HE THAT RECEIVES COUNSEL IS WISE: A Spiritual and Philosophical Reflection on True Wisdom
BACKGROUND TO THE CASE
One day, I found myself reflecting deeply: You are wise—a genius even. You’re gifted, anointed, and passionate about thinking. So why do you feel the need to seek advice or counsel from others? Shouldn’t you be the one offering it instead? Could this mean something is wrong with you?
That thought left me momentarily unsettled.
Whenever I wrestle with questions about wisdom, I turn to King Solomon, a man who received wisdom directly from God. So I opened the Book of Proverbs in search of clarity. To my astonishment, what I discovered was not a contradiction in my behaviour but a powerful confirmation that he that receives counsel is wise. I wasn’t wrong at all. I was right to seek counsel. The scriptures affirmed something even more striking: wisdom is more often attributed to those who receive counsel than to those who give it. These were some of the verses that opened my eyes:
Where there is no guidance, the people fall, but in the abundance of counsellors, there is victory. Proverbs 11:14
Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days. Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the Lord will stand. Proverbs 19:20-21
Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counsellors, they succeed. Proverbs 15:22
Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. Proverbs 28:26
Plans are established by seeking advice, so if you wage war, obtain guidance. Proverbs 20:18
Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life. Proverbs 4:13
For by wise guidance you will wage war, and in the abundance of counsellors, there is victory. Proverbs 24:6
The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice. Proverbs 12:15
Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance. Proverbs 1:5
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7
Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Proverbs 13:10
A LOGICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS: The Meno Paradox Revisited
This realisation echoes a well-known philosophical puzzle: the Meno Paradox, as recorded in Plato’s dialogue.
“How will you look for something when you do not know what it is? Even if you happen to bump right into it, how will you know it is the thing you didn’t know?” —Plato, Meno
Let’s examine this paradox through a biblical lens.
The Bible tells us:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” —Proverbs 1:7
So, if the fear of God is the starting point, and God is a Spirit who knows all things (1 Corinthians 2:10–11), then:
- Wisdom is spiritual.
- The Spirit of God knows all things.
- Therefore, if you possess the Spirit of God, you possess access to all wisdom.
Now here comes the paradox:
If you already possess access to all wisdom through the Spirit, why would you need to seek counsel?
The Meno Paradox poses this dilemma more starkly:
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If you know what you’re looking for, inquiry is unnecessary.
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If you don’t know, inquiry is impossible.
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Therefore, inquiry is either unnecessary or impossible.
So why, then, do even the wise inquire?
THE THEORY OF RECOLLECTION AND SPIRITUAL COUNSEL
Plato’s solution is the Theory of Recollection:
We don’t learn anything new; we recollect what our soul already knows.
The Bible and the Spirit agree.
The wise seek counsel not to acquire new knowledge but to trigger the recovery of latent, God-given insight. In this view, the act of counselling becomes more like midwifery than instruction.
The counsellor is not implanting truth but helping deliver the truth already gestating within the spirit of the wise.
“Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” —Proverbs 1:5
The wise can recognise wisdom when they hear it; not because they are hearing it for the first time, but because the Spirit in them bears witness to it.
In this sense, learning is recollection.
Growth is illumination.
Counsel is activation.
To illuminate means to shine light on something. That “something” (knowledge) is already there—hidden, perhaps, but real and present. The light simply reveals it.
So when a wise person seeks counsel, they are not groping in the dark; they are inviting the light to shine on the hidden treasure already planted in them by God.
THE TRAGEDY OF THE PROUD AND FOOLISH
He that receives counsel is wise. Contrast this with Solomon’s sobering warning:
“Do not waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice.” —Proverbs 23:9
Why? Because the fool lacks the fear of God—the very foundation of wisdom. Without that spiritual grounding, there is no internal “witness” to identify wise counsel when it is heard.
Even if the fool stumbles upon gold, he will treat it like gravel.
He cannot recognise wisdom, because he has no reference point within.
The difference between the wise and the fool is not always who hears counsel, but who can discern it.
CONCLUSION
The revelation was profound: The Bible does not reserve the badge of wisdom only for the counsellor. In fact, it often honours the counsel-receiver, the one humble enough to listen, wise enough to discern, and spiritually awakened enough to recollect.
This perspective is echoed in Jesus’ paradoxical teachings:
“The least among you shall be the greatest.”
“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom.”
“The greatest among you must be your servant.”
By framing greatness as service and submission, Christ affirmed that true authority springs from receptivity and humility.
True wisdom and greatness, it turns out, are marked not by how much one knows or says, but by one’s capacity to receive, reflect, and respond.
Indeed, he that receives counsel is wise—not because he lacks knowledge, but because he possesses the Spirit that knows all things… and recognises truth when it appears.
