Proverbs 25:19,  Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

Does anyone purposefully put confidence in an unfaithful man?

Confidence and unfaithfulness are opposing actions, an oxymoron!

Why would someone choose to trust or rely upon someone who was unfaithful, unreliable and untrustworthy?

Don't we instead expect our friends to be faithful and we therefore put our confidence in them because we consider them our friends.

Proverbs 17:17 says that,  A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

There are certain relationships where a person should expect faithfulness at all times and if faithfulness is not exhibited it is a shock to us.

We are given in this proverb a person who has confidence in another.

The other may be a friend, a brother, or a person in business or profession.

Confidence is a wonderful thing because it brings peace of mind.

It is good to be able to express confidence in another but we are also warned in scripture to be wise in whom we express confidence.

Psalm 118:8,9, says,  It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.

It is better to place our confidence in the LORD than to place our confidence in any man, from commoner to princes.

This does not say we should not put confidence in man but it simply says that the Lord is the only one in which we may place unlimited confidence.

But if a friend is a true friend we should expect that our confidences will not be misplaced.

We should expect a true friend to be faithful.

That is what a true friend will do otherwise he is not a true friend.

But adversity will reveal what a person is.

Adversity will reveal a friend to be true or a friend to be false.

Our proverb compares confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble to a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.

What good is a broken tooth?

What good is a foot out of joint, a broken foot?

A pulled tooth or no tooth is better than a broken tooth.

All a broken tooth gives is pain when it is supposed to be serving by chewing food for sustaining life.

It not only doesn't serve but it causes pain while not serving.

It is not neutral but it is unprofitable.

It is like finding out that an employee who is supposed to bring in a profit is instead stealing money from the cash register.

Our proverb compares not only a broken tooth but a foot that is out of joint, a out of order foot.

A foot is supposed to be supporting the man and doing its share of the walking and holding up the weight but all it does is cause extreme pain.

Both tooth and foot are not doing what they are designed to do and not only offending in that but at the same time are causing pain and uneasiness.

And so is the friend who is supposed to be faithful at all times but we see here that he exits when the going gets tough, when trouble comes.

He is the so called friend who only sticks around when he sees benefits for him.

He is the so called friend who disappears when there is a cost to pay, when there is work to be done, when there are troubles to be faced.

He likes the fair weather of friendship but hides from the storms of life that will come.

This is what you may expect from an acquaintance but from a friend?

What pain this brings to one who is going through a time of trouble when the one in whom they have placed their confidence has deserted them.

They have wasted their confidence.

The truth is revealed, they were not truly friends at all.

The mask is torn off and the sight is not pleasant.

One who was thought to be a friend is revealed as no friend.

So suffering not only takes place from the trouble that has come into the man's life but suffering takes place from the realization that the friend was no friend.

You see what unfaithfulness brings?

An extra load upon one who is already carrying a load of trouble that he had hoped to share with a friend.

Job felt this very burden, this very heavy load.

Job says in: Job 6:12-15,  Is my strength the strength of stones? or is my flesh of brass? Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me? To him that is afflicted pity should be showed from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty. My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;

When Job was prosperous he expected much from his friends, but now was disappointed.

He compares this to the brooks who fail to give water in summer, just when water is needed.

The brook has let him down.

He says: Isn't it reasonable to expect pity from friends?

Isn't that what a friend would do?

But the message of scripture is that those who place their confidence in man will find it to fail when it should help them but those who make God their confidence, have help in the time of need.

As Hebrews 4:16 reads,  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Those who make gold their hope, sooner or later will be ashamed they did, and ashamed of putting their confidence in it.

Wisdom teaches us to place all our confidence in Jesus Christ not in broken reeds or broken cisterns.

We ought to have daily confidence in that which we would cling to when we are on our death bed or when we are in great trouble.

Our confidence is to be consistent confidence at all times whether the weather is fair or whether the weather is fowl.

Job expected little from his friends, but he got less.

But when Job expected much from God he got even more.

This was Paul's experience as he related to Timothy in 2 Tim 4:16,17,  At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.

Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me;

The Lord gives us friends in which to place confidence but if that is all we have to place our confidence in we will be most miserable.