds and builds until it comes to a crescendo and all of a sudden it is something that just completely destroys you. So every sin then leads to another sin. And it's going to build up into something extremely huge and large. And we tend to forget that every big thing or every large thing is made up of a series of small things.
#24 | 17:12 to 18:33 | cleaned
So let me just show you what I'm talking about. So Solomon gives some wisdom, beginning there in verse 10. And let's read through verse 19. Watch this. He says, "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit."
#25 | 18:33 to 19:07 | cleaned
"We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: my son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: for their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives."
#26 | 19:08 to 19:37 | cleaned
"So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof." Now, I want to show you something in this particular passage. You know, in the book of 1 Corinthians, the Word of God says, "Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners." And that is when you associate with people that is with wicked people, vile people, you're going to be corrupted.
#27 | 19:38 to 20:04 | cleaned
That's all there is to it. So I want you to see in Proverbs 1 this truth that I'm going to show you right now from Psalm 1 and verse 1. So I want you to look in Psalm 1, verse 1, the very first Psalm, and then we're going back to Proverbs 1. Look what David says in Psalm 1: "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." So let's take that verse apart. He says, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly." So what is counsel? Let's say it's advice.
#28 | 20:04 to 20:51 | cleaned
They're telling you how to live. So he says, do not walk in the advice or the counsel of the ungodly. Well, what happens if you start listening to the advice of the ungodly? Here's the next: "nor standeth in the way of sinners." That's association. Once you start listening to their advice, you begin associating with them. What's the third step? Here it is: "nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." That's agreement. So once you listen to the voice, you begin associating. Once you begin associating, you end up agreeing with them. So when you look back in Proverbs chapter 1 in verse 10, he says, "My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not."
#29 | 20:52 to 21:34 | cleaned
In other words, ignore them. Do not listen to them. Turn away from them. Do not associate with them whatsoever; turn from them. In other words, you're looking at something like this where they're talking about robbery, they're talking about theft, inevitably, it involves murder. And you start out with something small, but it builds up into something absolutely abominable and great in wickedness. I was reading this past week of an 11-year-old boy who pulled a pistol on a woman to steal from her and even to try to hijack her car. 11 years old.
#30 | 21:34 to 22:25 | cleaned
And here's what the psalmist is saying: No, no, no. Don't listen to them. Don't go in their way. Don't listen to all their pleadings. So what they're saying is this: "Cast in thy lot with us. We're going to have one purse. We're going to get rich, we're going to divide everything." And then he starts talking about murder as well. So the truth of the matter is this:
#31 | 22:27 to 22:49 | cleaned
Each small step always leads up to something great, something big, something huge. And all the promises that you find in verses 10 through 19 are all based upon what you and I would call humanistic or worldly counsel and reasoning and advice. That's all it is. And each one of these is absolutely contrary to the law of God and to the counsel of God.
#32 | 22:49 to 23:16 | cleaned
Now, I want you to look at this. So once he gives you an illustration of what not to listen to in verses 10 through 19, I want you to look at verses 20 through 23. Here is biblical wisdom crying out. Here's biblical counsel crying out. He says, "Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: she crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?"
#33 | 23:16 to 23:54 | cleaned
"And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge. Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you."
#34 | 23:55 to 24:11 | cleaned
Now, I want you to grasp with me the significance of this order. Here it is. First, men will either listen to biblical counsel and wisdom, or they will listen to humanistic counsel and wisdom. You have those two contrasted right here. The second thing is this: men will always act upon either biblical counsel and wisdom, or they will act upon humanistic counsel and wisdom. So you're either going to listen to one or the other, and you're going to act upon one or the other. Here's the third thing: there is no alternative. There is no alternative. You say, "Well, what I think best"—well, what you think best is your humanistic desires. It's your humanistic thinking. So you're either following biblical counsel or you're following humanistic counsel. You're either following biblical wisdom or you're following ungodly humanistic wisdom. It's just that simple. Now, here's the thing: desolation and destruction always awaits those individuals who will not follow biblical wisdom. Only those who follow biblical wisdom have deliverance. So that's why I named this "Destruction or Deliverance." So I want you to watch this.
#35 | 24:12 to 25:46 | cleaned
Many times people do not even recognize how deeply they have erred until it is too late. And when it's too late, it's just too late. So let me show you this. So in verses 10 through 19, he's talking about humanistic and worldly counsel and wisdom. Then in verses 20 through 23 he's saying you better listen to that which is biblical, that which is right and which is godly. Now I want you to watch destruction here.
#36 | 25:48 to 26:18 | cleaned
