Counsel

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way in which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you”.  Psalm 32:8

Counsel – In Hebrew – ya’as.   This word has several important spiritual and theological connections.  It can be translated as counsel, purpose or plan.  In the Old Testament, God’s counsel is contrasted with the advice of men.  Where human plans and purposes fail, God’s counsel is based on His unwavering faithfulness, His absolute sovereignty and His eternal promises.  There is nothing that men can do that could ever alter the commitment of God to His people.  Many of the Old Testament prophets use this word to recall God’s eternal plans for His people and the consequent need to be open to God’s instruction.

There is also an important link between this concept and the Gospel.  In Isaiah, the Messiah is called Wonderful Counselor.  This designation of Christ confirms that God’s plans and God’s instruction are to be found in Jesus.  For many of us, good counsel has been an infrequent part of our lives.  Our broken world is filled with broken promises.  So, many times we have not trusted good counsel.   Even when the counsel should have been trusted, we are afraid to take it.  We have broken promises too.  So how can we be sure that this time the advice it right? 

In this verse, God Himself offers to teach us life’s true pathway.  But more importantly, He say that He will counsel us with His diligence, that He will keep an eye on us to ensure that we are headed in the right direction.  Since nothing can keep God from accomplishing what He intends to do, there is great comfort in His diligence on our behalf.  Here we have a counselor and a sponsor who will never cease pushing us forward and never relax His vigilance over us.  He will never lead us astray and never tell us a lie.  And He never breaks a promise. 

That is a friend worth having forever!