That’s Not Your Friend

So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes.” And the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 2 Chronicles 18:28-29

I heard the story again the other day. It’s a common story, about a guy who’d been sober, but then started hanging around with old friends who were using. Soon, this guy was using too. Now, his life is once again a disaster, all because he hung out with those whom he thought were his friends. As the observer, it’s easy to see the mistake. Those guys aren’t really your friends. They don’t like it that your sober and they don’t want you to be sober. Those who are in the struggle don’t want to see others succeed and they don’t mind dragging others down with them. They don’t mind allowing their disaster to become someone else’s disaster.

This is similar to what happened in today’s passage. In the story, King Jehoshaphat had been warned by the prophet Micaiah that joining with King Ahab in battle against the Syrians would mean defeat. Still, for some reason, Jehoshaphat still went along with Ahab’s plan. Even worse, Ahab convinced Jehoshaphat to dress in his royal robes for the battle, hoping that the Syrians would kill Jehoshaphat instead of himself. And Jehoshaphat went along with it. Why? Because he felt some kinship with Ahab? Ahab wasn’t his friend. If Ahab had his way, Jehoshaphat would have been killed in battle. Still, for some reason, Jehoshaphat followed Ahab.

Recovery is precarious. It’s hard enough without dealing with those who would sabotage our success. So, if we desire to remain sober, it is imperative that we seek out those who would help us in our struggle and that we actively avoid those who would drag us down with them. This isn’t easy. Those are my friends. Friends though, don’t wish for our failure. True friends will make us better. If we want to be successful, those are the kinds of people we must surround ourselves with.