Faithful Friend

1. Friends Pay Attention To & Help One Another

1 Samuel 17:55-58 (NASB)

⁵⁵  Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is this young man?" And Abner said, "By your life, O king, I do not know."

⁵⁶  The king said, "You inquire whose son the youth is."

⁵⁷  So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine's head in his hand.

⁵⁸  Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

 1 Samuel 16:21-23 (NASB)

²¹  Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer.

²²  Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight."

²³  So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV)

⁹  Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work:

¹⁰  If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

 2. Friends Share Commonalities

 1 Samuel 18:1-5 (NASB)

¹  Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.

²  Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father's house.

³  Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

⁴  Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt.

⁵  So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

Esther 6:7-9 (NASB)

⁷  Then Haman said to the king, "For the man whom the king desires to honor,

⁸  let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown has been placed;

⁹  and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, 'Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.'"

3. Friends Rejoice In One Another’s Success

1 Samuel 18:6-9 (NASB)

⁶  It happened as they were coming, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments.

⁷  The women sang as they played, and said, "Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands."

⁸  Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?"

⁹  Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on.

1 Samuel 18:10-13 (NASB)

¹⁰  Now it came about on the next day that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house, while David was playing the harp with his hand, as usual; and a spear was in Saul's hand.

¹¹  Saul hurled the spear for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David escaped from his presence twice.

¹²  Now Saul was afraid of David, for the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul.

¹³  Therefore Saul removed him from his presence and appointed him as his commander of a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.

4. Friends Stick Up For One Another

1 Samuel 19:1-7 (NASB)

¹  Now Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants to put David to death. But Jonathan, Saul's son, greatly delighted in David.

²  So Jonathan told David saying, "Saul my father is seeking to put you to death. Now therefore, please be on guard in the morning, and stay in a secret place and hide yourself.

³  "I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you; if I find out anything, then I will tell you."

⁴  Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you.

⁵  "For he took his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death without a cause?"

⁶  Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul vowed, "As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death."

⁷  Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these words. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as formerly.

John 15:12-15 (NASB)

¹²  "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

¹³  "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

¹⁴  "You are My friends if you do what I command you.

¹⁵  "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.