Daniel Condurachi’s Blog

A good lesson that I learned this morning is that I should carefully choose my friends. By friends, I mean the ones that give me advices, that show me what I should do in troubled times. Because a friend indeed is one when you’re in need.

Amnon loved David’s daughter - Tamar - and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her (2nd Samuel 13:2B). Amnon saw himself weak, with not enough courage to go to his dad - David - and talk with him about this. As we see in 2nd Samuel 13:13B (speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you) it was possible Amnon to marry Tamar. Amnon had a friend - Jonadab. This guy was a very cunning man (2n Samuel 13:3). Cunning is not wisdom. People might see the same, but they are so different in their essence. As we find in Proverbs 9:10, the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding. So, one good point is that when I choose someone to be my friend, to advise me, he/she should in the first place have a reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord. If this lacks, I can be sure that the advices I get will not take me anywhere good.

Reading the rest of the 2nd Samuel 13 chapter we see that Amnon forces Tamar to sleep with him. The consequences are that Amnon ends up dead by Tamar’s brother - Absalom - and the curse comes down in the family.

The bad friendships examples are further shown. In 2nd Samuel 14:1-23 we see Joab. In the first place I thought that he was a wise man. Joab was indeed devoted to David and did great things for the king, but we can not say that he always acted with wisdom. Joab killed Abner and Absalom.

Further reading I found another bad example - Ahithophel. He was one of David’s advisers/counselors, but he betrayed his king on Absalom’s behalf (While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he also sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from Giloh, his hometown. And so the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept on increasing. 2nd Samuel 15:12; Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “O LORD, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.” 2nd Samuel 15:31). If you read 2nd Samuel 15-17 Ahithophel always had bad influence on people. His apogee is described in 2nd Samuel 16:23: Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel’s advice.

I pray that God would watch over me, so that I would never have such friends.

What do you think about choosing your friends? What advise do you have?

 

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