(Prov 20:18 NLT) Plans succeed through good counsel; don't go to war without wise advice.
Solomon gives us something very interesting to think about today. We live in a nation that has been at war for over eight years now and much debate has been conducted over whether or not we should have gone to war in the first place. There are some who support the decision to go to war against Afghanistan, but not Iraq. There are others who support both. And then there are those who support neither. I will reserve my personal opinion, but we will all learn from Solomon as he, as a sitting head-of-state, drives home the importance of receiving good counsel and giving major decisions the consideration they deserve.
18th century theologian Adam Clarke said the following when commenting on the fact that heads-of-state should seek wise counsel before going to war: "Perhaps there is not a precept in this whole book so little regarded as this. Most of the wars that are undertaken are wars of injustice, ambition, aggrandizement, and caprice, which can have had no previous good counsel." Clarke said that over 200 years ago and I would venture to say that not much has changed in that regard. Major decisions, especially like those on the level of going to war, should not be made without much deliberation.
In the New Testament (Luke 14), when teaching on 'counting the cost,' Jesus asked: "Who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?" While this seems logical enough, the reality is that many fail to count the cost (or run the numbers), so they wind up wasting time, looking foolish, and mismanaging their people and resources. Now, mismanaging a construction project is one thing, but the decision to go to war is on another level altogether. Jesus went on to ask: "What king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him?"
Lives, livelihoods, cultures and legacies are at stake. Wars affect much more than the financial status of the nations involved. Wars leave an indelible mark on the fabric of the nations for generations. The decision to go to war is definitely not one that should be taken lightly. Back in the 11th chapter Solomon said, "Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers" (v.14). Solomon was a national leader, but he understood that even national leaders need many advisors. No leader can accomplish everything by themselves.
Great leaders surround themselves with other gifted leaders and they utilize their resources for the collective good. John Maxwell says, "One is too small a number to achieve greatness." He calls this, "The Law of Significance." Think of anything truly significant that has happened in history and you will find that one person did NOT accomplish it. Maxwell also said, "We tend to think of great thinkers and innovators as soloists, but the truth is that the greatest innovative thinking doesn't occur in a vacuum." "None of us is as smart as all of us!" Yes, there is a certain level of safety in knowing that your plan(s) has been vetted by other great minds.
So what does this mean to you? It simply means that you should give decisions the level of deliberation they require and if the decisions are major ones the deliberation process should include other great minds. This will keep you from reaping unpleasant harvests.
Father, I know that I will reap whatever I sow and that my life is a grand-sum-total of my decisions, therefore, I declare, by faith, that I will give my decisions an amount of deliberation that is commensurate with their importance. For those decisions that are major, I will involve other great and Godly minds and carefully consider their input. I refuse to make major decisions in a vacuum. My willingness to hear from You and from others will help me make decisions that will bring glory to Your name and peace and prosperity to all those that will be affected by them. Thank You for leading me Father. In Jesus' name. Amen!
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