1 Kings 4:5 (KJV) O, For a Friend

1 Kings 4:5 (KJV)
And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son of Nathan was principal officer, and the king’s friend:

We have here, and in those verses previous to this, a list of Solomon’s princes. I tend to think of a prince as of royal family and governmental leadership. I note that these princes were not related to Solomon and they were largely associated with the Temple. The word prince simply means a high ranking person of any position. 

In the Old Testament economy, the government and religion were closely tied together. A misinterpretation, replacing Israel with Christianity led to the Catholics, and later the Protestants, attempting a marriage of government and church. It’s led to a great many problems in Christian history. 

Of those princes, one, Zabud, is singled out as the King’s friend. The word means a close companion but apparently, it derives from the same word from which we get shepherd. This suggests a distinguishing characteristic of a true friend; they are not only a companion, but they are a defender. A friend cares for and watches out for his friends. He defends them against enemies and fights for him when he is threatened. 

Praise the Lord for those who are there to fill the holes and get things done we could not. Thank God too that there are some who stand up for us when we need a defender.

To my readers:
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1 Kings 4:5 (KJV) O, For a Friend

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