The Bible and friendship: I am united with all who fear you, and with everyone who keeps your precepts. Psalm 119:63
Friendship between people is something necessary for life and it occurs naturally, because life is difficult, full of unforeseen events, and two people together are worth more than one alone, as the Bible explains: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up" Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. And the Sacred Scriptures with wisdom teach in what consists the true friendship, because friendship between people can arise for many reasons, and just as there are superficial relationships who only care about personal gain, there are also relationships based on what makes men truly human.
And the Bible, to expose the theme of friendship, asks what friendship there can be between the sinful man and the righteous man. Because righteousness ("Do to no one what you yourself hate" Tobit 4:15) and sin are completely opposite paths to each other, and whoever loves the truth cannot follow the path of error. Because there is a spiritual truth that cannot be avoided, like attracts like: "Every living thing loves its own kind, and we all love someone like ourselves. Every living being keeps close to its own kind; and people associate with their own kind" Ben Sira 13:15-16.
And the Bible, to teach and make clear what true friendship consists of, introduces the concept of the Law, because fundamentally the fulfillment of the law is what establishes friendship between God and man, and as a consequence friendship in its true sense between men. This is why Psalm 119, which is a psalm dedicated to the study and praise of the law, affirms with wisdom about true friendship: "I am united with all who fear you, and with everyone who keeps your precepts" Psalm 119:63. True friendship can then only be born among devotees of the law, because following the law is a blessing, as the Psalm 119 teaches with wisdom: "Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD" Psalm 119:1. Wisdom invites men to avoid folly and to suffer because of it because apparent friendships deceive and seduce reason, and many are lost because of this.
For more information visit my profile follow the link and download for free my ebook.