Biblical Examples of Friendship

Are there examples in Scripture that reflect what friendships should look like?

Is there more than just a list of things friends should be and do in Scripture?

The answer to those questions is YES.

In Scripture, we're provided with models of what this looks like. Last week, I gave a list of references of directives of what friends are like. Today I want to take a look at some biblical examples of friendship.

One of the more talked about examples of friendship in the Bible is where I want to start.

David and Jonathan would have been an unlikely pairing for a friendship. Jonathan was the one who should have been the next king after his father Saul. David was the one who had been anointed as the next king instead. But, friends they were.

We first see mention of their friendship in 1 Samuel 18:1-4. Jonathan and David became close friends after David came to stay and serve Saul at the palace.

We see a further example of their friendship in 1 Samuel 20. Things were becoming dangerous for David to remain in Saul's household. Jonathan, who at first didn't believe it, confirmed that David's life was in danger and helped David to get away safely.

In 2 Samuel 9, we see further evidence of the friendship of Jonathan and David. David is established as king and tradition would have been to make sure all descendants of Saul were killed so none could try to lay claim to the throne. David discovers one of Jonathan's sons is still alive, but rather than have him killed, David takes him into his home and treats him as family in honour of his friend.

David and Jonathan loved each other deeply and went out of their way to help and support each other. Even when it came at a personal cost. This wasn't a friendship just because it was easy. The held on through hard things too.

The book of Ruth is another example of friendship in action. After the deaths of their husbands, there was no reason for Naomi and Ruth to continue life together. What had tied them together was gone. But, Ruth chose to stay with Naomi (see Ruth 1:16-18). She chose to give up all that was familiar to her to with Naomi because she cared about Naomi.

Friends do make choices to give things up to go with another into something. Ruth chose this and set an example of being willing to sacrifice ourselves for friends.

The final example I've chosen from Scripture is Jesus and His disciples - specifically Peter, James, and John. Jesus chose these three to be a part of an inner circle of really close friends He spent time with them. He invited them into things where others weren't (see Luke 9:28-36). Even in His time of greatest struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus invited these three in deeper (see Matthew 26:37-38). Jesus didn't do it alone.

In all of these examples, these friends showed up for each other and invested time into the friendship. We have these examples of what friendship in action looks like.

There are other examples of friendship in Scripture, but these are the ones that really stuck with me. Friendship doesn't come without a cost, but it's a beautiful cost. We weren't made to do this life alone. We need each other.

Over the next few weeks, I will continue to explore this topic. I'll be pulling in some of the reading I've done around the topic and talking a bit more about some practical examples.