7 Perfect Examples Of Good And Bad Friends In The Bible.

There are many examples of good and bad friends in the bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament and in this post, we will discuss 7 examples of good and bad friends in the bible.

It’s just a matter of fact that godly friendships are vital in our Christian lives as Christians as they help edify and encourage us in the Lord.

Good and godly friends are indeed a blessing in our lives, especially in the times we live in where everyone is just about themselves and what they can get from you.

But true godly friends are selfless due to the selfless love of Christ in them. So, cherish them. we will also look at bad friends the bible mentions that will help you know the type of friends you must avoid as a Christian.

With that said, let’s look at the 7 examples of good and bad friends in the bible that will serve as positive models and those that will serve as cautionary tales to avoid.

7 Good And Bad Friends In The Bible

Below are perfect examples of good and bad friends in the bible to help you know which friends to allow in your life and which to avoid at all costs.

Good Friends:

1. David and Jonathan.

The beautiful friendship between David and Jonathan is often cited as one of the most profound friendships in the Bible. Jonathan, King Saul’s son, had a deep bond with David even at the expense of his relationship with his father.

As we see in 1 Samuel 20:12-36 Jonathan protected David from Saul’s wrath and supported him when Saul wanted to kill him due to jealousy.

This demonstrates the true love and loyalty Jonathan had for David as his friend because if it were for many people in this similar situation, they would have done otherwise and chose to betray for their selfish gains.

Jonathan had the chance to betray David for his selfish gains but chose not to as he understood what true friendship and loyalty are all about. Sadly, this isn’t the case with many so-called Christian friendships of today that are only there for selfish reasons.

2. Ruth And Naomi

The friendship between Ruth and Naomi is probably one of my favorite stories in the bible perfectly illustrating what true friendship is all about and what a good friend Ruth was to Naomi.

As we see in Ruth 1:1-22, we see the genuine commitment Ruth had for Naomi by choosing to follow her wherever she goes, no matter what amid uncertainty even when Naomi told her otherwise.

She even chose Naomi and her true God of Israel she served over her sister-in-law, Orpah who chose otherwise by returning to her old country Moab, and her gods.

Ruth’s commitment to her mother-in-law, Naomi, exemplified loyalty and love. Her famous words in Ruth 1;16,17, “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God,” demonstrate a profound friendship and loyalty.

3. Job’s Friends

Job’s friends we see in Job 2:11 can also be classified among the list of good friends though like everyone else for friends out there, they were not perfect and made some blunders at the beginning.

The reason I have put Job’s friends on the list of good friends though they initially didn’t fully understand why he was going through what he went through is they still stayed with him and tried to comfort him instead of abandoning him to his fate.

Initially, Job’s friends demonstrated love and compassion by sitting with him in silence during his suffering as we see in Job 2:11-13. However, they later faltered by offering misguided advice.

The lesson here is that true friendship involves empathy and understanding rather than making quick assumptions which they later repented of in the latter chapter of the book of Job.

Bad Friends:

Below is a list of bad friends that as a Christian you need to be wary of and avoid as these types of friends are just in your life for their selfish gains and to negatively influence your life

4. Judah and Tamar.

The bad friendship between Judah and Tamar is a perfect example of the bad and immoral friendship you must avoid as a Christian, especially with the opposite sex.

As we see in Genesis 38:1-24 the false friendship between Judah and Tamar wasn’t based on true love at all but based on lust which is all about getting rather than giving showing that Judah wasn’t truly a good friend to Tamar.

Judah’s actions towards Tamar, his daughter-in-law, reveal deceit and betrayal. Instead of fulfilling his duty to provide Tamar with a husband after the death of his sons, Judah failed to keep his promise and took advantage of her by lying to her.

If you are in such type of a bad immoral friendship between the opposite sex, cut it off immediately as such an evil friendship will just lead you to have heartbreak or unwanted pregnancy.

5. Samson And Delilah.

Samson and Delilah’s saga found in Judges 16:1-21 is also another good example of a bad friendship to avoid and what giving yourself to lewd women all due to sex can do to you as a man.

I am sure you have seen countless examples of weak men who had a promising future destroyed and reduced to a crust of bread all due to a woman and her deceitful charm of beauty.

The false friendship between Samson and Delilah in the Old Testament must serve as a lesson to all men out there to avoid immoral friendships with lewd women as Satan mostly uses women if he wants to destroy a man with a promising future.

As we see in Judges 16:18-20 Delilah betrayed Samson by coaxing him to reveal the secret of his strength, which led to his downfall. This narrative illustrates the dangers of placing trust in someone who doesn’t have your best interests at heart.

6. Judas Iscariot and Jesus.

I am sure you are very much aware of the fake and bad friendship that Judas Iscariot had with our Lord Jesus Christ found in the New Testament in Matthew 26:14-16.

Judas Iscariot is a perfect example of a bad friend you must avoid at all costs as such kinds of evil friends don’t have your best interests at heart but are only in your life to ruin you for their selfish gain.

He was not with Jesus because he loved Him but was with Jesus because he wanted to use Christ for his selfish gain which was money. There are many Judas Iscariots sadly even today who will willingly sell you out for the love of money.

As we see in Luke 22:47-52 Judas, one of Jesus’ disciples ended up betraying Christ for thirty pieces of silver which ultimately led to Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. Judas’ actions highlight the profound impact a friend’s betrayal can have.

7. Ahithophel and David.

Ahithophel, once David’s trusted counselor, eventually against him during Absalom’s rebellion due to his greed, selfishness, and hunger for power by siding with Absalom as we see in 2 Samuel 15:17-31.

His betrayal of David is another practical example of how even seemingly good friendships can easily be influenced by selfish personal motives rather than love, loyalty, and trust.

In this vein, Ahithophel can be classified as a bad friend who never understood what true friendship was all about. Sadly, there are many such types of fake friends even in the church today who will be willing to sell you out for their selfish benefits. Beware of them.

David and Ahithophel’s friendship is a reminder of how untrustworthy human friendships can be at times when you least expect them to be. This is why Jesus Christ is the only true and safe best friend you will ever have in this life as He will never sell you out.

Conclusion.

I hope the above 7 examples of good and bad friends in the bible will help choose wise friends to allow in your life and the bad friends you need to distance yourself from.

May the Lord bless you with godly friends and friendships that will enrich and bless your life as well as draw you closer to God, not away from Him. God bless.

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