Jesus
said to his disciples:
“I am the true vine, and my
Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that
bears no fruit, while every branch that
does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
Another way God prunes us into fruitfulness is by using fellow
believers as His shears. He knows that we, like vines, need pruned to be
fruitful and directs us to submit to pruning from others who have better
insights
There is no doubt that we need that pruning. Vines left to themselves
will put energy into unproductive things rather than fruit; “left
unattended, grapevines can become unruly, and fruiting will be poor due to
overproduction of vegetation.” Basic Principles of Pruning Backyard
Grapevines (Ohio St. Univ. Extension 2004).
God knows that humans are the same way. He therefore does not mince
words about our need to be trimmed back into productivity and what happens if we resist that trimming:
“He who ignores reproof goes astray”
“He who hates reproof is
stupid”
“Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects
discipline”
“Grievous punishment is for him who forsakes the way;
He who hates reproof will die”
“He who neglects discipline despises himself”
“He who hates correction walks the sinner's path”
God also makes it clear that a lot of that pruning comes from fellow
believers. He does that by repeatedly stressing the benefits that come from
listening to what other Godly folks have to say:
“A man
of understanding will acquire wise counsel”
Proverbs 11:14
“Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory”
“A
wise man is he who listens to counsel”
“Wisdom
is with those who receive counsel”
“Without
consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed”
“Listen
to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days”
“Prepare
plans by consultation”
“Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise”
“For
by wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is
victory”
“Oil
and perfume make the heart glad, so a man's counsel is sweet to his friend”
“Go
where the old people are; find someone who is wise, and stay with him”
“If
you find someone with understanding, get up early to call on him; wear out his
doorstep with your visits”
“Pay
attention to what old people say, for they learned from those who came before
them. You can learn from them, and they can teach you how to have an answer
ready when you need one”
“Engage
in conversation with intelligent people, and let the Law of the Most High be
the topic of your discussions.16 Choose righteous people for
your dinner companions”
“A
wise person's knowledge is like a river that never runs dry, like an everflowing
stream of good advice”
“It is
a pleasure to hear what intelligent people have to say.17 The
assembly will be eager to hear from an intelligent person and will take his
opinion seriously”
“Sound
judgment, good advice, and gray hair go together beautifully.5
Wisdom, understanding, and sound counsel are appropriate to the aged and the
respected.”
“When
you find yourself with stupid people, look for some excuse to leave, but when
you are with serious-minded people, stay as long as you can”
Sirach
37:12 (NJB)
“Have
constant recourse to some devout person, who you know to be a keeper of the
commandments”
“Gold
and silver provide security, but good advice is better”
That
makes sense. Others see things that we miss, and we are therefore wise to
listen to them.
There
is one caveat to this however. We should seek counsel from wise, Godly, people,
not fools or those that do not cleave to God’s precepts. Compare Sirach
6:34, Sirach
6:36, Sirach
9:15-16, Sirach
21:16-17, and Sirach
37:12 with Ecclesiastes 7:5, Ecclesiastes 9:17, Sirach
21:16, and
Sirach 27:12.
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