"Who's Your Friend?"

"But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David's brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man." 2 Samuel 13:3

Let me give you a little background about this verse. Amnon was King David's oldest son. He fell in love with his half sister Tamar. The Bible records that he wanted her so badly that it made him ill because he thought it was impossible for him to ever be with her. So he made no attempts toward her, but just grew sicker and sicker because of his longing for her.

But Amnon had a "friend" so all that was about to change. This friend encouraged him to pursue his desire and even devised a plan to fulfill it. The end of the story was that Amnon finally fulfilled his desire to be with his sister by raping her. Although he wanted her badly he did not make any advance to cause it to happen until his "friend" showed him how to get what he wanted.

Friendship is a wonderful blessing, or it can be a curse if you don't choose your friends wisely. The Bible warns us that evil companions corrupt good morals. This was certainly the case with Amnon's "friend". It was only at the advice and prompting of his friend that he filled his lust toward his sister by raping her. Up until that point he made no advances toward her and was innocent of that evil.

How many of us have gotten into trouble because we listened to a "friend's advice". This is why it is so important that you choose your friends wisely. The right kind of friends will encourage you to do the right thing. Many people have been led astray by their "friend". This is one of the first things we encourage those who are getting out of the recovery center to do-- break ties with those "friends" that you did drugs with- they will only bring you back down into that pit with them. This is why parents are concerned about their children's friendships.

Choosing your friends wisely is so important. A good friend has your best interest at heart. They will help you make the wisest choice and weigh the consequences of making the wrong choice- not just help you figure out how to get what you want. Ungodly friends will lead you in the wrong direction. It may have seemed like Jonadab had his friend's best interest at heart, but he wound up doing him more harm in the end-- Amnon hated Tamar after he raped her instead of loving her, and his act against her eventually led to his death.

Think about your friendships. Do you have any that you should not have? Are your friends building you up or pulling you down? Are they encouraging you to do the right thing, or the wrong thing? Are they helping you get closer to the Lord and obeying His commands, or do they pull you further away from Him and into sin?

Have a great day. Friendship is a wonderful blessing, or it can be a curse if you don't choose your friends wisely.

For further reading:
1 Corinthians 15:33
2 Samuel 13

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
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