Friendship in Proverbs

For my Hermeneutics class, we were tasked with identifying verses in Proverbs that dealt with friendship, and then organize them into an outline for teaching. I thought this was interesting enough to pass along my efforts:

Forming Friendships:

1. Be cautious in friendships you choose (12:26)
2. Do not make friends with people who have short tempers (22:24)

Preserving Friendships:

1. Promote love by covering over offenses (17:9)
2. Love at all times (17:17)
3. You can endure hurts from true friends (27:6)
4. The best sign of a true friend is the advice they give (27:9)
5. Don’t desert your friend when they’re in need (27:10)

Destructive Friendships:

1. Bad friendships can take you away from God (12:26)
2. Gossip and dissension can destroy a friendship (16:28)
3. Repeating offensives can separate close friends (17:9)
4. You cannot trust people who flatter you too much (27:6)

Wealth and Friendships:

1. Rich people find themselves surrounded by many people claiming to be friends (14:20, 19:4)
2. Poor people do not have people running to be their friends (14:20, 19:4, 19:7)
3. People claim to be friends of whoever is giving out gifts (19:6)
4. Poor people are shunned by relatives (19:7)

God’s Friendship:

1. While having lots of friends doesn’t prevent problems in your life, God will stick with you no matter what (18:34)
2. If you love a pure heart and try to say right things, God will be your friend (22:11)