True Friendship

Synopsis     2Sam 15:26-36     01/03/2018 

Zadok and Abiathar intended to join with David. And they also intended to evacuate the Ark of the Covenant with them. But David refused to allow the Co-High Priests to bring the ark. However, he did enlist their support as they remained behind to tend the Tabernacle in Jerusalem. And he commissioned them to send a report of Absalom’s plans whenever they received information. 

In a similar way, David urged Hushai the Archite to remain in Jerusalem. And he asked him to do whatever he could to frustrate the counsel of Ahithophel.  

David’s Friends 

Zadok and Abiathar were friends to David. They loved him. And they were willing to give the lives to defend him.  

Theses weren’t casual friendships. For, David loved God. And he loved the priests who ministered before God. For him, they were ambassadors and interpreters of purposes and designs of the one true God. He esteemed all priests.

So, over the course of his life, he sought the will of God through the ministry of the priests. As a result, the priests knew David well. And they prayed for him. And they interceded on his behalf.  

These friendships were based on the value each man saw in the other. Accordingly, these men forged their friendships in the midst of great trials. And they grounded their relationships in loyalty. 

True Friendship 

I live in the internet age. And so I facilitate and mediate friendships through technology. And there’s nothing wrong with that per se. But I often find myself asking, “Are the relationships I call ‘friends’, really friends?”   

The bad news is that true friendship is loyal, even in adversity. It’s bad news because the most certain way to know who my true friends are is to experience great adversity.   

Of course, the good news is there are few things more satisfying than knowing a friend “who sticks closer than a brother.”  

So, if you want a friend, then be this kind of friend, even in adversity.  

“There are friends who bring ruin, but there are true friends more loyal than a brother.” Prov 18:24