Proverbs 11:14

Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety (Proverbs 11:14)

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Proverb 14 from Chapter 11:

Here is, 1. The bad omen of a kingdom's ruin: Where no counsel is, no consultation at all, but every thing done rashly, or no prudent consultation for the common good, but only caballing for parties and divided interests, the people fall, crumble into factions, fall to pieces, fall together by the ears, and fall an easy prey to their common enemies. Councils of war are necessary to the operations of war, two eyes see more than one, and mutual advice is in order to mutual assistance. 2. The good presage of a kingdom's prosperity: In the multitude of counsellors, that see their need one of another, and act in concert and with concern for the public welfare, there is safety; for what prudent methods one discerns not another may. In our private affairs we shall often find it to our advantage to advise with many; if they agree in their advice, our way will be the more clear; if they differ, we shall hear what is to be said on all sides, and be the better able to determine (page 776, Matthew Henry's Commentary On The Whole Bible). 

What I love about the above, is the mention of prudent consultation. Dear reader, we need look no further than the wisdom found in the Word of God, to find the treasure spoken of as counsel, because God always gives us the very best guiding light advice, and he has placed men on earth to speak his understanding to our waiting hearts through our listening and discerning ears. 

Let us do a brief fact statement based on our recent mutual, universal history, that is so astutely remarked upon from the pages of Matthew Henry's Commentary, written hundreds of years ago. 

The bad omen of a kingdom's ruin: Where no counsel is, no consultation at all, but every thing done rashly, or no prudent consultation for the common good, but only caballing for parties and divided interests, the people fall, crumble into factions, fall to pieces, fall together by the ears, and fall an easy prey to their common enemies.

I am picking out key words for our focus: bad omen, kingdom's ruin, no counsel, no consultation, every thing done rashly, no prudent consultation for common good, caballing for parties, divided interests, the people fall, crumble into factions, fall to pieces, fall together, fall as easy prey, common enemies ... 

Man alive if this doesn't perfectly describe "covid", I don't know what does. The bad omen filled the air with a dark cloud the day the power plug was pulled and we plunged into disarray as citizens of the world. Our personal little kingdom's started crumbling, falling into ruin, when the kingdom king of this world flexed his muscles and impudently, arrogantly revealed his cabal, his party of people that consulted to divide the people and have them crumble into factions, falling to pieces, falling together, as easy prey to their common enemies. The globalists did not consult with us, dear reader, but they were under consultation from their master, and they still are, as a united front, for their common mercenary murderous good, not the common good of the people. Any and all of the lying cheating tongues that wagged during "covid", seem to be wagging still, and they damn themselves each time they open their mouths, permitting us a glimpse into who they are and to whom they belong. Understanding this is crucial, because as Matthew Henry points out, we fall together when we are subject to the directives of the wicked. 

Councils of war are necessary to the operations of war, two eyes see more than one, and mutual advice is in order to mutual assistance.

Does it not make most excellent sense to be counselled well, one to another, to see from all perspectives, with one person noticing details, while you and I notice others? Is it reasonable to mutually discuss and advise, so that we can mutually assist? This is precisely what was stolen from us, dear one: my best friends would not talk with me about what was happening. They refused to consider an alternative point of view, and even a godly perspective, preferring the cabal, without ever realizing what they had done mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. They gave themselves over to ruin rashly.

The good presage of a kingdom's prosperity: In the multitude of counsellors, that see their need one of another, and act in concert and with concern for the public welfare, there is safety; for what prudent methods one discerns not another may. In our private affairs we shall often find it to our advantage to advise with many; if they agree in their advice, our way will be the more clear; if they differ, we shall hear what is to be said on all sides, and be the better able to determine

I again, pick out key words for our focus: multitude of counsellors, need one another, act in concert with concern for public welfare, there is safety, prudent methods, discern, private affairs, advise with many, agree in advice, way will be clear, differ, we shall hear all sides, better able to determine

The way of God gives us such a lovely picture of interaction with others, where we seek and give counsel because we need one another. When we act in godly concert out of concern for public welfare, there is safety because we use prudent approaches and methods, allowing for sharpened discernment, since we have heard what others have to say, even if their opinion differs from ours; in this way, we can better determine our course of action, including in our private affairs. 

It is our private and personal decisions that are vitally important for our own well-being yes, but dear reader, it is precisely the private and personal decisions people made during "covid" that has expedited the ruin of their families, their communities, their work environments, and has been injurious to all people everywhere. If this sounds extreme and dire, I challenge you to open your eyes and see clearly, how very impactful decisions are, when people choose to go against God's will and COMMANDments, in favour of cabal-ish ways. The secret faction of Satan worshippers has demolished communities all over the globe, and they are so wanton and arrogantly obvious now - they have become a majority and need not hide in the shadows - that we must, we simply must, go to God's Word and band together as God's people, in order to be led onto the straight and narrow path. 

I am a one trick pony, dear reader. I want you to know God Almighty, and I want you to know that there are resources available to you to help you understand the wisdom gleanable, from his Word, from The Bible. I hope you take wise counsel here and now, from me. I call it wise because I am pointing you toward God, so I really cannot go wrong! 

Read his word, listen to many commentaries. Turn off your TV, your social media, and quiet your mind, readying it to receive prudent consult from the King of kings, the Lord of lords, forsaking all others for your salvation. 

Your choices matter. 