It is—look in verse 24: "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: for that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: they would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof."
#37 | 26:18 to 27:11 | cleaned
"Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them." So turning away from God's truth, turning away from God's counsel, turning away from God's wisdom always leads to destruction.
#38 | 27:13 to 27:34 | cleaned
Now, when we talk about deliverance, you have to remember this: deliverance is the opposite of destruction, just like life is the opposite of death. Exactly as blessings are the opposite of cursings. So if you look in your Bibles, in Proverbs 1 and verse 33, he ends with this verse: "But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil." So here's deliverance, but deliverance is only to those who hearken, only those who listen.
#39 | 27:35 to 28:18 | cleaned
Now, the interesting thing is, the phrase "but whoso hearkeneth" is from the Hebrew word "shema," which literally emphasizes a certain truth. That means to hear, to listen to, to obey, to hear with attention, to hear with understanding, and to consent as well as to be obedient. So when he's talking then about hearkening unto me, it's not just an audible hearing, it's a spiritual hearing as well. Because you don't only hear audibly, you end up in obedience as well. Now, the obedient, he said, shall dwell safely. The obedient shall be quiet from the fear of evil.
#40 | 28:19 to 29:09 | cleaned
Now, there is a verse in Isaiah 55, in verse 3, where God says this: "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." So listen to what he said: "Incline your ear, and come unto me." Then he said, "Hear, and your soul shall live." Then he said, "And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, and I will give you the sure mercies of David."
#41 | 29:10 to 29:54 | cleaned
Now, this is a wonderful truth. It is a wonderful promise. However, there is a problem. The problem is not with God. The problem is not with God's promise. The problem is with us. Because we are sinful, we are depraved, and therefore we desire and we prefer our own ways, and we prefer anything that will satisfy our flesh and our wicked desires. It's just that simple. Here's an interesting thought.
#42 | 29:55 to 30:39 | cleaned
I want you to turn in your Bibles, holding Proverbs 1, but turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 17. To me this is absolutely astounding and I would challenge you to do this. I would challenge you to read through your Bibles and underline every time that people will not hear or will not listen. I would even make it more specific. I would read through especially the Old Testament and underline how many times Israel would not hear. And Israel was God's professing people.
#43 | 30:39 to 31:24 | cleaned
They were supposedly in covenant with him. But if you look in 2 Kings chapter 17 and verse 13, let's read there. 2 Kings 17 and verse 13, the Bible says, "Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets." Now look at this: "Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God." Over and over in the Bible you will find Israel refusing to hear the Word of God. You have to remember in the book of Jeremiah, those people in Judah and Jerusalem wanted to murder Jeremiah simply because they did not like what he was preaching and teaching. It's interesting. It's astounding. When you think about biblical counsel, biblical wisdom, when you think about that which is given us in the Word of God, unhappily, most Christians very seldom read the Word of God.
#44 | 31:26 to 32:58 | cleaned
Most Christians are inconsistent in listening to the Word of God expounded, explained, and applied. And the truth of the matter is most absolutely refuse to guide their lives by the truth of the Word of God.
#45 | 33:00 to 33:17 | cleaned
Now I want to show you the consequence. You see, you and I would never leave something extremely valuable just out in the open or leave it placed on a table for everyone to see. If some of you ladies had a necklace and that necklace was worth 10 or 15,000 Federal Reserve notes, would you just simply leave it out on your table? Would you just leave it on top of the dresser?
#46 | 33:22 to 34:01 | cleaned
And the answer is no, you would put it up because you understood its value and you would guard it and you would protect it. But the truth of the matter is this: God's Word, God's wisdom, God's counsel is valuable as well. And consequently, He is not going to leave it for people who despise it and reject it and refuse it. You remember that passage in Mark chapter 4, where He said, "And unto you that hear shall more be given."
#47 | 34:01 to 34:35 | cleaned
"And he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath." You remember in 1 Samuel chapter 3 and verse 1, the Bible says the word of God was precious in those days; there was no open vision. In other words, there was no open and public preaching. The word of God was precious. It was valuable. It was scarce. And when you look around today, you find biblical counsel and biblical wisdom is being scarce as well.
#48 | 34:36 to 35:05 | cleaned
Because people do not want it. I want to show you what's going to happen. What has happened in time past, what will happen even in the present and the future, if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Leviticus chapter 26. Then we're going to go to Isaiah 30. But look, if you would, in Leviticus chapter 26 first. And let's begin reading there with verse 15. Leviticus 26 verse 15. In fact, we can read verse 14, that's where it actually starts, where God says, "But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; and if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart."
#49 | 35:10 to 36:13 | cleaned
