Betrayed By a Friend

Betrayed By a Friend

The Bible has a great deal to say about friendship.  Proverbs 18:24 reads thusly:  "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."  I've often thought to myself that I had many acquaintances, but how many real friends do I have? - the kind of people who would pick up my phone call without hesitation if I phoned in the middle of the night - I call those the "3 A.M. friends"..   How many 3 A.M. friends do you have?  Not acquaintances, but friends who would unequivocally stand by you if you were charged unreasonably with a crime you didn't commit, or come to your side while you were enduring chemo treatments when everyone else seemed too busy?  I tell you, if there is one, you're blessed, indeed.  

King David had such a friend - and his name was Ahitophel.  He was entrusted with a most important position in the King's court.  In mob circles, it would be called consigliere, or counselor, a position which implies counsel, trust and advice.  During the reign of King David, the position dealt especially with counsel of the military type.  If Ahitophel lived today, he might be a Secretary or Minister of Defense.  God gifted Ahitophel with special prophetic powers, but Ahitophel became jealous of David's power.   To make a much longer story short, Ahitophel betrayed the King and took part in a coup to overthrow the King.  King David was devastated.  

 "And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest.

⁷ Lo, then would I wander far off, and remain in the wilderness. 
For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:
¹³ But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.
¹⁴ We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.  (Psalms 55: 6-7,12-14)

Notice that David thought of Ahitophel as his equal.  Ahitophel truly had no reason to be jealous, for David loved him and would doubtless have given him anything.  

Has there ever been a friend in your life that you thought would be there for you - that would be your friend for life?  But something happened..  The road split.  Your interests changed.  Perhaps you had an argument you couldn't get through.  Here's a more modern spin:

"We'll always be best of friends, won't we, Copper?"  But it wasn't to be.  Copper's interests changed.  The Lord experienced this, too, on far more than one occasion.  Peter denied that he knew the Lord and cursed his very name.  Judas sold the Lord out for thirty pieces of silver.  It hurts to have a friend leave or betray you and Jesus, although God, experienced emotions as every human does, yet fully without sin..  

But the Lord never, ever will betray you or leave your side if you've committed to following Him. The Bible says 

²³ The Lord makes firm the steps
    of the one who delights in him;
²⁴ though he may stumble, he will not fall,
    for the Lord upholds him with his hand.  (Psalms 37:23-24 KJV)

Have you ever thought about that?  The Lord is holding you in his hand.  Not metaphorically - in a most literal way.  If you and I awoke this morning (and we both did, because I'm typing and you're reading), the Lord sustained us.  He has purpose for you and for me. 

I care for you and love you in the Lord.  If you have a friend you have lost touch with for silly reasons, perhaps you will take the first step in forgiving and reaching out.  That's a place to start.  

(P.S. Sorry for the lull in activity - I needed five years to think of some new material...)