07/31/2026
From the Pastor’s Desk:
The Value of Friendship
King Solomon asked God for wisdom, he did not seek power, fame, or fortune. The Lord blessed King Solomon with wisdom; in fact, he is considered to be the wisest man to have ever lived. Solomon’s wisdom is available through the books he penned: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs (also known as the Song of Solomon). Over the course of King Solomon’s life, God blessed him with great wealth, so much that he is said to be the richest man to have lived. Politically and militarily, Israel experienced its greatest strength and power during Solomon’s reign. The combination of wisdom, wealth, and power resulted in fame. By the end of his life, King Solomon learned some hard lessons that come with the rich and famous lifestyle.
Solomon’s book of Proverbs abounds with practical wisdom. These short, pithy sayings seem unrelated yet teach us how to avoid the traps that society and culture offer God’s people. At the same time, these concise statements offer insight into how to live and get along within the very same society and culture of our time. It has been said, “The Psalms teach me about my relationship with God and Proverbs teach me how to live with my neighbor.”
The book of Ecclesiastes reveals the heart of a king reflecting upon a lifetime of decisions. The book is replete with the phrases "meaningless," "utterly meaningless," and "everything is meaningless." The phrase "vanity, vanity, all is vanity" or "futile, futile, everything is futile" is another way to translate these ancient Hebrew words. King Solomon wrote these sober observations about 3000 years ago, near the end of his life. He reflected on everything he owned and had done and then concluded it was empty. God blessed Solomon with wisdom, but he became foolish, then scared by his choices and depressed by the disappointment of life; he finally repented. In these words, Solomon warns that apart from a right relationship with God, life is futile; we are urged to fear God and obey His commandments while enjoying life to the full, for this is a gift from God.
Ecclesiastes is less pithy sayings and more heartfelt, emotional, practical wisdom gained through life’s choices. King Solomon addresses many aspects of life, including his thoughts on friendship.
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 (NLT)
A friend helps you when you’re down: “For if they fall, one will lift his companion.” Most people know many acquaintances. But you may only have a few that you could call “friend.” Someone suggested that we have been successful in life if we have enough close friends to act as pallbearers at our funeral.
A friend keeps you warm, “If two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?”
This is more than just about keeping each other physically warm. Sometimes it’s cold out there in the world. When facing circumstances beyond your control, you need the warmth of a friend to provide strength and stability.
Friendship is a good investment. “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” Friendship is viewed as an investment that pays dividends. The very best investment you ever make in life will not be a financial one, but rather the investment made in relationships. We will get the best return on that investment over any other investment that we will ever make.
A friend will stand with you if threatened, “Though another may overpower one, two can withstand him.” A friend stands back-to-back with you, fighting whatever enemy may come from any side. Hence, the expression, “I’ve got your back.”
And more friends are even better: “Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” These types of friends become like kin.
Charles Swindoll observed, “The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit that there is to the fellowship Christ wants us to give his church. It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality – but it is a permissive, accepting and inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable. It is democratic. You can tell people secrets, and they usually don’t tell others or even want to. The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, and so many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers.”
Swindoll goes on to say, “Perhaps there is no better example of this than the television sitcom Cheers. The theme song says, ‘Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came; You want to be where you can see, our troubles are all the same; You want to be where everybody knows your name!’” How sad, that was written about a bar instead of the house of God.
Life is not a situation comedy or dramedy; it is simply life, and life is better lived with friends. King Solomon teaches some important friendship principles. Jesus has something to say about friendship too, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
Jesus is the greatest friend you will ever have. He knows you better than anyone else and has accepted you just as you are. He has done more for you than any friend ever could, having paid your sin debt on the cross. Jesus will always be there when you need Him; He is a friend who is always accessible and who will never leave you.
The words of the old hymn, “What A Friend We Have in Jesus,” say it well,
“What A Friend We Have in Jesus, All Our Sins and Griefs to Bear
What A Privilege to Carry Everything to God In Prayer
Oh, What Peace We Often Forfeit, Oh, What Needless Pain We Bear,
All Because We Do Not Carry Everything to God in Prayer.”
