God’s Word for Today

3 Jul, 2025

5 Better is open rebuke

than hidden love.

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

-Prov 27:5,6 ESV

FAITHFUL ARE THE WOUNDS OF A FRIEND

Friends are not to hurt each other. But there is an act of ‘wounding a friend’ that is not harming him. A nurse may hurt us by inserting a needle at the arm of a sick man but it is to make him feel better, sooner or later. That is, rebuking a friend for doing wrong is a loving act. Genuine friendship includes telling others hard truths they aren't eager to hear (v.17). This correction—even a "rebuke"—is motivated by sincere or genuine love. It's a mark of true friendship. What the other person says may sting, but they take that risk out of genuine care and concern for a friend. It's more loving to offer constructive criticism than to hide that love with inappropriate silence.

A fake friend, on the other hand, may feign love. He is insincere and may offer affirmation regardless of the situation. This is often a strategy used to disguise ill intent like Judas. He outwardly pretended to love Jesus by kissing Him, but his kiss was treacherous. It was not a sign of love but a signal to soldiers to know who to arrest. Paul warned the Galatian churches about false teachers who used flattery to gain the believers' trust and loyalty. The deceived believers turned against Paul because he corrected them. He writes: "Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?" (Gal 4:16). The "wounds" Paul inflicted on the Galatian believers were painful but faithful. It was motivated by truthful love and for their own benefit.

Thus, real love is sometimes experienced as "wounds" from a loving friend. Of course, the rebuke should be offered in love. Paul writes that we are to be "speaking the truth in love" (Eph 4:15). This correction can bring someone back on the right track and keep them from danger or disaster. The apostle Paul writes: "Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted" (Gal 6:1). It is not characteristic of love to withhold correction. It is a characteristic of cowardice. In a loving community like the Ephesian church, Paul exhorted Timothy to "be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching" (2 Tim 4:2).

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