As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens man

One of the prevailing attitudes of our rugged North American individuality, is the value that is placed on independence. And who wants to be dependent? There’s a lot spoken and written about codependence, the type of relationship that we so easily fall into, where one or both individual has an unhealthy dependence upon the other. And in fact unless at some stage we come to a measure of independence, we have not fully matured. But is independence the highest goal?

The famous quote “No man is an island,” from John Donne comes to mind. The phrase is said to mean that human beings do not thrive when isolated from others. Indeed Christians are admonished not to forsake meeting together (Hebrews 10:25), and likely this is the reason for this admonition.

But to answer the above question, I want to say that interdependence is greater that independence. Interdependence is the quality of being mutually reliant on each other in a healthy way. The Scripture puts it this way “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). But it’s not just about joint strength, it’s also about joined wisdom. in Proverbs 20:18 we read “Prepare plans by consultation,  And make war by wise guidance.” It’s not just about war of course, it’s about all the decisions we make in life.

The quote at the head of this post from Proverbs 27:17, adds another dimension to this. in particular, man sharpening man sounds painful. In particular we may not want to seek the advice of someone we suspect will not agree with us. But sometimes the best advice comes from such people. The Scripture tells us to test all things, to hold to what is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21), and sometimes we can fail to find the good because we are afraid of conflict. But, as I am finding out this morning, failing to test all things, failing to engage in the iron sharpening iron analogy, has some unwanted consequences.

Father, the Scripture says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Forgive me for those times when I have either forgotten, or have been reluctant to seek counsel. Thank you Lord, that when I acknowledge You in all my ways, including seeking godly counsel, you have promised to direct my steps and make my paths straight (Proverbs 3:5, 6). In Jesus Name Amen