"And ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you." Did you notice what he said, "if ye shall despise my statutes, if ye abhor my judgments"?
#50 | 36:14 to 36:38 | cleaned
Look in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Isaiah chapter 30. Isaiah chapter 30, and let's begin reading there with verse 12. Isaiah 30 and verse 12. Look again what he says. In fact, let's go back up. Let's go back up to verse 8. I want you to see this in the context. Look at this, verse 8: Isaiah 30 verse 8: "Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever." Did you see that? "For the time to come for ever and ever." Write it in a book. Here's what God says: "That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits: get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon: therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant."
#51 | 36:40 to 38:08 | cleaned
Lord, this wall's gonna fall on you. "And he shall break it as the breaking of the potters' vessel that is broken in pieces; he shall not spare: so that there shall not be found in the bursting of it a sherd to take fire from the hearth, or to take water withal out of the pit." So God says, because you despise my word, I'm going to destroy you. He said, you will be so destroyed, it's like taking a potter's vessel and slamming it on the floor. It's made of clay. And he said, you can't even find a piece to get a drop of water in it, or you cannot find a piece that will pick up a coal out of a fire with it. No, he said, it'll be totally, absolutely destroyed. So here's what God is trying to teach us at this particular point.
#52 | 38:08 to 38:59 | cleaned
If we want life and blessings, if we want deliverance, then we must honor his word. We must hear his word. There is another truth that we must understand, and that is this: if we want to be delivered, if we want his principles, if we want his precepts, we must work to understand.
#53 | 38:59 to 39:20 | cleaned
Now, it is true that only the Holy Spirit of God can open our eyes and open our understanding. That is true. And without him, there is absolutely nothing. But the Bible does say in Proverbs 25 verse 2, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." So God has made us kings and priests, and it's our responsibility to search things out. Then our Lord said it like this in John 8 and verse 32.
#54 | 39:21 to 39:53 | cleaned
And he said, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." In other words, deliverance only comes from the truth. So you have to ask this question, then: how are we to acquire truth? Well, the Apostle Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 7, "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things." Now it is true that understanding comes from the Lord. That's what he said in Proverbs 2 and verse 6. Understanding comes from the Lord.
#55 | 39:53 to 40:24 | cleaned
He must open our eyes. He must teach us. The Holy Spirit must enlighten our eyes. That is true. But then he said, "Consider what I say." God is not going to give us truth willy-nilly. You and I are not going to go to bed ignorant and stupid and wake up smart and brilliant. You're not going to take an algebra book and put it under your pillow at night and wake up in the morning being a math genius.
#56 | 40:24 to 40:52 | cleaned
It just does not work like that. You can sleep on your Bible all you like, but it's not going to make you holy sleeping on your Bible. So what he tells you is you must consider, and the word "consider" is "noeo." It means that you consider, you perceive with understanding, and it means that you have taken heed to the truth of God, that you've thought upon it, that you pondered it, that you've meditated on it, that you've made it yours. Now with that in mind, I want you to go back in your Bibles
#57 | 40:52 to 41:30 | cleaned
to the book of Proverbs chapter 2. Now watch this, if you would. Proverbs chapter 2, look in verse 1, after he said in verse 33 of chapter 1, "But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil." Now look in chapter 2, verse 1: "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints." Now I want you to listen very carefully. When you look at those first few verses in Proverbs chapter 2, he says, "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide
#58 | 41:30 to 42:53 | cleaned
my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God." Now, God says if you will receive, if you will hide, if you will indeed incline, if you will apply, if you will cry, if you lift up your voice, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures, skip down to verse 9: "Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path." Wow.
#59 | 42:53 to 43:48 | cleaned
Consequently, you're going to have then deliverance instead of destruction. Now, let me show you. What in the world are you going to be delivered from? Well, let's look in verse 10. Proverbs 2, verse 10: "When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee." Oh, it's going to keep you, it's going to deliver you. From what? "To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths." So God says, if you will listen to my wisdom, if you will take my counsel, you're going to be delivered from an evil man, the man that speaketh wicked things, the man who walks out of the path of righteousness, the man who delights in that which is evil. God said you'll be delivered
#60 | 43:49 to 45:05 | cleaned
from him, but that's not all. Skip down to verse 16: "To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life." So God says, here it is.
#61 | 45:05 to 45:33 | cleaned
You can have biblical wisdom and biblical counsel and be delivered, or you can have humanistic wisdom and humanistic counsel and be destroyed. It's just that simple.
#62 | 45:34 to 45:44 | cleaned
