Is it not a great blessing to have a friend, one that loves and cares for us, and to whom we can freely open our minds? If you have such a friend do not think lightly of the mercy, but set a high value upon him, and shew friendliness towards him; for the Scripture says, “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly; and there is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Prov. 18:2424A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24).) We all know how intimately Jonathan and David were united in friendship, Saul’s son loving the son of Jesus as his own soul. But what a beautiful title that is by which Abraham is called, in James 2:2323And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (James 2:23), “the friend of God.” And more blessed still is that which is written in Isa. 41:88But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. (Isaiah 41:8), where God Himself, speaking of him, says, “Abraham my friend.” If a king, or a nobleman, or a person of distinction and renown, were to say of you or me, that man, or that woman, or that youth, is my friend, should we not feel gratified by such a mark of his favor? But for the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, to call a man, “subject to like passions as we are,” HIS friend, was amazing grace and condescension on His part, and a great honor to the one whom He so called.
Let us not forget, however, that the ways of Abraham were generally well-pleasing to God; for He said of him, “I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment.” He was a man of faith, who obeyed God, living a godly life himself, and who brought up his children and servants in the fear of God; and that pleased the Lord. Now if you have a friend, one that has been tried and proved to be trustworthy, and you have an important matter which you are at liberty to disclose, will you not make it known to him? To be sure you will. And just so the Lord did with His friend; for He said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” So He communed with Abraham about the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, which was so very grievous in His sight that He said that unless they repented He would destroy them. Then, as we know, Abraham used the intimacy he had with the Lord, to plead with Him to spare the city for the sake of the righteous which were in it. (See Gen. 18)
There is another very sweet passage upon this subject in John 15, where the Lord Jesus, says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” Let us observe that these precious words are addressed by the Lord to His disciples. Now, what is a disciple? A learner in the school of Christ; one who not only believes in Him, but who is also a follower of Him, and seeks to be obedient to Him in all things. Now to them the Lord says, “Ye are my friends.” Wondrous words for the Son of God to say of any of us who own Him both as our Saviour and our Lord. And He not only calla us friends, but He acts towards us as such by opening His mind freely to us; as He says, “All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” As the word of God further shows us, it is by the Holy Spirit opening to us the Scriptures, that we “know the things that are freely given to us of God;” for He “hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.”
Now, do we value this friendship? If we do we shall certainly be found seeking to do the will of the Lord, taking His yoke upon us, and learning of Him who is meek and lowly in heart. But this we know, that we cannot have His friendship and that of the world too; for “the friendship of the world is enmity with God.” (James 4:44Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4)) May we, then, be kept walking in communion with the Lord and His truth; for the “secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will show them His covenant” (Psa. 25:1414The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant. (Psalm 25:14)); so shall we be kept from fellowship with the world, which cast Him out and crucified Him, and which cannot love those who are His, because they are not of the world, even as He is not of the world.