“Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.”
— Proverbs 20:5
Hello, Friends. We hope and pray that you will be comforted with the same comfort wherewith the Lord comforted us through the brief key word study of this scripture.
Let’s start with the first word in the verse “counsel” — historically it symbolizes “the firm support of the community” as a tree. In the spirit and natural, it refers to “counsel, purpose, or advice” which helps to build a person to develop a strong mind in the Lord. By implication “counsel” means, “plan; prudence, (and again) purpose.”
Next, the word “heart” — as per usual it refers to the “heart.” Here in Proverbs 20:5, the definition extends to the “mind, understanding, and wisdom” as well as to the “inner man” and the “will” … other related words: thinking, reflection, memory, inclination, resolution, determination (of will), conscience, heart (of moral character): as a seat of appetites, as a seat of emotions, as a seat of passions, as a seat of courage — these are general functions in the heart of man.
So we see that counsel in the heart of man is like deep water— the word “deep” meaning, “mysterious, depths, and unsearchable.” Ah Ha! Unsearchable!!! — “deep” is the area of the heart where only God is “first” to know about. He knows:
- all thoughts, counsels, and plans in the hearts of men;
- all secrets in the hearts of men;
- all secret faults in the hearts of men;
- all imaginations and every high thing in the hearts of men…
…He knows everything there is to know in the hearts of ALL men.
God is the First to Know All of Our Secrets!
He entrusts His called, chosen, and appointed leader to draw out “unsearchable” information in the heart so that “the person” will report that God is in the leader of a truth (1 Corinthians 14:25).
The man of understanding is commanded by God to speak so that the person who believes not, or is unlearned, may fall to their face and worship God because the secrets in their heart were revealed to them. The Lord can draw that person to Himself. Remember, God’s appointed leaders plants and/or waters the word but only He can/will give the increase (1 Corinthians 3:7).
Now, let’s look at the next word “water” — it refers to the “freshness” that comes after truth is heard and received — being mixed with faith.
It is as fresh as the words Jesus spoke in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
In Matthew 11:28, the phrase “heavy laden” refers to being “overburdened with ceremonial or spiritual anxiety.” In other words, the people are overburdened with religiosity. But the word of truth will free them from spiritual anxiety if they receive the word of God mixed with faith. However, it has been the exercise of false religious leaders for a very long time to overburden their followers with religious mumbo-jumbo. Absolutely pathetic!
Our next word is “understanding” which literally means, “intelligence” and refers to “one able to plan and build.” This is the “man of understanding” … also known as the man of “discretion, reason, skill, wisdom….” They have the “skills” to draw out the deep counsel in the hearts of men — ONLY BY THE POWER OF GOD!!!
Finally, the word “draw” — in the natural it refers to “the lifting of the bucket out of the well for drawing water.” But, Proverbs 20:5 uses the figurative to mean, “to deliver” or “to draw advice.”
Friends, God (through His man/woman of understanding) is able draw out the deep counsel in the hearts of men, especially those who fear Him, submit to Him, and give the least to no resistance to His divine influence upon the heart — His sent leader can/will draw out the deep and unsearchable secrets in the heart.
Consider the following:
- (Proverbs 18:4) The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.
- (Psalm 19:12-13) Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Let us be comforted in the Lord for His ability to draw out the deep secrets in our hearts, even those secret faults which no one knows of except Him, so that we may be cleansed and freed from errors and moral mistakes. We are also thankful for His multitude of counsel who safely exposes the secrets in our hearts for our rescue, salvation, freedom, edification, exhortation, and comfort … and not for our destruction. Amen?!
In Christ We Do Remain
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