Now, here's the interesting thing. Proverbs chapter 2 ends with either deliverance or destruction. I want you to look at it. Look in Proverbs chapter 2. Notice, if you would, begin there with verse 20: "That thou mayest walk in the way of good men"—now we're talking about biblical counsel and wisdom—"and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked
#63 | 45:44 to 46:24 | cleaned
shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it." So when you look at Proverbs chapter 1 and Proverbs chapter 2, you see this strong contrast then between humanistic counsel and wisdom and biblical counsel and wisdom. Humanism always leads to death and destruction. Biblical divine wisdom and counsel always leads to deliverance and to life. I want you to think with me and I want you to follow me just for three or four passages. Here's the first application. I want you to see what God has done is He has set before us life and death. He has set before us blessings and curses. So He is telling us that we may choose life and we may choose blessings or we may choose death and we may choose curses. So let's go back in our Bibles, if you would, first of all to Deuteronomy chapter 11. Deuteronomy 11, and look, if you would please, at verse 26. Deuteronomy 11 verse 26. Look at this, look what God says. Deuteronomy 11 verse 26.
#64 | 46:24 to 48:00 | cleaned
"Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day: and a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known." So God said, I've set before you blessings and curses. Now if you would turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 30. Deuteronomy chapter 30, and look, if you would please, at verse 19. Deuteronomy 30 and verse 19: "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live."
#65 | 48:00 to 49:05 | cleaned
So what did he say? I've set before you life and death, blessing and curses. I want you to choose life.
#66 | 49:06 to 49:18 | cleaned
Now, if you would turn right over in your Bibles to the book of Jeremiah chapter 21. Look in Jeremiah chapter 21 and verse 8. Jeremiah 21 and verse 8. Here's what God tells Jeremiah. Jeremiah 21 verse 8: "And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death." You know the Bible tells you in Proverbs 12 and verse 28, "In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death." In the way of righteousness is life. We can say in the way of biblical counsel there is life. In the way of biblical wisdom there is life. I want you to turn to one more passage. This is my second and last application, and you will find this in the book of Zechariah chapter 7. Zechariah is next to the last book of the Old Testament, Zechariah, then Malachi. So look in Zechariah chapter 7, if you would, and just wait there just for a moment.
#67 | 49:19 to 50:51 | cleaned
We have actually seen this truth that I'm going to enunciate right now in Proverbs chapter 1. And that is this: when you refuse God's counsel, when you refuse God's wisdom, it always ends up in death and destruction. You remember that passage there in Proverbs chapter 1? And he said, "They would have none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof." He said, "Therefore, they shall call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me." He ends up by saying, "They shall eat of the fruit of their own way." Here's a principle.
#68 | 50:53 to 51:44 | cleaned
This is known as the lex talionis, which I've mentioned before, which is the law of retribution. It's where God makes the punishment fit the crime. The crime in Proverbs 1 was a refusal to hear God, to listen to God, to receive his counsel and receive his wisdom. The retribution was when they're in trouble and at the end of their life and they're being destroyed, they're crying and God says, "I'm not listening. You wouldn't listen to me. I'm not listening to you." And the fact is he says that again if you'll look at Zechariah chapter 7 and verse—let's begin reading with verse 11. Look at this: "But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear. Yea, they made their hearts
#69 | 51:47 to 52:53 | cleaned
as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts. Therefore it is come to pass, that as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the LORD of hosts." God said, I cried, I told you to listen, I commanded you to listen, and you refused. You would not hear me. Now, therefore, you're crying and I'm not going to hear you.
#70 | 52:53 to 53:34 | cleaned
It's just like I said earlier, you don't leave something that is extremely valuable just laying around out in the open. And when you refuse God's words, and God's counsel, and God's wisdom, He will take it, and He says, "You don't want it? Fine. When you want it, it'll probably be too late, but I'm just saying, I call, you refuse; you call, I'm not listening." Our entire life, all of our life will either be following biblical counsel or humanistic counsel. So here's the question: how do I know whether or not I'm following humanistic counsel or biblical counsel?
#71 | 53:39 to 54:41 | cleaned
And the answer is very simple. Examine your life. See if what you're doing is biblical, because the scripture says, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." We actually live out that which we think, that which we believe. David said in Psalm 116, "I believed, therefore have I spoken." We can always tell whether or not we're following biblical wisdom or humanistic wisdom by what we think and what we do. And God says, choose life. And choose blessings. Bring your life into conformity to the Word of God, and in the path of righteousness there is deliverance.
#72 | 54:43 to 55:44 | cleaned
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And we ask, Lord, that you would indeed make this holy and give us, Lord, an attitude of obedience, a disposition to obey, a desire to obey. And Lord, then enable us by your grace and your mercy to actually obey. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
#73 | 55:46 to 56:52 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T16:00:01Z

