Ungodly Friendships: Amnon, Rehoboam & 'Friends' - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) September 3, 2024

Trigger Warning: sexual assault.

We spent a week learning about godly friends, the need to pray for them and how to be one. Today, we look at the opposite of such relationships - ungodly friendships.

The Bible teaches us to pay attention to the quality of friends we keep. Proverbs 18:24 - One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Nowhere is this issue of ruinous friends better displayed than in the relationship between Amnon and Jonadab (2 Samuel 13).

Amnon was David's first son and thus the royal prince of the kingdom. As his father had married a number of women, he had a large family with many brothers and sisters. One such sibling was Tamar and sadly, he had an ungodly desire for her. 2 Samuel 13:1-2 - In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David. 2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.

For the average person, falling in love with a sibling, albeit one with a different mother, would never come to mind. However, Amnon dwelled on this evil idea till it became an obsession. He confided in Jonadab who was not only his friend and adviser, but was also a cousin. Instead of discouraging such thoughts, Jonadab concocted a plan to get Tamar to the prince's room. Amnon followed the plan and when alone with his sister, he raped her. Tamar's life was shattered and her brother, Absalom, murdered Amnon in revenge. The consequences didn't end there, however. Absalom resented his father for not punishing Amnon, leading Him to depose David, violently assault his father's concubines in public and ultimately dying in battle against his father's troops.

Had Amnon put God's word before the counsel of an evil friend, he would not have abused and assaulted his own sister. After all, the word states in Leviticus 18:9 - Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere. Instead, he listened to someone who encouraged his evil desires and that led to family dysfunction and death.

Another person with ungodly friends was Rehoboam. He became king after the death of his father, King Solomon. When he ascended to the throne, the people pleaded with him to reduce the taxes (1 Kings 12:4). He sought the wisdom of his late father's advisers who encouraged him to treat the peoples request favorably. He then opted to also get the opinion of his friends, young men who were inexperienced in statecraft. They encouraged him to mock the people and threaten to increase their taxes.

The Bible tells us in 1 Kings 12:13 - But Rehoboam spoke harshly to the people, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors. This choice to follow his friends' advice was a contributing factor to the kingdom splitting into two. Ten tribes went on their own to establish the Kingdom of Israel leaving Rehoboam to lead his tribe, Judah, and the tribe of Benjamin in the Kingdom of Judah.

God does not want us to have ungodly friends because like Jonadab and Rehoboam's friends they lack godly wisdom. Having such people in one's life is a surefire way to experience defeat, ruin, and possibly death. We must pray for godly friends filled with the fear of the Lord, His wisdom and His word. These are the friends we need to stick by us through the good and bad times. These kinds become like family and value our physical and spiritual interests.

Terminator Zero

Caution: Spoilers Ahead.

I began watching Terminator Zero on Netflix recently, I couldn't help but notice how idolatry was a key part of the plotline.

Now, as a Christian who has been privileged to read the Bible, I know God despises idolatry and punished people severely for it. Plus, over the years, we have discussed the issue of idolatry a few times in our Praise & Pray (for others) fellowship.

So, it was weird to see how the show's storyline wove idolatry into the program. I don't even think they realized they did so, but I could be wrong.

Malcolm Lee, a computer genius and rich guy, created an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program named Kokoro. Malcolm's had dreams over the course of the years that told him that there would be a cataclysmic event that decimates the planet.

He created Kokoro in the hopes that it would 'save' humanity. The reasoning being that the program could create a solution to the impending disaster he believed would come.

In Episode Three, Malcolm engaged in a conversation with Kokoro (which took the form of a triumvirate, by the way) and pleaded with the AI to save humanity from the coming storm. Kokoro in turn notes that from its perspective, the destruction of humanity would benefit the planet etc.

I was actually working on my computer as I listened to the dialogue and I turned sharply to face the screen when I realized Malcolm was pleading with his own creation to save the world.

Is that not idolatry on display in all its glory?

Idolatry occurs when humans treat what was created as if it was God the Creator. It also occurs when a person puts anything else above God and His word.

We humans are very good at listening to everyone else's opinion instead of turning to God's wisdom. For instance, we would rather read Sun Tzu or Machiavelli for strategy on how to defeat enemies than study the Bible and pray for God's Spirit to fill us with a divine masterplan that will bring success.

