Information Related to "Friendship Gone Wrong"
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The
Bible records many marvelous stories about friendships to inspire and
encourage us on the benefits of having loyal, uplifting and helpful friends—Ruth
and Naomi, David and Jonathan, Abraham and Lot, Paul and Timothy, just
to name a few. Yet not all relationship stories have a happy ending,
so this issue of Vertical Thought would be incomplete without
some information about friendships that go wrong.
Consider the story of Ahithophel, told in 2 Samuel 15 through 17.
He was a close adviser and high official of King David. He gave such
outstanding advice that his words were regarded almost as though they
came straight from God (2 Samuel 16:23). Yet when David's son Absalom
usurped the throne and David had to flee his capital city of Jerusalem,
Ahithophel defected to Absalom.
The crushing sense of betrayal David felt from having a trusted friend turn on him to become his enemy is expressed in Psalm 55:12-14. David describes his view of the smooth words of his former friend that now feel like daggers stabbing him in the back (verses 20-21).
These same concepts are used in the New Testament to describe Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus' trusted 12 disciples who betrayed Him (John 13:18). So, in addition to our personal experiences, we have historical, biblical proof that not all friendships end on a positive note.
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Table of Contents that includes "Friendship Gone Wrong"
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Friendship: