Only in two biblical instances did Divinity refer to humanity specifically as 'Friends'. In other instances, we had to infer as words which could be interpreted as that were used. A cursory glance shows nothing similar between the two groups thus honoured. One is in the Old Testament, the other in the New. God the Father took the lead, God the Son followed suit; both pronouncements were of course made under the leadership and inspiration of The Holy Spirit.
According to the Scriptures, Abraham was the first human ever to attain this lofty position. Before him, notable righteous men lived. "...and God had respect for Abel and his offering..."(Gen 4:4); "Enoch walked with God..." (Gen 5:24); "...Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord...a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God" (Gen 6:8-9).
However, when it got to Abraham, none of the other words could describe the beauty of what God and Abraham shared. Heaven just had to come up with a new word. Their relationship had a new dimension and as such, required a fresh definition.
"Friendship" became the operative word. Note that this was after Abraham had spent 24 whole years walking with God. 24 years of being the hottest news item and cover story of every gossip columnist and hard-up tabloid (his story would sell the paper) as the rich old fool who must have lost his marbles. If not, how does one explain a 75-year-old man waking up one morning, leaving all he had and embarking on a journey to an unknown and undefined destination, all on the command of a God no one had ever heard about nor seen. That sure was the height of absurdity. Twenty-four whole years of being the laughing stock of neighbours, friends and enemies- imagine taking out a classified ad for change of name, not just for himself from "assumed father" to "father of many" (at least he already had Ishmael as a consolation), but also for his wife who had never had the privilege of even a miscarriage as "Mother of nations". The entire process of circumcision is a story for another day.
One would have thought that all these acts of dogged devotion to God regardless of what men thought (if that is not enemity with the world- which equals friendship with God James 4:5- I don't know what is) should have qualified Abraham for friendship. But it was not so. Good as they were, much as God noticed and recognised and even applauded them, there was still a critical factor He needed to see before pronuncing Abraham "friend".
While you ponder and wonder, fast forward to the New Testament. On your way, take a glance at Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua and Caleb. Deborah, Esther and Hannah. Remember to look over the lives of Samuel, David, Elijah, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Do not forget to recall Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel and Hosea. The list is inexhaustive. Valiant men and virtuous women. In there is "the meekest man that ever lived" and "the man after God's own heart". These men not only called down fire, they entered the fiery furnace in the name of God. Prophets who heard God with their physical ears. Men who stood firm in faithfulness despite all odds. They all had impressive resumes. Yet, none was qualified enough for God to call them "Friend".
The New Testament beckons.
In the book of John 15:15-16, Christ, like the true Son of His Father, took three and a half years of leading, living with and teaching men older than him (in the flesh) before He could consider and call them "friends". The years could seem nothing compared to Abraham's, but then, life expectancy had depreciated appreciably between Abraham's time and the time of Christ. Remember also that these were men with families and occupations (some very lucrative, think of a medical practice, working with the FIRS), and numerous responsibilities who had abandoned all for three years running just to follow a King whose only throne was probably whatever he could craft out in his father's workshop, in a stereotypically unproductive and unknown village called Nazareth. Nonetheless, Christ was just following the standards of God that cannot be broken.
Abraham and the disciples, aside from their resilient resolutions to disregard ridicule were about as similar as chalk and cheese. What then prompted Divinity to call them "Friends"?
In Genesis 18:17-19 God said "...shall I hide from Abraham (MY FRIEND) what I'm about to do... For I know Him, that he will surely command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord... SO THAT THE LORD WILL BRING ABOUT FOR ABRAHAM WHAT HE HAS PROMISED HIM".
Jesus on His own part in John 15:15-16 says "I no longer call you servants... Instead, I call you FRIENDS, for everything that I learned from my Father, I have made known to you... I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit- fruit that will last. THEN, THE FATHER WILL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU ASK IN MY NAME". (emphasis, mine).
The determining factor, the meeting point, the standard of qualification, the prerequisite criterion, the basis of consideration as it were is simple- FATHERHOOD.
God testified, about nine months before the birth of Isaac, that Abraham would not just suggest to him, but COMMAND him, alongside every other person in his household to keep the way of the Lord, to do what is right and just.
Christ testified about His disciples, before the first soul was ever preached to in the new covenant of His death and resurrection, 'I know you would bear fruit' (that is a given), 'and that you would "Father" them to remain'.
Having children is actually not the issue, that is a foregone conclusion in the sight of God. Any pubescient young man can impregnate a female, and have a child. Any true christian can preach the Word and the Holy Spirit would convict and bring souls into the Kingdom.
The issue is in fatherhood.
God places premium value on not just good enough, but excellent fatherhood. Beautifully enough, He recognises the challenges of fatherhood. He identifies with the pains of a wayward son and the joys of having children right on track. He fully understands the sacrifice and torn emotions. He fathers the most jumbled and unruly and stubborn and deviant and depraved set of children. Yet He does it all excellently.
He shows us the perfect example in our relationship with Him. Check out His names, especially in the New Covenant. Heavenly Father, Abba Father, Father of all Grace, Father of Light, Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He can't be anything but Father. He parents us spiritually, physically, mentally, financially (He teacheth us to profit) and in all areas of life.
To win God's friendship, all we need be is be fathers. We ought to be fathers. One might ask, but I'm not yet married. Or, I don't have kids of my own, yet. Here, mentorship, follow-up or whatever name you choose comes in. There are a lot of people out there, young and not so young, all yearning for a father's love, the kind of approval only a dad can give, the corrections and counsel that characterize the interest of a father in his offspring. This is not just in the physical aspect, it applies also in the spiritual.
With our words and actions, precepts and concepts, principles and practise, we ought to be fathers.
Just like any other meaningful endeavour, excellent fatherhood demands copious amounts of our resources- time, energy, money, emotions and courage. Disappointments are sure. It is a challenging task. It requires sacrifice.
Ironically, it is also the second most thankless job in history (yeah, I think it comes right after motherhood. My personal opinion, anyway). You know, no one really notices when you are a good father, but as soon as you miss a step, the jury would be out. I've heard criticisms against David because of Amnon, Tamar, Absalom, and Adonijah. I've even heard Father Abraham under fire because of Ishmael. But I've never heard any one give any of them kudos for the wonderful way Solomon and Isaac turned out respectively.
The camp could be divided on David's fatherhood abilities. Perhaps, he was too busy dodging Saul and fighting wars to give it his all. Despite his conquests and antecedents, the result of what could have been bad fatherhood choices almost marred his reign, but for God's intervention.
Nevertheless, God is not like man. He fully understands what fatherhood entails. So, whenever He sees excellent fatherhood, He doesn't stop at saying "thanks", He rewards. There is a bonus for fatherhood, I mean minus Divine friendship. The tail part of Gen 18:19 and John 15:16 adds the icing to the cake. Both record blessings and privileges that would accrue to true fathers. In fatherhood is the assurance that ALL His promises to us would be fulfilled. In fatherhood is the Word that WHATEVER we ask The Father will be done.
I'm female, but I just signed up for Divine Friendship through Fatherhood. What about you? Wouldn't you rather be God's friend?

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