My dear readers,

1. Value true friends!

"Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful" (Prov 27:5-6).

Note the contrasts in these verses. There is open rebuke and secret love, wounds and kisses, friends and enemies. "Open" means that which is revealed or uncovered. "Secret" means that which is hidden or carefully concealed. A true friend is one who loves, while an enemy is one who really hates, for such is the strong meaning of these words.

A False Front: Secret love may be sincere, but it is not safe love. Love that is afraid to rebuke, when rebuke is needed, lacks one essential element, from a biblical perspective. Have we not so sentimentalized Divine Love, that we cannot believe that God will discipline His children? We know the tragic results of this kind of love where parents will not rebuke their children. To them, God’s love is unconditional love, and so we too must love everybody, especially our children and friends, unconditionally. In fact, this is their boast, but these verses contradict this sentimental folly. The KJV’s use of the word "deceitful" to describe such kisses is well chosen, for truly his treachery is hidden! We all, even Christians, are eager to accept the kisses while spurning the wounds. We are so afraid of pain, that we prefer the flattering tongue. Let us learn to count them faithful, not who praises everything we say or do, but those who reprove what is at fault in us.

A Frank Friend: Open rebuke reveals the sickness, the wound. It also requires great skill and delicacy. As the surgeon tells the patient the truth of his condition, and that an operation is the only thing that will do, so, the wounds of a friend may be compared to the knife of the surgeon. It must cut if it would heal. To inflict such wounds can never be easy, but because you are his friend, you must not, nay, you cannot, do otherwise. The rebuke and the kisses both hold a knife. With secret love or kisses the knife is concealed. The false flattery only secretly destroys you. In the case of open rebuke and wounds, the knife is used with loving compassion to heal. Better far the faithful wounds that cause pain for a time, that healing may come, than deceitful kisses of an enemy.

May the Lord give us truthful (because they are faithful) friends.

2. Friendship’s vital role (Prov 27:17)

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so man is sharpeneth the countenance of a friend" (Prov 27:17). Job said "…mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me" (Job 16:9), obviously with evil intent. Ezekiel referred to "a sword sharpened, and also furbished" (Ezek 21:9–11), referring to God’s judgment against Israel. Our proverb makes reference to a friend and must be understood in a good, positive sense.

The Wearisome Case: When a carpenter’s tools grow dull they cannot do the best work, but make the work doubly hard. They must be regularly sharpened. So it is with the human soul. Have we not all undergone times of soul-dullness, a weariness of spirit that seems to make everything we do more wearisome, less fulfilling. It is like working with a carpenter’s blunted chisel. Whatever is the cause, our soul has lost its edge. We cannot seem to cut our way through our present course or duties.

The Winsome Face: As iron sharpens iron, so the soul has its whetstone, the countenance of his friend. If you see a brother walking in a wearisome case, it should be your joy, and duty, to do your best to sharpen the iron of his soul by the energy of your countenance. Man is so constituted that only sharpened souls can sharpen blunted ones. Paul calls on us to exhort one another daily, and again, let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works (Heb 3:13; 10:24). Thus it is that human spirits can meet and minister to one another, and every sharpened soul can do this. Like Job, sharpen for good the countenance of your friends (Job 4:3–4).

The Welcome Grace: Certainly, we see how Jesus often sharpened the countenance of His friends in times of need. It was the face of that Friend whose presence gave songs in the night to Paul and Silas, passing through every jail door to cheer and quicken their hearts (Acts 16:25). On the Emmaus Road, the hearts of two disciples burned within them (Luke 24:32). "As iron sharpens iron, a Man is provided to quicken in the last resort the sinking soul of man. For our adversity a Brother is born" (Arnot).

The church should be a community of encouragement to sharpen the countenance of one another.

3. By love serve one another (Gal 5:13)
Daily Remembrancer
"A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE UNTO YOU." We are to love one another. Our Lord’s new commandment was also His last, and most important. The root of all charitable service is love. Love springs from faith and produces all good. Nothing that we can do is good except it flows from love. Love is the chief thing in faith. We may have gifts, honours, and benevolence: but without love, we are only as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. The flesh desires to rule over others but grace is willing to serve. Look around you: are there not many whom you can serve, and serve effectually, without neglecting your other important duties? Are you willing to do so? If not, where is your love? If you have not love, where is your faith? Love is the fulfilling of the law, the chief fruit of the gospel. Love is Godlike, is Christlike. Love in action is heaven on earth. Love will visit the sick, cheer the sorrowing, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and become all things to all men, if by any means it may save some. Love will make our wilderness a garden, our divided church a haven of peace. What we do from love we do easily, cheerfully, heartily, constantly, and liberally. See then that you love one another with a pure heart fervently; thus you serve Christ and imitate and dignify His conduct toward His foes.

Heirs of the same immortal bliss,

Our hopes and fears the same;

With bonds of love our hearts unite,

With mutual love inflame.

God bless all readers.

Yours faithfully in the Saviour’s Service,

Dr SH Tow, Sr Pastor