Friendlessness
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· 2 viewsThe bitter experience of the absence of friendship, leading to a sense of isolation and despair. It is often blamed on the faithlessness of others or even on God himself.
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The experience of friendlessness
The experience of friendlessness
The darkness of being alone
The darkness of being alone
18 You have removed lover and friend far from me; My acquaintances are in a hiding place.
See also Ps 88:8; Ps 102:7; Ps 142:4
Contempt and rejection
Contempt and rejection
11 Because of all my adversaries, I have become a disgrace, Especially to my neighbors, And an object of dread to my acquaintances; Those who see me in the street flee from me. 12 I am forgotten like a dead person, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.
See also Ps 38:11
Hatred and loathing
Hatred and loathing
13 “He has removed my brothers far from me, And my acquaintances have completely turned away from me. 14 “My relatives have failed, And my close friends have forgotten me. 15 “Those who live in my house and my servant women consider me a stranger. I am a foreigner in their sight. 16 “I call to my servant, but he does not answer; I have to implore his favor with my mouth. 17 “My breath is offensive to my wife, And I am loathsome to my own brothers. 18 “Even young children despise me; I stand up and they speak against me. 19 “All my associates loathe me, And those I love have turned against me.
See also Job 30:10
Slander and conspiracy
Slander and conspiracy
13 For I have heard the slander of many, Terror is on every side; While they took counsel together against me, They schemed to take away my life.
See also Je 20:10
Examples of friendlessness
Examples of friendlessness
Elijah
Elijah
10 And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life.”
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
50 And His disciples all left Him and fled.
See also Is 53:3; Mt 26:56; Jn 16:32
The prodigal son
The prodigal son
16 And he longed to have his fill of the carob pods that the pigs were eating, and no one was giving him anything.
The lame man at the pool of Bethesda
The lame man at the pool of Bethesda
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
Paul
Paul
16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.
See also 2 Ti 4:10–11
The undesirability of friendlessness
The undesirability of friendlessness
Ge 2:18; Ec 4:9–12
Cultivating true friends is the way to avoid friendlessness
Cultivating true friends is the way to avoid friendlessness
1 Sa 18:1; Ps 119:63
See also Lk 16:19