HEAR COUNSEL AND RECEIVE INSTRUCTION

The Wise Man said, “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end” (Prov. 19:20). We easily recognize there are good things to learn, or traits to possess, but spiritually we may fail to look to the latter end when it comes to possessing and growing in spiritual qualities (faith, grace, love, mercy, etc.).

Jesus instructed the Pharisees to go and learn what it meant for him to have mercy; “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice…” (Matt. 9:10-13). They were in the process of erroneously mocking and condemning his actions and he gave them the instruction they needed.  But of course they didn’t see the value nor did they consider the latter end.

It wasn’t just a few chapters later the Pharisees saw his disciples eating corn and “…they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day” (Matt. 12:2).  Jesus responded to help them understand scripture and ended, “But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless” (Matt. 12:7).  Isn’t it startling that failure to learn in this context, not only meant they would not be merciful, but this lack of understanding would cause them to condemn the guiltless? How easy it must have been for them to ignore the instruction to learn about mercy without realizing the resulting latter end would have them unjustly condemning the innocent.

But that’s just one example and one trait. Consider Peter’s instruction, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” And he continues with, “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins” (2 Pet. 1:5-9).  Our latter end is determined by what we do in the beginning and throughout (Gal. 6:8).  May we, like Peter, look to the latter end; “…for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (vs10-11).

—Matthew Johnson