Exodus 18:6,7
‘He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her.”Then Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare…’
Friendship is one of the great blessings of life. God has created us to be in relationships. He wants them to be good. Six of the Ten Commandments have to do with our relationships with others. The biggest consequence of the fall was our severing of our relationship with God.
The word righteous refers to the right-ness of a relationship. Not so much as with whom as it is the quality. When Jesus died for us, he made us righteous before God. He made the relationship right. He wants our human relationships to be righteous.
Having right relationships doesn’t mean we won’t have problems. Hopefully we’ll have fewer ones. As we live out our faith, we grow in love. This makes us less selfish and more patient. Our relationships become better. When conflicts surface, we should deal with them in a mature fashion.
Psalm 133:1 says, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” David wrote this. He also enjoyed a great friendship with King Saul’s son. They vowed to always be friends.
What are the benefits of friends? They meet our social needs. We encourage one another. As we go through our days, we encounter rough circumstances. Our friends lift our spirits and we often get good advice from them. We accomplish more together (Eccleciastes 4:12). God’s presence shows up in a special way (Matthew 18:20).
The reuniting friends is a great time. Today’s passage demonstrates this. These are two people that admire one another. They worked together in the past. Their reunion is good.
Lord, thank You for good friends. Even though we aren’t in contact, help us to keep them in prayer.