Server

Last weekend my family gathered at a restaurant for lunch. We were acknowledging by brother-in-laws birthday, without wanting to celebrate, because this is year one without my sister. It has been just over eight months since her death. Life goes on, and we are still here, and that is to say, it matters to be with each other, even if our time together is tinged with sadness. 

Upon entering the popular local restaurant, the hostess greeted us warmly and ushered us to a booth. Not long after this, a waitress came to our table and introduced herself, and then left, never to return to take our order. As time passed, my brother-in-law said something about her not returning. We watched her attend to customers at other tables, and she passed us by without a sideways glance, many a time. Growing slightly impatient, I stated, I wish we had a different server, and as she passed us yet again, I said, Excuse me. The waitress turned, lifted up her pointer finger to silence me, and stated, Give me a minute, I have to speak with my colleague, and almost immediately, we had us a new server, a very gracious and attentive waiter. 

This was a curiosity to me, and as our time in the restaurant went on, I considered the possibilities, of why the first server pawned our table off to another:

1. She was overrun and needed help

2. She was somehow offended by us

3. She wasn't feeling well and wanted to end her shift early 

In pondering these scenarios, I observed:

1. The restaurant was not at all busy when we arrived

2. Our exchange with the waitress was pleasant and easy, in other words, I could not think of any untoward occurrence in the brief span of time between her introducing herself and departing

3. She continued working the entire time we were there, and as the restaurant filled up, she served two tables adjacent to ours, the table directly behind, and several on the other side of the restaurant. She was busy, efficient, attentive, and quite capable of serving without any signs of illness or slowing down. 

So why the disregard and dismissal? Why make it clear to us that she was willing and able to do her job and serve others, but was unwilling, quite obviously, to serve us? 

What do you think of this behaviour, dear reader? My son stated, I would fire her on the spot, and I agreed with him. I ask you, Is it okay to pick and choose who gets service, and who does not? 

This did not sit well with me, in fact, it harkens back to the days when prejudice was openly displayed, and people were denied decency, disregarded as being beneath worthy of service. I tell you right now, the rest of the staff were extraordinarily gentile and hospitable, making this waitress appear shamefully wanting. After experiencing ostracization because of my stance against all things covid, I am not willing to ever again, put up with the nonsense of being deemed ineligible to be served. That woman is a WAITRESS, and we were at the RESTAURANT she earned a LIVING AT, as an EMPLOYEE ... she has no right to treat anyone the way she did, and I decided I wanted to say something. 

After stewing about this issue for a bit, I put a call into the restaurant manager; I learned her name is Courtney. During lunch, Courtney had been exceptionally gracious with my mother. My mother's meal was subpar, and after our amazing waiter noticed her not enjoying her food, he offered to replace it with something else. Shortly thereafter, the manager, Courtney, came to our table and reassured my mom, that she was very glad my mother had said something, and that they really wanted her to enjoy her experience. Courtney is the quintessential professional, and she went out of her way to let us know that she valued us as guests. 

When I called, I thanked Courtney for how sweet she had been with my mother, and I also shared that our service was amazing ... except for how our initial server treated us. Courtney apologized profusely, and while I told her that it wasn't her fault, she explained that she wants people in the neighbourhood to feel welcome and have a good experience from entry to exit. I appreciated this very much, and at the same time, I wanted to make it clear, how unacceptable it was for one of her serving staff, to treat customers with such obvious disdain. She understood and given her professionalism, I am confident she has already addressed the issue. 

Now, dear reader, all of the above was the backdrop, the set-up for what I am about to say and suggest. We simply must not tolerate this type of behaviour, because if we do, we are giving permission to prejudicial people to be extraordinarily rude, randomly unprofessional, and suggesting to them that it is okay for them to pick and choose whom they will condescend to serve. 

• What say you? 
• Do you agree? 

How would it be if perhaps, a city worker just doesn't like your house, and decides to leave your garbage curb-side, while picking up everyone else's all around you? Or what about a gas station attendant turning off the pump for number five, your pump, because your hair isn't parted just right, and he doesn't think you deserve to fill up? Or maybe, your child is brown eyed, and the triage nurse prefers blued eyed children, and only lets them in to see the doctor? Or maybe, you won't wear a mask, or get a "covid" injection, or socially distance, or maybe you are black, red headed, Chinese, caucasian or Indian, and you are denied this that and the other, because the person with the decision making power, deems you detestable and simply not worthy to look at, let alone serve? 

Dear reader, we are heading in this direction every time we tolerate rudeness from someone that ought to treat us kindly. I am not suggesting you become scrappy and retaliate, I am suggesting that we all serve one another with each others best interests at heart, and that we treat each other fairly and with the utmost respect, as image bearers of our Creator. 

I did not like what the waitress did, and I do believe that that was not her first time treating people this way, but I sure do hope it was her last time, because she needs to know that she not only insulted customers, she partially damaged and sullied the reputation of a local restaurant that has a lot of competition, and relies heavily on repeat business. The waitress wantonly indulged an urge to refuse service to patrons, and did not consider the ramifications of her arrogant actions. 

Not acceptable ... 

I never liked this restaurant - my brother-in-law had a gift card - but to the cooks credit, the meal I ordered was delicious and the service, once we had some, was stellar, but the bad taste in my mouth remains, because of this waitress. Manners and reputation are valuable assets in a wicked and weird world. Let's make sure we band together and work toward excellence with all we say and do when serving others, for their sake, and for humanity's sake as a collective.