Some people see themselves as expert advisors when they may have little business advising. You’re familiar with Job in the Old Testament. Every aspect of his life became miserable, and his “friends” offered counsel. They sounded spiritual and talked about God, but they were wrong—wrong about Job and wrong about how God works. It took the younger Elihu to present God’s wisdom to these friends.
Books, friends, the media—lots of ideas out there about God and the Christian life, but it’s not all truth. The insertion of God’s name into a discussion does not mean the representation of God by that speaker is accurate, nor does life experience necessarily equate with godly wisdom. In Job 42, we read that the Lord had some pretty strong words for Job’s friend Eliphaz and his cohorts: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has”(v. 7). God was angry; this was serious. In order to appease his anger, the friends had to offer several animals as burnt offerings and also appeal to Job to pray for them; because the Lord also said, “for I will accept his [Job’s] prayer not to deal with you according to your folly”(v. 8).
In the context of writing about sins of the tongue, James wrote, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness”(James 3:1). The power of the pen and tongue is huge, and this verse has two implications. First, we should be cautious about offering spiritual advice because we’ll be held accountable for what we teach. Second, we must recognize the weight of the responsibility we have when we instruct others, whether one-on-one or in front of a group, and be as prepared and accurate as possible. Some communicators are adept at “winging it,” but much more could be accomplished if they truly respected their audience and God’s message and put in appropriate effort.
Praise God for James’ earlier words: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him”(James 1:5). We must weigh what’s out there against the truth of God’s Word, think twice before we offer advice which may be based on a limited view of Scripture or the situation, and take preparation seriously when God gives us opportunity to communicate his Word.