FriendQuote

This is week 2 – part 2 in our Bible study, “Learning to Love.” This week we’re taking a closer look at the Greek word “Philia” – brotherly love, friendship. If you’d like to join our study, click here to find the free Bible study guide and all of the information you’ll need to join in.

This is the end of week two in our Bible study, and I’m enjoying it so much. We started this week with the story of David and Jonathan, and then went on to Job and his friends.

David and Jonathan – 1 Samuel 18:1-5, 19:1-7

When I read about Jonathan taking off his robe and handing his bow and his belt to David, I’m reminded of our Lord, Jesus Christ who stripped Himself of everything to love mankind. In Philippians chapter 2, we read:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

What also stood out to me was that jealousy doesn’t belong in a friendship. Good friends don’t stand in your way, they stand behind you, praying, encouraging, and lifting you up.

The Bible tells us to esteem others higher than ourselves. Jonathan was a perfect example of this. He was willing to give up the opportunity to be the next king so that God could complete a work in David. He also gave up the approval of his father when he stood by David, protecting him from Saul.

jonathan

this week’s notes in my Quieting Your Heart Journal
(affil link)

Job and his Friends – Job 2:1-13 and Job 22:5-11

A focus on Job’s friends brought a few things to light that I hadn’t really thought about before.

They did some things so right and others so wrong. It taught me how to be a better friend–now I just need to apply it.

When their friend was in need, they joined forces and went out to see him. They wept with him, and they empathized with him. And then they were silent for 7 days. We all need good friends like that.

I was reminded of a time when I lost a baby at five months along. A girl came to visit me and brought flowers. She said she was so hesitant to come over because she didn’t know what to say. I told her that she didn’t need to say anything. The gesture of reaching out and stopping in was such a comfort to me.

But reading further into job, we see that his friends started talking and became “miserable comforters” to him.

I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all. – Job 16:2

They tried to reason out things they didn’t understand. They blamed Job for his trials. (Job 22:5-11)

Had they remained silent they would have done him a great service of comfort, but they spoke when they shouldn’t have. Words are powerful. We need to be careful with them. They can build a friend up, but if we don’t use them wisely we can be destructive.

We don’t have to fix our friends, we can comfort them, pray for them, and listen to them, but let’s leave the fixing to God.

 

And finally, Tina, a member of our Bible journaling group was wise to remind us that Job remained an amazing friend through all of this. After all they put him through, and after all of the trials he went through he faithfully prayed for his friends:

And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. – Job 42:10

Job

this week’s notes in my Quieting Your Heart Journal
(affil link)

David and Ittai the Gittite

I don’t have notes on David and Ittai done yet, because I’ll be studying that lesson later today. However, I do want to point out a couple of things that I noticed so you can keep them in mind as you study today.

Gittites are native of the Philistine city of Gath. Remember the giant Goliath? The one that David killed with a slingshot? He was also known aa “Goliath of Gath.” The Philistines had a long history of conflict with the Israelites, and so this friendship between David and Ittai has a different dimension to it than the average friendship.

Another thing that you might want to consider is comparing this story to your friendship with God. When we think of friendship, we naturally focus on the people around us, but the example of Ittai can offer us a fresh perspective on what it means to follow Christ.

That’s all for this week! Come back on Monday for next week’s resources. And have a great weekend y’all! 

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife


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