The book of Proverbs offers us so much wisdom. In chapter 1 after Solomon introduced the statement that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,” the very next subject that he addressed is friendship. We usually think this is a lesson for young people—well it is! But guess what? This isn’t a subject that just applies to young people – the wise choice of friends and companions applies to people of all ages and all stages of life.There’s an old saying that suggests that you can judge a person by the company he keeps. There’s a lot of truth in that, because people do tend to choose as friends people who share their values, interests, and outlook on life. And so, if you know a person’s friends, then you know something about that person.But on the other hand, that saying isn’t an absolute truth, because Matthew 11:19 describes Jesus as “a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” Those words were spoken by Jesus’ enemies, and they weren’t intended as a compliment. While Jesus never sinned, we are not in his category! Jesus’ reason for befriending people like that was that He knew He could influence them positively and He knew that they would not be able to have a negative effect on Him.We must also have that same desire. But we must know our weaknesses and limitations when we associate with others. Therefore, it certainly pays to be wise about friendship.In the age of Facebook, the word “friend” has become almost meaningless, or at least seriously distorted. We use it for a close dear person as well as for someone we barely know. So the concept of “friendship” needs clarification. Naturally, there can be different levels or types of friendship. Friendship may be based on common interests, or experiences, or simply that we happen to like someone. So they don’t have the same level of intimacy.Proverbs warns us that not everyone who identifies as our “friend” really is our friend. “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (18:24). The difference is that the friend “sticks” with us regardless. Proverbs 27:5-6 takes it a bit further by pointing out that true friends are faithful enough that they will speak the truth to us, even if it hurts: “Better an open reprimand than concealed love. The ...
