“Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” ~Job 6:14

“Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” ~Job 6:14

This version seems confusing to me, so I looked up others that made more sense:

'A despairing man should receive loyalty from his friends, even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty.”

"Friends should be loyal to you in times of trouble, even if you turn away from God All-Powerful.”

Job was mad at God and was turning to his friends for support. They were not much help and eventually he sorted things out and earned the attribute, “having the patience of Job”.

A true friend does stick by you through the thick and thin. Humans can let us down, but you know Who never will? Jesus. He experienced the greatest of abandonments. After Jesus was arrested, His disciples “all left Him and fled” [Mark 14:50] “All of you will desert me… But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”

Billy Graham said that the disciples were in contrast with God’s faithfulness. In Mark 15:34, Jesus cries, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” — this is not God abandoning Him, but the moment of sin’s separation from God’s presence as Jesus bore the penalty for humanity’s sin.

One of my favorite verses: For God has said, "I will never leave you; I will never abandon you." ~Hebrews 13:5b

Written by: Bonnie Chovanec, 2026