Proverbs 16:10
A divine decision is in the lips of the king;
His mouth should not err in judgment.
The first line of this proverb is playing on the thought that the kings of the day would often ask "diviners" to tell them what the "gods" were saying or what the "gods" desired. The diviner would be hired for money and would often adjust their "divine pronouncement" to their clients wishes (see the story of Balaam in Numbers 22). However, Solomon is not advocating that we seek "fleshly diviners" if we are in the position of authority. When we read the second line of the proverb we can see the true meaning as the second adds to the first. The king (or any person in authority ... parent, teacher, leader) should not "err" in judgment. The word "err" carries the meaning of breaking faithfulness to God's truth and God's judgments. The meaning of the proverb is that whatever message the king has (whether purchased by the flesh or obtained by faith) must make sure it doesn't cause us to "err" in judgment, or "break faith" with God's Word. We will get a lot of counsel in our life from a lot of different people. Many of flesh, some of faith. But, God wants us to make sure whatever "divine decision" we hear or obtain from others we must be careful to not err, or break faith from God's Word. So, the next time someone gives you advice that you think might be good to follow, make sure the advice, however obtained, doesn't cause you to err from the truth.
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