Proverbs 27:5-10 – The value of friendship

Friendship has a role in one’s life journey. It is important that we have friends. True friends in life are to be prized. Keep in mind that there are some people who are fair-weather friends. They stay with you when things are fine and rosy, but the minute you encounter an issue and need them most, they cannot be found. We will meet with such people in life, but we will also have true friends who will leave indelible marks in our life. True friends add value to your life and help you to become the best version of you. What constitutes a good friend? Proverbs 27:5-10 give us some helpful hints on good friendship.

Proverbs 27:5-6 tell us that friendship thrives when there is honesty. It is better to rebuke a friend openly than to love him secretly. When we honestly correct a friend, it may be painful for the moment, but the open rebuke will tell him where he has gone wrong. He will then be given the opportunity to correct himself. When we do not rebuke him, he will not be aware of his mistake and will continue in his mistake without realizing his wrong. This verse proposes that we should do so openly and honestly. We must not feel bad doing it because we love that friend. In keeping quiet about it, we condone error and rob him of the opportunity to better himself. To reprimand a friend when he is wrong is more valuable than to secretly love him and nonchalantly condone his mistake. Yes, in any reprimand, a friend will feel the impact of the hurtful words, but they are better than deceitful kisses. Why? Because those kisses are pleasant on the surface but it will mislead the person. He will be deceived into thinking that he is doing well with that mistake, when it is not. Remember Judas Iscariot, he betrayed our Lord with a kiss. Let us not be a Judas to our friends.

Proverbs 27:7-8 tell us that familiarity always breeds contempt. In cultivation of friendship, we must not take things for granted and overstay our welcome. When that happens, even our goodwill will be unwelcomed. Moderation is advised. Like honey which is nutritious and good, over consuming it will make a person loathe the sight of it. So also, is friendship. When we overstay our welcome, we become loathsome to our friends. On the other hand, when our meetings are regulated and spaced out, it will make our friends desire it more. It is like a hungry man starved of food and even when the food is not tasty, he will welcome it.  So also, is friendship and fellowship. When a person misses the fellowship of a friend, he will yearn for it and create the opportunity to meet. Another thing true friendship does to a person is that it will bring security. Verse 8 tells us that good friends, like family members, give us the warmth and security we need. To wander away from well-meaning friends and family members make us devoid of hedges of protection. Surrounded by friends and family members we can find good counsel that will prevent us from making gross mistakes.

Proverbs 27:9 tells us that the counsel of a friend is valuable. They are like perfume that gives off sweet aroma. It is a welcoming and pleasurable encounter for one who experiences it. Finally, verse 10 tells us that true friends stay with you in adversity. It is better to have one who will be near by in calamity than having kinsmen who stay far away, when they see you in trouble. We all don’t have a choice when it comes to blood relationship and being kinsman, but we do have a choice as to who we befriend. So, choose friends carefully.