TRUE FRIENDSHIP

PROCLAMATION

“Then said Jonathan unto David, ‘Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.’ ”  1 Samuel 20:4 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  David went to Jonathan and asked why his father Saul wanted to kill him.  Jonathan said that Saul was not attempting to kill him, remembering his father’s oath. (1 Samuel 19:6)  But David knew better and he devised a plan to confirm it and to prove it to Jonathan.  He would not show up for a feast and cause Saul to question his absence.  He gave Jonathan an excuse to give Saul when he asked about him and Jonathan would know by Saul’s reaction what his true intentions were. (1 Samuel 20:4-7)  Then they devised a means by which Jonathan could communicate Saul’s reaction to David while he was still in hiding.  He would shoot three arrows near or past the stone by which David was hiding. (1 Samuel 20:18-22)  It came to past that Saul questioned Jonathan regarding David’s absence from the feast and he replied as David had instructed him.  Saul was angry and upset with Jonathan.  He even threw a spear at him and Jonathan knew that he intended to kill David. (1 Samuel 20:24-33)  The next day he went to the field to let David know Saul’s intentions.  After he signaled him with the three arrows, they met and cried together, and then David left. (1 Samuel 20:35-42)

 

APPLICATION

There was a bond between David and Jonathan that was stronger than most friendship bonds.  Some “friends” are only our friends while things are going well, but they disappear when the bad times come.  When we really need them, some friends can’t be found.  This friendship was stronger than family connections.  This was a “Whatever you need, I will do for you” type of friendship.  As believers, we have a real true friend that “sticketh closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24)  “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” and Christ said that we are His friends. (John 15:13-14)  We are His friends if we do what He commands.  “What a friend we have in Jesus …” (Christian hymn by Joseph Scriven)

TRUE FRIENDS ARE A SPECIAL BLESSING

Proclamation:

 “Greater love hath no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends …”  John 15:13-14 (ASV)

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke to His disciples as recorded under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle John.  He told them this after He told them that they should love one another as He had loved them. (John 15:12)

Application:

We call a lot of people our friends.  However, most of them are actually more appropriately classified as acquaintances, associates, classmates, colleagues, or co-workers.  Additionally, thanks to social media, we also have some “friends” who are only internet contacts.  Most of us use the term “friend” very loosely.  Jesus referred to His disciples as His friends and He said that He loved them enough to lay down His life for them.  Most of us would be willing to die for a loved one or a family member but not necessarily for our “friends.”  Think about all of the people you refer to as your friend and then ask yourself would you be willing to die for them.  Jesus loved us enough to die for us.  Most of us would not be willing to die for Him.  “What a friend we have in Jesus …”  As believers in Christ, and as students of The Word of God, we should value our relationship with The Lord and with each other.  People are allowed to enter our lives for a reason.  Some of them are a blessing to us which we may not recognize or appreciate during our encounters with them or at that time.  We should thank God for all of our friends, especially any friend that we love enough to die for, because that friend is truly a blessing.

A Real True Friend

"A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer  than a brother."  Proverbs 18:24 (KJV)

These words of King Solomon, the wisest man ever, contain two phrases and make two separate and distinct points.  The first is that in order to have friends, one must show himself to be friendly.  The second point is that there is a friend which will stick closer to you than a brother, and that friend is Jesus, The Christ. 

The Bible scholars agree that the second phrase refers to the friend that we have in Jesus, but they disagree on the interpretation of the first phrase.  "Friendliness wins friends and some friends are closer than others" is the thought of the King James Version and of the New King James Version.  While the American Standard Version and the New American Standard Bible present the thought that "a man who has many friends will come to ruin, and it is better to have one true friend than a host of friends who will lead you astray."  If we want friends, then we must be friendly.  However, we should be very careful regarding the people we choose as our friends.  How can two walk together unless they agree? (Amos 3:3)  A true friend is not a fair weather companion, they will be with us through feasts and famine, and through thick and thin. (Proverbs 17:17)  There is no friend like the friend that we have in Jesus.  He laid down His life for us. (John 15:13-14)  What a friend we have in Jesus.