Walking With Wise Men

Proverbs 13:20, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
Proverbs gives us many things we can use to structure our lives around. Some give us insight as well as warnings. It is interesting that this verse speaks with purposeful direction in both the positive and negative direction.
He that walks with the wise will surely be wise. Churches and universities are filled with wise people. Wisdom will not magically rub off when we find ourselves around wise individuals. If it did then we would not see people turn away from the wisdom of God’s Word to the foolish pursuits of the world. Churches are full of wise people both intellectually and spiritually. Yet even with all the wisdom found in church we have all seen many walk with the world instead of with Christ.
It is not simply being around wise people that make us wise---it is walking with them. It is a conscious choice to learn from, agree with, and live by the wisdom one sees. It is walking in the light of the wisdom and counsel they show us.
This verse also shows what will happen when we choose to walk as a companion with fools. This is a lesson we all have seen and may have experienced first hand. A companion of fools will be destroyed.
Let us look at the warning in this proverb, because success or failure depends on the friendships we choose to form. We have hope because we can choose with whom we will walk, who our companions and confidents will be. How many times have we heard someone say they are good kids they just ran with the wrong crowd? Choose your friends carefully for they may be pulling you the wrong way. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools will be destroyed.