Today morning, we will read from
I would like to emphasize this statement: evil communications corrupt good manners. We all know we must guard against such things, because the wrong kind of friendship can lead us toward harm. We teach our children to stay away from bad friendships.
Today, I want to share an example from the Bible where a person gets caught up in a bad friendship—or a harmful association—leading him to commit a terrible act and resulting in a tragic end to his life. Let us turn our attention to the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 13. Here, we encounter three individuals: Tamar, a beautiful young woman who is Absalom’s sister; Absalom himself; and the third person I want to mention, Amnon.
Amnon and Absalom are half-brothers. So, the three names are Absalom and Tamar (who are siblings) and Absalom’s half-brother, Amnon. In this account, we read that Amnon falls in love with his half-sister. He becomes so consumed by this infatuation that he falls ill and grows weak.
Then, a friend named Jonadab comes to him. Jonadab asks Amnon the reason for his frailty and declining health, and Amnon opens up and shares what is in his heart. When Amnon confessed to his friend Jonadab that he had fallen in love with his half-sister but didn’t know what to do, Jonadab gave him terrible advice. Had Jonadab been a true friend committed to a genuine friendship, he would have reasoned with Amnon; instead, he led him astray. He told Amnon to feign illness and ask the king to send his sister to prepare food for him, suggesting that he could then take advantage of the situation to force himself upon her.
Amnon followed this wicked counsel and violated Tamar. When Tamar’s brother, Absalom, learned of this, he was consumed by such rage that he eventually killed Amnon. It was Jonadab himself who carried the news of Amnon’s death to King David. See how many lives were ruined because of Jonadab’s bad influence: Tamar’s life was devastated, Absalom was driven to commit murder, and Amnon met a tragic end. All this took place on account of a bad friendship, which gave way to the execution of bad advice. Dear brothers and sisters, we should be careful about the kind of friends that we choose, whose advice we listen to, and whose words can impact our lives. We have to think about whether the people from whom we take advice are the people who fear God and follow His ways through Jesus Christ. This is crucial, because if we allow the wrong kind of influence into our lives. If we accept the wrong advice, our lives could head towards ruin.
Even when seeking counsel from those within the faith, we must be very discerning; some may jealousy or envy and become a cause of our downfall. Thus, my beloved brethren, in all your counsel, let it conform to the Word. Let us be careful regarding our friends and whom we go to for counsel. Let us keep on praying and asking our Lord to give us wisdom and knowledge that will help us judge what is right from wrong. Let us be a people who live a life of prayer.
