Bible Cross References
Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
Proverbs 15:22
Get all the advice you can, and you will succeed; without it you will fail.
Proverbs 16:22
Wisdom is a fountain of life to the wise, but trying to educate stupid people is a waste of time.
Proverbs 24:6
After all, you must make careful plans before you fight a battle, and the more good advice you get, the more likely you are to win.
1 Kings 12:1-19
1
Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the people of northern Israel had gathered to make him king.
2
When Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had gone to Egypt to escape from King Solomon, heard this news, he returned from Egypt.
3
The people of the northern tribes sent for him, and then they all went together to Rehoboam and said to him,
4
"Your father Solomon treated us harshly and placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects."
5
"Come back in three days and I will give you my answer," he replied. So they left.
6
King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had served as his father Solomon's advisers. "What answer do you advise me to give these people?" he asked.
7
They replied, "If you want to serve this people well, give a favorable answer to their request, and they will always serve you loyally."
8
But he ignored the advice of the older men and went instead to the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers.
9
"What do you advise me to do?" he asked. "What shall I say to the people who are asking me to make their burdens lighter?"
10
They replied, "This is what you should tell them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!'
11
Tell them, 'My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!' "
12
Three days later Jeroboam and all the people returned to King Rehoboam, as he had instructed them.
13
The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the people,
14
as the younger men had advised. He said, "My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!"
15
It was the will of the LORD to bring about what he had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. This is why the king did not pay any attention to the people.
16
When the people saw that the king would not listen to them, they shouted, "Down with David and his family! What have they ever done for us? People of Israel, let's go home! Let Rehoboam look out for himself !" So the people of Israel rebelled,
17
leaving Rehoboam as king only of the people who lived in the territory of Judah.
18
Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of the forced labor, to go to the Israelites, but they stoned him to death. At this, Rehoboam hurriedly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.
19
Ever since that time the people of the northern kingdom of Israel have been in rebellion against the dynasty of David.
Isaiah 19:11-14
11
The leaders of the city of Zoan are fools! Egypt's wisest people give stupid advice! How do they dare to tell the king that they are successors to the ancient scholars and kings?
12
King of Egypt, where are those clever advisers of yours? Perhaps they can tell you what plans the LORD Almighty has for Egypt.
13
The leaders of Zoan and Memphis are fools. They were supposed to lead the nation, but they have misled it.
14
The LORD has made them give confusing advice. As a result, Egypt does everything wrong and staggers like a drunk slipping on his own vomit.
Acts 15:6-21
6
The apostles and the elders met together to consider this question.
7
After a long debate Peter stood up and said, "My friends, you know that a long time ago God chose me from among you to preach the Good News to the Gentiles, so that they could hear and believe.
8
And God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, showed his approval of the Gentiles by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he had to us.
9
He made no difference between us and them; he forgave their sins because they believed.
10
So then, why do you now want to put God to the test by laying a load on the backs of the believers which neither our ancestors nor we ourselves were able to carry?
11
No! We believe and are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are."
12
The whole group was silent as they heard Barnabas and Paul report all the miracles and wonders that God had performed through them among the Gentiles.
13
When they had finished speaking, James spoke up: "Listen to me, my friends!
14
Simon has just explained how God first showed his care for the Gentiles by taking from among them a people to belong to him.
15
The words of the prophets agree completely with this. As the scripture says,
16
'After this I will return, says the Lord, and restore the kingdom of David. I will rebuild its ruins and make it strong again.
17
And so all the rest of the human race will come to me, all the Gentiles whom I have called to be my own.
18
So says the Lord, who made this known long ago.'
19
"It is my opinion," James went on, "that we should not trouble the Gentiles who are turning to God.
20
Instead, we should write a letter telling them not to eat any food that is ritually unclean because it has been offered to idols; to keep themselves from sexual immorality; and not to eat any animal that has been strangled, or any blood.
21
For the Law of Moses has been read for a very long time in the synagogues every Sabbath, and his words are preached in every town."