“Would that we had died in the land of Egypt!
Or would that we had died in this wilderness!
Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword?”
(Ex.14:2-3)
Most of us remember
the wildly popular television quiz show Who
Wants to be a Millionaire? The
contestant would be asked a series of progressively harder multiple choice
questions with a chance at winning a huge cash prize at the end. If a player was stumped on an answer he had
three “lifelines” to help him. The most
fascinating of the three in my opinion was “ask the audience”. The collective audience was asked their
answer and the majority report was put on a bar graph for the contestant to
see. Statistically, the audience
selected answer was 99% correct which means that, at least in terms of trivia,
the breadth of knowledge in a crowd probably trumps a single expert.
One place I believe the “collective wisdom of the crowd” can
be a real failure is in spiritual matters or perception. Consider the 12 spies sent in to Canaan. They all
saw the same things yet only two of them trusted in God to go forward while the
other ten looked at the situation strictly from a human standpoint and to the
general “freaking out” of everybody suggested that God wasn’t able to help them
do what He had told them to do. In the
church of antiquity, there was a screwball idea floating around that Christian
disciples should ask Mary (the mother of Jesus) to pray for them. A lot of people were quite critical of this
idea especially since it cannot be directly taught from scripture. But it
gained currency over time because a small crowd of powerful bishops and
theologians supported it. I know there
have been times I have sought spiritual counsel from a ‘multitude of
counselors’ (Pr. 15:22) only to find such a multitude of answers that I was
more in the dark than before on the way I should go. I guess this could be called a collective “I
don’t know!”. So, when should I trust
the breadth of the crowd as wise spiritual counsel?
First answer: only when you really need it. There are a lot of issues we grapple with
that are clearly and directly addressed by scripture. We shouldn’t need to get a second opinion on
whether or not to live purely or with integrity. If you have to ask if it would be dishonest
to do something, then chances are it is and you already think so, so why even
ask?
Second thought on this: are those whom you ask steeped in
the truth of the scripture? Do they
actually demonstrate scriptural truth in their lifestyle? Approaching people who do not live and learn
from scripture is like asking a blind person to help you read a road map. There are some real limitations to the value
of advice from people without spiritual perception. They may be wise, but their wisdom will
reflect the view that God in not very important.
Third and final thought: when it is supplementary to your
own prayers, fastings, and wrestlings with God.
There is a saying in business that tasks may be delegated but never
accountability. Since we are directly
accountable to the Lord for our lives we should seek his counsel first and seek
to discern His voice on the matter. The counsel of other wise people should be
supplemental and confirming but not primary.
If the Holy Spirit indwells the Lord’s people, then there will be a
recognition of others that you have heard His voice and are moving in the right
direction.
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