Destruction and Deliverance

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver contrasts biblical counsel with humanistic counsel, using Proverbs 1–2 to show that rejecting God's wisdom leads to destruction while heeding it brings deliverance. He illustrates worldly wisdom through Jonadab and Ahithophel, and emphasizes that all counsel is either godly or humanistic, with no neutral ground. The sermon calls believers to examine their lives, choose life by obeying God's Word, and warns that persistent refusal of divine counsel results in God's silence in times of calamity.

Introduction to Counsel and Its Importance

Weaver introduces the topic of counsel, noting that people often seek advice in difficult situations, but most counseling is humanistic rather than biblical.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 1:5-7

"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: to understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

Biblical Foundation for Counsel

He cites Proverbs 11:14, 15:22, and 24:6 to establish that counsel is essential and that a multitude of counselors provides safety.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 11:14

"But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."

So where no counsel is, the people fall. If you look in Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 22, Proverbs 15 and verse 22, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 11:14

"Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established."

Illustrations of Worldly Wisdom

Weaver gives examples of Jonadab and Ahithophel as men who were wise in evil, showing that worldly counsel can be cunning but leads to wickedness.

Let me give you two verses. The first one is Jeremiah chapter 4 and verse 22. Listen to this. God said,

Scripture Reading — Jeremiah 4:22

"For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge."

