A True Friend

Today’s meditation is based on Numbers 14:30, “You will not enter and occupy the land I swore to give you. The only exceptions will be Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.” (NLT)

These are the words of God spoken regarding two men Joshua and Caleb, both of whom were good friends. The question we need to ask ourselves is, ‘Do we have such true and good friends in our lives?’ Often, we don’t take time to choose these good friends. Sometimes we become friends with someone, and get to know who they really are much later.

On the basis of God’s word we will hopefully understand that we all need good friends, and we will also learn as to what kind of friends they must be, so that along with them we will all reach the eternal home that God has prepared for us.

Joshua and Caleb were two leaders amongst the twelve who were sent to spy on the land of Canaan. I believe that the friendship that probably began on that trip lasted for over forty five years up until they reached the Promised Land. This friendship I believe carried on even in the Promised Land because their friendship was based on God and established by their faith in God. The outcome was that both Joshua and Caleb helped each other and upheld each other. Together they achieved great things for God, and also possessed the Promised Land that God had prepared for them.

We read in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” (NLT)

When Joshua and Caleb returned from spying on the land of Canaan they brought good news that the land could be easily possessed. Though the majority were of a different opinion, Joshua and Caleb stood by each other. No wonder then that they found favor with God, and also were able to enter into the land of Canaan.

There are those who have many friends, but these are friends only in the virtual world, on social media. In reality they don’t have friends to whom they can talk to or confide in.

Joshua and Caleb had this longstanding friendship for forty five long years and at the end of it we read in Joshua 14:13,“So Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave Hebron to him as his portion of land.” (NLT)

These two men depended fully on God, and had a strong friendship that God blessed.

We live in a world where everything has changed so much that reality has been replaced by the virtual. The effects of this virtual world is the fact that we may have thousands of friends virtually who will not be able to help us in any way in times of trouble. Most of these friendships are limited to sharing photographs, and some general information only. As children of God we need friends who fear God, are trustworthy, and those who can give us good advice. In years gone by people used to visit others in person and have meaningful relationships. However, much of this has been replaced by the virtual and online. This applies to playing games or relationships where everything has gradually changed. In earlier years games were played outside and together with others, but now most of the games are played behind closed doors and in solitude.

While this world is constantly changing we have an unchanging God, and the purpose why He created us is so that we should have meaningful relationships that certainly would benefit us much. I wish to share an example of such a friendship from the bible so we can learn some important lessons from the same.

The friendship between Jonathan and David

We read in 1Samuel 18:1,“As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” (ESV)

There’s a friendship that developed between two young men, and this was between Jonathan who was the son of King Saul, and David who was a shepherd boy. The friendship that blossomed between them was so intimate that this is what it prompted Jonathan to do for David. Jonathan showered gifts on David which were his own personal belongings.

1. A true friend is thankful

We read in 1 Samuel 18:4,“Jonathan sealed the pact by taking off his robe and giving it to David, together with his tunic, sword, bow, and belt.” (NLT)

When I pondered about this I imagined this scene. At the time of the battle with Goliath, Jonathan the son of King Saul must have observed David who must have been clad simply as he was just an ordinary shepherd boy. Goliath was a mighty warrior from the Philistine camp who was dressed with heavy armor that covered almost all of his body and head. David on the other hand had nothing to defend himself, and all that he carried in his hand was a sling with a few smooth stones. There must have been so many thoughts that raced through Jonathan’s mind as he watched David go to battle against Goliath. The Lord was David’s strength, and his trust was in God alone which wrought him, and the Israelites the victory over the Philistines. Jonathan knew that if it were not for David, he, his father King Saul, and all of Israel would have been defeated, and become slaves to the Philistines. No wonder then that Jonathan decided to honor David with things that were personal and dear to him.