"Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to
all his servants, that they should kill
David; but Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted
greatly in David. So Jonathan told David,
saying, 'My father Saul seeks to kill you.
Therefore please be on your guard until
morning, and stay in a secret place and
hide'" (1 Samuel 19:1,2, NKJV).
The relationship between David and Jonathan was close.
The passage above tells us that Jonathan "delighted
greatly in David." Another passage says that their
souls were "knit" together (1 Samuel 18:1).
Therefore, it's not hard to understand why Jonathan put
himself at risk in order to warn David of impending
danger. How could he not warn David, if they were such
good friends?
Proverbs 27:6 states the principle from another
perspective: "Faithful are the wounds of a friend."
The point is clear: If you love someone, you should
want the best for them. And sometimes getting them to
see what is best may require wounding them.
Every member of the Lord's church has a circle of
friends and family. Some within that circle are not
Christians. Others may consider themselves to be
Christians, but are involved with groups that teach and
practice things not in harmony with God's revealed
will.
How do we act toward these friends and family members?
Do we remain silent, preferring not to hurt their
feelings? Would we never inflict a wound even if doing
so delivers them from danger?
People involved in car crashes sometimes receive
further injuries while being rescued. Should rescue
workers cease their efforts because there is a chance
they might hurt the victim further?
Certainly, reasonable means must be used, but the
bottom line is rescue. Break my arm if you must, but
get me out of the car before it explodes! I will thank
you later for what you did.
The challenge is alarmingly simple: Can a friend remain
silent when the stakes are so high? by Tim Hall
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.