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 13:1-14

"And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of David had a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her. And Amnon was so vexed, that he fell sick for his sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and Amnon thought it hard for him to do any thing to her. But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man. And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king's son, lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister. And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and make thyself sick."

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 16:20-23

"And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days, was as if a man had enquired at the oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom."

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 16:20-23

"Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do. And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong. So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel."

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 16:20-23

"And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, which he hath left to keep the house."

So, many individuals are wise when it comes to this world. They're wise in sin. They're wise in wickedness.

Contrast Between Worldly and Godly Wisdom

Using James 3:13-18, he distinguishes earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom from the pure, peaceable wisdom from above.

The Progression of Sin and the Call of Wisdom

Weaver explains from Proverbs 1:10-23 that sin escalates from small steps to destruction, and biblical wisdom cries out publicly, calling for repentance.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 1:1

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

So let's take that verse apart. He says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 1:1

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 1:1

"nor standeth in the way of sinners."

That's association. Once you start listening to their advice, you begin associating with them. What's the third step? Here it is:

Scripture Reading — Psalm 1:1

"nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

Consequences of Rejecting God's Counsel

He warns from Proverbs 1:24-32 that those who refuse God's counsel will face calamity and find no answer when they finally cry out.

Deliverance Through Obedience

Weaver highlights Proverbs 1:33 and Isaiah 55:3, showing that hearkening to God brings safety, quiet from fear, and an everlasting covenant.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 1:33

"But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil."

So here's deliverance, but deliverance is only to those who hearken, only those who listen. Now, the interesting thing is, the phrase "but whoso hearkeneth" is from the Hebrew word "shema,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 1:33

" which literally emphasizes a certain truth. That means to hear, to listen to, to obey, to hear with attention, to hear with understanding, and to consent as well as to be obedient. So when he's talking then about hearkening unto me, it's not just an audible hearing, it's a spiritual hearing as well. Because you don't only hear audibly, you end up in obedience as well. Now, the obedient, he said, shall dwell safely. The obedient shall be quiet from the fear of evil.

Now, there is a verse in Isaiah 55, in verse 3, where God says this:

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 55:3

"Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David."

So listen to what he said:

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 55:3

"Incline your ear, and come unto me."

Then he said,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 55:3

"Hear, and your soul shall live."

Then he said,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 55:3

"And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, and I will give you the sure mercies of David."

The Necessity of Diligent Seeking

He stresses from Proverbs 2:1-9 that understanding requires active pursuit—receiving, hiding, inclining, crying out, and seeking wisdom as treasure.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 2:1-9

"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints."

Now I want you to listen very carefully. When you look at those first few verses in Proverbs chapter 2, he says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 2:1-9

"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide

Deliverance from Evil Men and the Strange Woman

Weaver explains that biblical wisdom delivers from the way of evil men and the seduction of the strange woman, preserving the upright.

Final Contrast: Life and Death Set Before Us

He concludes with Deuteronomy 11:26, 30:19, and Jeremiah 21:8, urging believers to choose life by obeying God's commandments.

The Law of Retribution and Call to Self-Examination

Weaver applies the lex talionis from Zechariah 7:11-13, warning that God will not hear those who refused to hear Him, and calls for self-examination.

Destruction and Deliverance

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	ZLaGHirABQo
Subject	Covenant Theology
Course	Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need
Genre	Sermon
Date	2024-04-27
Dictation Name
Book	Book 043: Covenant Theology: Blessings, Curses, and Sanctions: A Time Of Need — Chapter 20
Source Timed Segments	73

