The Proverbs can be kind of like fortune cookie sayings. You never know what’s coming. Sometimes they are relevant. Sometimes they aren’t. But in general, they are often open to interpretation, so they are what you make of them.
In today’s verse I’m looking at the words “friend” and “brother”. I don’t think these are meant to contrast, as in, a friend does this but a brother does that. Instead, I think friend and brother mean the same thing here: a person who loves me even in difficult times, whether we’re related or not.
For one thing, not everyone has an actual brother. Some people only have sisters. Some people are only children. Other people may have a brother who is estranged or missing or unreliable or dead. For these people, this verse ends up not meaning much.
Many of Proverbs was written by a father to his son in an effort to teach him wisdom, to teach him the best way to live and thrive in this world. The intention of today’s verse isn’t to differentiate between relatives and non-relatives. The point is to explain how to be a good friend. To love. Always. In all circumstances including difficult times. To love people I’m related to and people I’m not related to.
This is wisdom. And it’s consistent with Jesus’s second most important command of God for His children. Love one another. Indiscriminately.
Dear God,
Teach me how to be a good friend to everyone you place in my life. Thank you for modeling this for me in the life of Jesus. Forgive me when I have been too selective about whom I love and when to love them. Guide me to the changes I need to make. Help me to see everyone as my friend and brother and every circumstance as being worthy of love.
CamDevo 