Spiritual truth: The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray. Proverbs 12:26

The Bible teaches who we should turn to for advice, and who we should not. And this is of great importance because when making decisions, having another perspective on things is a great help. Often, problems appear simple to deal with, but they may conceal unnoticed issues that could make the measures taken counterproductive. This is why the Book of Proverbs teaches a maxim about the importance of listening to advice: "For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers" Proverbs 11:14.
And regarding advice, the sapiential literature adds something: you should always find out what the person giving the advice needs, because it may be that they are giving their advice based on what they need, explains Ben Sira in his book. But something else must also be added, just as the wise advise their wisdom, the fools advise their foolishness. And there is a very clear example of this when Rehoboam was supposed to assume the throne of all Israel as successor to his father Solomon. He did not follow the wise counsel of the elders but the foolish counsel of his friends from his youth. Rehoboam followed the wrong advice, and this led to the division of Israel in two kingdoms, Judah and Israel.
This is why the sapiential literature concludes that the only people whose advice can be trusted are those who fear God. And this is so because the fear of God is the spiritual bond between men and God; the fear of God is constancy, firmness, devotion. And it is from the fear of God that common sense is born. This is why the Book of Proverbs explains this spiritual truth: "The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray" Proverbs 12:26.
Knowing who to turn to and who not to turn to when advice is needed is fundamental, especially when power and authority are greater, because mistakes, however small, do not forgive anyone in the long run. And this is why wisdom becomes so valuable and necessary, and sometimes even more so than all the gold in the world. Because ultimately, the purpose of good advice is not to obtain a small or large gain, but to preserve the very life of the one who receives the advice.

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