1 Chronicles 27:32 - "Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, being a man of understanding and a scribe;"
Ezekiel 7:14 - "For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your hand."
Counselors were, apparently, the king’s state advisers, and it is even possible that the counselor was next in power to the king himself. These were worldly men of high intelligence, good education, and polished graces, as indeed they would have to be to be in such an honored position.
Nor were they exclusive to Israel. We find them mentioned as serving the rulers of surrounding nations: the Pharaoh of Egypt (Isaiah 19:11), Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon (Daniel 3:2, etc.), and the Persian Artaxerxes, whose seven counselors (Ezra 7:14) probably correspond to the "seven princes of Persia and Media" who were consulted by Ahasuerus (Esther 1:14).
The split between Israel and Judah was said to have occured because Rehoboam listened to the wrong counselors (1 Kings 12:6-14). Instead of listening to his senior advisers, he listened to the young, inexperienced ones, and, as a result, he lost most of his kingdom. And, from then on, the path of the people of Israel went steadily downward.
We can see, then, that the counselor was held in very high regard and his advice was accepted as being the path of wisdom. This is further pointed up by the fact that the Messiah was called "Counselor" (Isaiah 9:6), and, in the New Testament, John speaks of the Holy Spirit as the "Counselor" (John 14:16).
Today, we use advisers for many situations. The President has advisers who are familiar with all phases of our economic and social lives to help him determine policy. Some lawyers are used in this way, as advisers in specific situations. In the complex world in which we live, it is virtually impossible for any one person to know the best procedure in every case in which he must make a decision. And so we turn to counselors, or advisers, to help us in making these decisions.