Think about what takes up the majority of your time each day? Work, errands, calls with friends, watching television shows or movies and scrolling on social media. How much time is left for the Lord? If the answer is usually not much, then God does not reside in the primary position over your life and that could mean that other things are taking His place of importance. That is nothing more than idolatry.

Sure, AI can play a role in helping humanity problem solve, but in my personal opinion, AI - a thing created by humans - should never take the place of God. It is He who we are to go to for what we need and allow Him, instead of data and metrics, to have the final say in our lives.

I wish people would realize that the Lord has the answers to every problem they face, including those affecting our planet. God is mighty to save and nothing stumps Him. I pray that more people will come to know Him and His capacity to solve problems so that they don't think it's a forgone conclusion that what was created will have a decisive role in determining whether humanity exists or is destroyed by robots. That's a great storyline and it won't be reality (no matter how badly some people want it to be) because God is in control of everything.

Oh, and PS, the Bible says the world will always be inhabited in Isaiah 45:18. The Bible also says that Jesus and God will return to earth to establish it as God's dwelling place - not some other planet. In my opinion (based on Bible study), humans will be on this earth for a very long time. I pray we will do a better job of taking care of what the Lord made and allowed us to possess.

For more related content, please read:

1. Let Go of Idols

2. God, The Comforter

3. On Fear & Inexperience

4. The Chosen

5. The Chosen Season 3 Episode 8 - The Finale

6. Terminator Zero

7. The Matrix Revolutions

On Godly Friendships: Jesus & the Disciples - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) August 30, 2024

Friendships are an essential part of life and can either bring joy or sorrow. While satan prefers the latter, God's plan is for His people to enjoy godly friendships that honor Him while enhancing their lives. Fortunately, the relationship between Jesus Christ and His disciples teaches a lot about godly friendships and how we can have them.

Despite being the Son of God and receiving respect and reverence from His disciples, Jesus affectionately referred to them as His friends. John 15:15 - I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

These men were ordinary individuals and yet somehow, the Son of God deemed them worthy to be called His friends. Peter was, from all indications, a hot-headed man. Andrew, James, and John were mere fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector - a career that brought disdain because such men were seen as traitors who oppressed their people on behalf of the Roman Empire. Yet, once the Savior chose them to follow Him, all those worldly distinctions ceased to hold any significance. And as they walked with Him faithfully, they became more than just students. They became privy to heavenly insight and had a front-row seat to signs and wonders never seen before. He did not deprive them of the knowledge of God or His word. He made sure they understood God's power, showing them what they could do as long as they had faith.

Jesus wasn't just concerned about their spiritual health, He paid attention to the issues they dealt with in the physical. For instance, there was a time when Peter’s mother-in-law fell ill and was running a fever. He wasn't too busy to take care of the issue. Mark 1:30 tells us that once Jesus was told, He left what He was doing to see her, took her hand, and helped her up (Mark 1:31). She was instantly healed and went on to cater to Him and all the other guests. That He could drop everything to attend to His friend's mother-in-law speaks volumes of how valued His friends. Arguably, He treated them better than His own family, who He refused to speak to when they came looking for Him. Instead, He remained where He was to keep teaching people the word of God (Mark 3:31-34).

Further, Jesus also exhibited godly friendship by praying for His friends. John 17 shows that He interceded on behalf of His disciples. He prayed that they would be united and protected from satan. He didn't stop there but went on to say those same prayers for each person who would ever become His disciple.

Do you see the various ways Christ exhibited godly friendship to others? He called His disciples friends, shared His knowledge with them, addressed the issues that bothered them, and prayed for them. He was loyal to His friends and they believed in Him. He remains loyal to all who are His friends today - those who believe in Him and God the Father. We must emulate these characteristics as we deal with the godly friends placed in our lives by the Lord.

It won't always be easy, people being people they will sometimes do things that disappoint you. Nevertheless, just as Christ was able to pray for and overlook Peter's disloyalty when he denied knowing Him before the crucifixion, we must also forgive and overlook the shortcomings of our godly friends. We must remember that God is gracious with us and extend that same grace to our friends. And, we need to copy Jesus's behavior in how we relate to both Him and the Father. Doing so will strengthen our relationship and take us from servants to being friends with God the way Abraham was (Isaiah 41:8).

See you at Noon EST for Praise & Pray (for others)

To learn more, please read:

On Godly Friendships: David & Jonathan