Verse of the Day for August 9

In the multitude of counsellors there is safety is quoted often, usually on its own. Here it sits between two other sayings, and they explain it.

Before it: A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. After it comes a warning about standing surety for a stranger, guaranteeing a debt for someone you do not really know.

Put together, the three verses describe one choice we make again and again: whom do we let in? Counsel brings safety only if the counsellors keep confidences. And a promise made to a stranger can cost you dearly. Good counsel is not about numbers alone. It is about trustworthy people.

This is how wisdom usually works. Not one grand decision but many small ones about who hears your business, whose advice you weigh, whose loan you sign.

Before you share your trouble at the next fellowship meeting, or sign for a cousin's friend at the bank, pause. Ask whether this person has a faithful spirit. Choose two or three who have kept your secrets before, and bring them the matter. That is one choice, and it shapes the next.

The people you confide in are part of your wisdom.

Be the kind of counsellor who keeps the matter covered.