Choosing our friends is something that mostly we don’t think too much about. But it’s something we ought to give quite some thought to. Because some people are going to be good friends … and others can tear us apart. So – how do you choose your friends?   Choosing a Friend Hey, it’s great to be with you again this week on the programme as we are continuing our look at good and godly friendships in a series that I have called, “A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed”. And today we are going to take a look at the fact that, as things turn out, we actually do get to pick our friends. Now it’s always fascinated me how people choose a marriage partner. What is it that clicks there? What is it that kind of gets that chemistry going? I was watching a TV special a few months back where a whole bunch of research has been done on exactly that. It was fascinating really, but despite all the research, they still didn’t quite nail it. There is something incredible and special about how two people kind of choose one another to become life-long soul mates. It’s one of God’s great mysteries, don’t you think? At the moment I locked my eyes onto the woman who is now my wife, Jacqui, there was no one else for me – not sure how it works but I’m really glad it does. But have you ever thought about how people choose their friends? I remember doing a series on air a few years back about relatives. It was called, "You Can Pick Your Friends but You Can’t Pick Your Relatives". Boy, did that one get a great response! So this idea of picking friends, how does it happen? Because my hunch is that there are some people who, frankly, we wouldn’t want as friends. There are some people who I know – I can picture their faces right now – who I have to tell you, would make terrible friends and so they don’t become friends; I don’t let them into that circle, because if I did, that relationship would damage me. I’m sure you can think of a few people in your life who are just like that. Now, in my own personal devotion time over the past few weeks I have been spending some time in the Old Testament Book of First Samuel. And I have to tell you, it is one of my favourite Books because you discover so much about whom God is and how He operates and how He thinks and how He reacts to things. Part of the story is that Israel demands a king. Up to this point their system of government has been a theocracy, with God as the Head of State. But they weaken and demand a king, just like all the other Nations around them as though, somehow, coming down to their level would be a good thing. So God gives them a king, King Saul, having warned the people that it wouldn’t work out brilliantly in the end, but they still demanded the king. So they got what they deserved and surprise, surprise, surprise, things don’t go well, to the point where ultimately, where God takes His hand and His anointing off Saul and He anoints this young shepherd, David, to be the next king, even while Saul is still on the throne. The problem is, with God’s anointing on him, David becomes a strong and powerful and popular figure. And meanwhile, Saul is still the king and he becomes incredibly jealous of young David, so Saul, not once, but several times, sets out to kill David. Isn’t that how it often happens? I have seen it several times in ministry – I have seen a man who has been anointed by God for a role but at some point it becomes obvious to everyone and sundry, that God has taken the anointing away. And at that point – I am thinking of one man in particular now – this man lashes out and tries to destroy the people around him that still have God’s anointing on their lives. And so, David is in Saul’s sights and in those days the king had the power of life and death over people – plain and simple. If the king decided you were going to die then, guess what, you were going to die. Let’s have a listen. First Samuel, in the Old Testament, chapter 18, beginning at verse 10: The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was still playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; and Saul threw the spear, for he thought,”I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army. David had success in all his undertakings; for the Lord was with him. When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. But all of Israel and Judah loved David; for it was he who marched out and came in leading them. So, King Saul is still king in name only, but the anointing of God – God’s power, God’s favour to be king – has quite clearly passed from Saul to this young kid David. And Saul just wants to kill him. Well obviously, he doesn’t because David goes on to become perhaps, the greatest king that Israel ever had. So who or what does God use to stop Saul from killing young David? Let’s look at First Samuel chapter 19, beginning at verse 1: Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and with all his servants about killing David. But Saul’s son Jonathan took great delight in David. Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore be on your guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself. I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you, if I learn anything I will tell you. Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; for he took his life into his hands when he attacked the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all of Israel. You saw it and you rejoiced; why then will you sin against an innocent man by killing David without cause?” Saul heeded the voice of his son Jonathan; Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David before Saul and he was again in Saul’s presence as previously.” See, it turns out that Saul’s son – the very man who, according to human logic, would be next in line for the throne – Saul’s son Jonathan, decides to save David’s life. The question you have to ask yourself is, ‘Why would he do that? Because as we read, “... Jonathan took great delight in David” in first Samuel chapter 9, verse 1. Something inside Jonathan kind of clicked – he could see what everyone else could see – he could see that the mighty hand of God was on David; he could see the power of God on David; the favour of God on David; he could see the humility and power; the goodness of this man David, who had been anointed to become the next king and so he chose to become David’s friend. He stands up to his all-powerful father, King Saul and he defends David, as some risk to his own position, you would have to say; even to his own life. Remember Saul could have him struck down and killed – such was the power of the king. It seems the way Jonathan chose David as his friend was to see the goodness of God in him. Now, not all the people who would be our friends are perfect, are they? But a fantastic first criterion for choosing a friend: Is this a good person? Is this a godly person? Is this the sort of person that God would choose? Well, as it turns out, David was exactly the sort of person that God would choose. He had already chosen him to be king. And not according to...

Released on 3 Jan 2021