Written by Deanna Brooks, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas
Proverbs 27:17 reads, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (ESV).
For iron to sharpen iron, there must be two pieces. One piece cannot sharpen itself. We NEED each other. In the beginning, God saw it was not good for man to be alone, so He created woman. This was before the fall… before sin…so, think how much more important it is now in our sinful nature to have someone we can depend on.
Most of us have had the experience of sharpening a kitchen knife. A knife is a small saw with a micro-serrated edge. When it is sharpened, any uneven spots or “burrs” are removed, and the sharpness is restored. Often, it is polished to make it shine.
We all have uneven and rough spots and have become dull because of the ups and downs of life. We need encouragement, admonition, and even confrontation from someone who cares about us. That’s iron sharpening iron.
Think of lessons we learn from Scripture.
DAVID… in 1 Samuel 25 David asked Nabal for food for his men. It was sheep shearing season, and David’s men had been protecting Nabal’s sheep and workers. Even so, Nabal refused to feed David and his men. David was angry and took 400 men, intending to kill Nabal and the males in his household. Abigail, Nabal’s wife, heard and went to meet David with gifts of food, stopping him from this bloodshed.
Jonathan, son of King Saul, protected David, comforting and making a covenant with him when Saul sought David’s life (1 Sam. 23:16-18).
The prophet Nathan confronted David (2 Sam. 12) after his sin with Bathsheba, making him stop and think about what he had done and God’s laws he had broken… coveting another man’s wife, adultery (possibly rape), and murder. Only someone David respected could have said, “YOU are that man!”
Three friends with different types of help… three ways iron sharpens iron.
NAAMAN (2 Kings 5) was a commander of the Syrian Army… a gentile… a pagan… an enemy of Israel… and he had leprosy. The Syrians had captured and enslaved a young Israelite girl who told Naaman’s wife there was a prophet in Samaria who could heal him. When Naaman went to Elisha, he became angry at being told to dip in the muddy Jordan River. He had cleaner rivers back home. He had his reasons for not doing what the prophet instructed. BUT… Naaman’s servants confronted him, encouraging him to follow Elisha’s instructions… and he was healed. Again, iron sharpens iron.
SAUL… the early believers were afraid of him… with good reason. In Acts 9 Barnabas stood by Saul’s side, introducing him to the Jerusalem church who knew him as one involved in the death of Stephen and persecution of Christians, and telling them what happened to Saul on the road to Damascus. Where would Saul have been if there had not been a friend to stand by him? In Proverbs 18:24b we read: “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” We see iron sharpening iron in friendship.
JOHN MARK was given a second chance by his cousin, Barnabas. Because he left the first missionary journey early, Paul refused to take him on another missionary journey (Acts 15:36-41). Barnabas parted from Paul and took John Mark. If it had not been for the encouragement of Barnabas, we might not have had the gospel of Mark. An older relative who cared… iron sharpens iron.
There are many ways that “iron sharpens iron.” Confrontation, encouragement, support, kindness, and rejoicing, all done in love can heal relationships with others as well as with God.
We can share ways we have persevered through the storms of life. When there is an established friendship, people are generally more willing to listen. Let’s work on building relationships that focus on the important things in life… so we have someone to turn to when life’s storms come.