What Is A Friend?

To delve deeper into, what is a friend, we now go to the ancient writings, we can learn much from these writings...

Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend.

Evidently one must have face to face contact (hanging out together over long periods of time) to call one a friend. Those you know whom you have never met COULD be a friend if one day you meet them and hang out together but it is better to call them a close acquaintenance (and there is nothing wrong in that phrase).

We as a society misuse the word friend wanting to call everyone a friend .......tis not so.

He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

The key phrase here is:

Nor takes up a reproach against his friend

It does not mean that you can not express disappointment with your friend's attitude/behaviour but that you will not side with other's or nag your friend, you will not join in with other's or yourself and maybe even hopefully be a bit protective of your friend.

For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; So that he does not forsake the fear of the Almighty.

One who despairs is one who has lost all hope. Dire consequences are in order if you do not treat your friend with kindness in this situation.

A friend loves at all times,

Tough one but that's what it sez!

Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a man's counsel is sweet to his friend.

Advising and consulting one another is a strong and sweet part of friendship.

Seeing their faith, He said, Friend, your sins are forgiven you.

Bearing no grudges, no bitterness and having heart-felt forgiveness is a two-way street between friends.

and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS, and he was called the friend of God.

Trust and Belief in one another is a sign between friends.

If your brother, your mother's son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul,

Friends are knit together by G-d as soulmates.

Now after a considerable time Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and when the time of mourning was ended, Judah went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

After great loss there is a time for healing. It must be gone through and not avoided. As your friend goes through it, patience and kindness on your part will perhaps one day be greatly appreciated. But we have patience/kindness out of our heart and not to one day be appreciated. So nothing is owed nor obligated.

Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?

But Samson's wife was given to his companion who had been his friend.

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me.

Oddly enough, we can lose a friend. Here loyalty is shown to be a cause of loss of a friend. "Friends Are Forever", is a false saying of our society. A friend can be hurt much more deeply than an acquaintenance. It takes effort and work to be friends and most of all it takes a Heart of Love.

A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Here we have what is called a flitterer. One who calls every acquaintenance their friend, flitting and keeping busy with them all. Soon they have no time for their real friends and they lose them. The friend who sticks closer than a brother is G-d as we see here:

Did You not, O our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it to the descendants of Abraham Your friend forever?

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Sadly enough as shown above we can become an enemy of G-d. Friendship with the world appears to be the greatest loss we can have (no longer being a friend of G-d but His enemy). And as you see this is OUR doing not G-d's.

One can go through life without a friend and that is OK, there is nothing wrong with that.

But if you have a friend take care, relationships are fragile.

What Is A Friend, is the question. Love is the answer.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.