Proverbs 19:20-21 - "Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days. 21 There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the LORD’s counsel—that will stand."


Thoughts on today's verse:

Solomon is here reiterating the whole theme of the book that he was writing to his son: listen to advice and accept instruction to be wise in the future. Up to this point, and even through the rest of the book, that is exactly what is being put forth: instruction and advice.

However, we do not look only to the book of proverbs for advice and instruction, and that is not what Solomon had in mind; otherwise it would have been worded differently. The idea seems to be that there are those who have grown in biblical wisdom through their own lives and we ought to be eager to learn from their advice and instruction so that we might too become wise!

This wisdom will go on to help us as we devise plans in our hearts, but even then, our plans are subject to change as we are not all-wise, nor unchanging. God, on the other hand, is all-wise, and is unchanging. He is immutable and therefore, his plans will stand, for they are always best. We ought to recognize this and accept it as we continue to grow in wisdom from above.