Jealous Friends - Pt 1
by Professor Colin Smith
Reflective Reading: I Samuel 16-18:4
It is healthy for our children to have godly friends who will help them and look out for their best interests. A good friend will not be a jealous type of person. One key to our children advancing in life is teaching them to make friends with whom they share a mutual admiration free from selfishness. These types of friends ought to be people who can help others achieve their goals without jealousy. To make and keep these sorts of friends, our children cannot be jealous or keep company with jealous people.
In 1 Samuel 16:22, the Bible says David found 'favor' in King Saul's sight. Then in 1 Samuel 17, David helps Saul by defeating the giant Goliath in combat. David's victory over Goliath inspired all of Israel, resulting in a decisive victory over the Philistine armies at Sochoh. After the battle at Sochoh, Saul loved David so much that he would not let David go home to his father's house anymore. Saul's love for David continued until Saul heard the women of Israel singing: Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousand. The Bible says this song made Saul very angry and displeased him. So Saul eyed David from that day forward. 1 Samuel 18:12, 15 says Saul was ‘afraid’ of David. As a result of his jealousy and fear of David, Saul attempted to kill David three times in 1 Samuel 18 and 19. Jealousy is such a strong emotion that it was able to turn Saul's love for David into fear and hate. Saul, who had profited so much from David's friendship, could not benefit from David's success or seek David's good because he was jealous of David.
We must teach our children to seek out friends who will rejoice in their victories and feel genuine remorse at their losses. A true friend sees his companions' victory as his own.
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