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to Counsel and Its Importance: Weaver introduces the topic of counsel, noting that people often seek advice in difficult situations, but most counseling is humanistic rather than biblical.
Biblical Foundation for Counsel: He cites Proverbs 11:14, 15:22, and 24:6 to establish that counsel is essential and that a multitude of counselors provides safety.
Illustrations of Worldly Wisdom: Weaver gives examples of Jonadab and Ahithophel as men who were wise in evil, showing that worldly counsel can be cunning but leads to wickedness.
Contrast Between Worldly and Godly Wisdom: Using James 3:13-18, he distinguishes earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom from the pure, peaceable wisdom from above.
The Progression of Sin and the Call of Wisdom: Weaver explains from Proverbs 1:10-23 that sin escalates from small steps to destruction, and biblical wisdom cries out publicly, calling for repentance.
Consequences of Rejecting God's Counsel: He warns from Proverbs 1:24-32 that those who refuse God's counsel will face calamity and find no answer when they finally cry out.
Deliverance Through Obedience: Weaver highlights Proverbs 1:33 and Isaiah 55:3, showing that hearkening to God brings safety, quiet from fear, and an everlasting covenant.
The Necessity of Diligent Seeking: He stresses from Proverbs 2:1-9 that understanding requires active pursuit—receiving, hiding, inclining, crying out, and seeking wisdom as treasure.
Deliverance from Evil Men and the Strange Woman: Weaver explains that biblical wisdom delivers from the way of evil men and the seduction of the strange woman, preserving the upright.
Final Contrast: Life and Death Set Before Us: He concludes with Deuteronomy 11:26, 30:19, and Jeremiah 21:8, urging believers to choose life by obeying God's commandments.
The Law of Retribution and Call to Self-Examination: Weaver applies the lex talionis from Zechariah 7:11-13, warning that God will not hear those who refused to hear Him, and calls for self-examination.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Counsel is Inescapable and Determines Destiny

Every person lives by some form of counsel, and the source of that counsel—biblical or humanistic—determines whether they experience destruction or deliverance.

Weaver says, 'our entire lives are based upon counsel... most people have never really understood that most counseling is absolutely humanistic to the core.'

Worldly Wisdom is Crafty but Wicked

Examples like Jonadab and Ahithophel show that humanistic counsel can be shrewd and effective for evil purposes, but it is contrary to God.

He describes Jonadab as 'a very subtil man' and Ahithophel's counsel as 'wicked, wrong, and vile' yet designed to unify Absalom's followers.

Sin Escalates from Small Beginnings

The enticement of sinners in Proverbs 1 illustrates how listening to ungodly counsel leads from small compromises to grave sins like robbery and murder.

Weaver explains, 'you start out with something small, but it builds up into something absolutely abominable and great in wickedness.'

Rejecting God's Counsel Invites Divine Retribution

God's response to those who refuse His wisdom is to laugh at their calamity and refuse to answer when they cry out, a just retribution for their prior rejection.

He quotes Proverbs 1:26-28 and Zechariah 7:13, 'as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would not hear.'

Active Seeking is Required for Understanding

Biblical wisdom is not passively received; it requires diligent effort—crying out, seeking as for hidden treasure—before God grants understanding.

Weaver emphasizes the conditional 'if' in Proverbs 2:1-5 and says, 'God is not going to give us truth willy-nilly.'

Obedience Brings Deliverance from Evil

Those who embrace God's wisdom are delivered from the way of evil men and the seduction of the strange woman, preserving their path in righteousness.

He reads Proverbs 2:10-19, noting that wisdom 'shall preserve thee' and 'deliver thee from the way of the evil man.'

Life and Death are Set Before Us

God explicitly presents a choice between life and death, blessing and cursing, and commands His people to choose life through obedience.

Weaver cites Deuteronomy 30:19, 'I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life.'

