Several places in the Book of Proverbs say that the wise man will listen to advice and rebuke, but the fool refuses counsel. Christians have abused this so much that it has become a truism, an adage or tradition, or Christian cultural common sense, instead of a divine precept. We must allow the Bible to define its own terms and ideas. The Book of Proverbs is all about wisdom. And it says that the fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. So when it tells us to heed advice, it is only talking about wise and godly advice.

In most cases, this would wipe out a hundred percent of the advice and counsel our stupid neighbors are so eager to force upon us. They want to dictate our doctrines. They want to direct our decisions. They want to correct our attitudes. They have an opinion on every little thing about us. Most of the time, we are dealing with busybodies, not counselors. When we refuse to listen because they are so stupid, here comes the verses from Proverbs again. They have God’s word, but they do not know how to use it.

Wise counsel, however, is worth more than fine gold. It can save a soul. It can save a family. It can save a nation (Proverbs 11:14). God always gives wisdom to anyone who asks in faith (James 1:5-8). But when you are dealing with people, unless they are Christians who have knowledge of God’s word and strong faith in what it says, you will continue to receive bad advice, and that is worse than no advice.