How does Jeremiah 38:22 connect with Proverbs 11:14 regarding counsel and wisdom?

The Scene in Jeremiah 38:22

“ All the women who remain in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon and will say, ‘Your trusted friends misled and overcame you; your feet sank into the mire, and they deserted you.’ ”

• King Zedekiah had rejected the word of the LORD delivered through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:17-20).

• His “trusted friends” were the princes and advisers who urged resistance to Babylon (Jeremiah 38:4-5).

• When disaster finally came, those advisers were exposed as deceivers; their counsel ended in humiliation, captivity, and shame.

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Proverbs 11:14 in Focus

“ For lack of guidance, a people fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance.”

• The proverb states a timeless principle: sound, abundant counsel preserves; the absence—or corruption—of counsel destroys.

• “Guidance” carries the idea of steering a ship; without a skilled crew, the vessel wrecks (cf. Proverbs 15:22; 24:6).

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How the Two Passages Interlock

• Jeremiah 38:22 provides the historical case study that proves Proverbs 11:14.

– Zedekiah lacked godly guidance because he silenced Jeremiah and listened to flattering courtiers (Proverbs 29:12).

– The result was national collapse: “a people fall.”

• The king did have “many counselors,” yet they were neither righteous nor wise (Proverbs 14:7). Quantity without godliness is useless.

• The women’s lament (“Your trusted friends misled …”) echoes the warning embedded in the proverb: when counsel is ungodly, it becomes the very cause of downfall (Psalm 1:1).

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Takeaways on Counsel and Wisdom

• God’s word, faithfully delivered, must always outrank the popular majority (Acts 5:29).

• True “many counselors” means many god-fearing counselors; seek voices that align with Scripture (Proverbs 13:20).

• Rejecting prophetic truth for political convenience invites the humiliation pictured in Jeremiah 38:22.

• The safety promised in Proverbs 11:14 is still available: surround yourself with biblically grounded advisers and heed them while there is time (Hebrews 3:13).