Scripture References

Proverbs 1:1-4: Introduction to the purpose of Proverbs: to know wisdom, instruction, and discretion.
Proverbs 1:5-7: A wise man will hear and increase learning; the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
Proverbs 11:14: Where no counsel is, the people fall; in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
Proverbs 15:22: Without counsel purposes are disappointed; in the multitude of counselors they are established.
Proverbs 24:6: By wise counsel you shall make your war; in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
Jeremiah 4:22: God's people are foolish, wise to do evil but to do good they have no knowledge.
1 Corinthians 3:19: The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; He takes the wise in their own craftiness.
2 Samuel 13:1-14: Jonadab's subtle counsel to Amnon to rape Tamar, illustrating worldly wisdom used for evil.
2 Samuel 16:20-23: Ahithophel's counsel to Absalom to lie with his father's concubines, a wicked but shrewd plan.
James 3:13-18: Contrast between earthly, sensual, devilish wisdom and the wisdom from above that is pure and peaceable.
Proverbs 1:10-19: Warning against enticement by sinners; their path leads to destruction.
Psalm 1:1: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners.
Proverbs 1:20-23: Wisdom cries out in the streets, calling the simple to turn at her reproof.
Proverbs 1:24-32: Because they refused God's counsel, He will laugh at their calamity and not answer when they call.
Proverbs 1:33: Whoever listens to wisdom will dwell safely and be quiet from fear of evil.
Isaiah 55:3: Incline your ear and come to Me; hear, and your soul shall live; I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
2 Kings 17:13-14: Israel refused to hear the prophets and hardened their necks, not believing in the Lord.
Leviticus 26:14-17: If you despise My statutes, I will appoint terror and consumption over you; your enemies will eat your seed.
Isaiah 30:8-14: Because they despise God's word and trust in oppression, their iniquity will break them like a potter's vessel.
Proverbs 2:1-9: If you receive My words and cry for understanding, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find knowledge.

Historical References

Jonadab's counsel to Amnon: Jonadab, a subtle man, advised Amnon to feign illness and request Tamar to prepare food, leading to her rape.
Ahithophel's counsel to Absalom: Ahithophel advised Absalom to lie with David's concubines publicly to strengthen the hands of his followers.
Israel's refusal to hear the prophets: Throughout the Old Testament, Israel repeatedly refused to listen to God's prophets, hardening their necks.

Important Quotes

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Establishes the foundational principle that true knowledge starts with reverence for God, contrasting the wise and fools.

For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Illustrates the perversion of wisdom when it is used for evil rather than good, supporting the contrast between worldly and godly wisdom.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Defines the characteristics of divine wisdom, contrasting it sharply with earthly wisdom.

Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh.

A sobering warning of divine retribution for those who reject God's counsel, central to the message of destruction.

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

The promise of deliverance for those who listen to God's wisdom, encapsulating the positive outcome of biblical counsel.

If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

Emphasizes the diligent effort required to obtain divine wisdom, a key application point.

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.

The ultimate call to decision, framing the entire sermon as a choice between two destinies.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What are some practical ways to distinguish between biblical counsel and humanistic counsel in everyday decisions?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that all counsel is either biblical or humanistic, with no neutral ground.

[Question]

How does the example of Jonadab and Ahithophel challenge our understanding of 'wisdom' in the world?

[Context]

These men were shrewd and their counsel was effective for evil, showing that worldly wisdom can be crafty.

[Question]

In what ways does sin 'build and build' in our lives, and how can we recognize the small steps that lead to greater sin?

[Context]

Weaver warns that sin begins small but escalates, using Proverbs 1:10-19 as an illustration.

[Question]

Why does God 'laugh' at the calamity of those who reject His counsel, and how should this affect our view of His justice?

[Context]

Proverbs 1:26 describes God mocking when fear comes, a difficult concept that Weaver explains as retribution.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'seek wisdom as silver' in a practical, daily sense?

[Context]

Weaver stresses the active pursuit of wisdom from Proverbs 2:4, contrasting passive reception with diligent effort.

[Question]

How does the promise of deliverance from the 'strange woman' apply to modern temptations?

[Context]

Proverbs 2:16-19 warns against the seduction of the strange woman, which Weaver applies to any enticement away from God's path.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'choose life' in the context of Deuteronomy 30:19, and how do we do that daily?

[Context]

Weaver concludes with the call to choose life by obeying God's commandments, making it a personal decision.

[Question]

How can we examine our lives to determine whether we are following biblical or humanistic counsel?

[Context]

Weaver asks listeners to examine their lives by comparing their thoughts and actions to Scripture.

Applications

Format deepseek deepseek-v4-pro structured study JSON | Source Commentary.net transcript enrichment

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T06:14:15Z