Love & Loyalty

Do you value loyalty?

Are you loyal to others? Are you loyal to communities? How do you show loyalty?

• Are there people or groups you should not be loyal to?
• Are you loyal to those who have authority over you? Are you loyal to God?

Loyalty definition: unswerving allegiance to a person or institution.

To support, or align your priorities in accordance to… to look out for and have concern for their well being… someone who is loyal who will treat you right even when they have reason not to… maybe you’re inconvenient, maybe siding against you would be to their personal advantage.

For example; imagine a loyal friend who will pick you for their team even though you’re not the best player because they don’t want to see you embarrassed. A person who can be trusted and relied upon in small things and with regard to the big things.

Is loyalty a biblical concept?

The Hebrew word would be hesed. In English bibles hesed is generally rendered “faithfulness”, although you will occasionally see it translated as loyalty, kindness, friendship, even mercy.

God’s loyalty to us: Hesed, or faithfulness is one of the many ways God describes Himself to us. He is faithful to His promises. He is faithful and loyal to His people. Looking out for them, concerned about their well being

Our loyalty to God: When hesed [faithfulness] is used to describe how we respond to God it means we are committed to, we support, we are aligned with Him. When describing our relationship with our Creator loyalty also includes obedience.

So, if loyalty is unswerving allegiance to a person or institution... the scope of that definition changes depending on the relationship of the parties involved.

For example; a person put in charge of a department at work can [and should] be loyal to those who work under him But that loyalty does not involve obedience. If I am one of the persons working under the department head loyalty for me would include obedience. Loyalty is also possible between two peers where obedience is not part of the equation.. although mutual submission would be essential.

My point is: loyalty is not identical to obedience.

A person might be obedient through fear of punishment and have no trace of loyalty.

Loyalty is an Attitude of the Heart

Acts 13:20-22 to many, God’s love for David is a riddle. David committed adultery, he orchestrated a murderer, he was a warrior who had killed many men, elsewhere God calls David “a bloody man” and because of that wouldn’t let David construct the Jerusalem temple.

We too struggle with the enigma of David. There were other men who come off as very righteous, scrupulous people, Noah, Job, or Daniel. Why did God love him so?

Yet God saw qualities in David such that He called him a “man after my own heart”. One of the traits God saw in David was loyalty… to commitments, to people, to Israel and all it stood for in God’s plan. Loyalty matters because it is a basic attribute of God’s own character. And as any Father would, God delights in seeing himself reflected in His children: in you… in me… in David.

The Importance of Loyalty

God’s plan is to grant everlasting life, position, and authority to those who are in Christ at His return. Does it make sense that He would give all that to someone who does not demonstrate the character trait of loyalty?

How do you prove your loyalty except through a life of temptation, trial, testing, even suffering?

Consider your own life experiences: how would you ever REALLY know your friend is loyal except by seeing and experiencing what he or she does when they have compelling reasons not to be loyal? Loyalty is proved in response to challenges.

The Loyalty of David

I found loyalty abstract and difficult to define. God helps us understand concepts through the written example of others… such as the example of David. One way we learn about David’s loyalty is through the contrast drawn between him and Saul.

• David was loyal and devoted to God Himself; did what God asked
• David was a loyal and subject to his superiors; how he treated Saul
• David was loyal to those whom he ruled over; how he treated subordinates and subjects

The same record shows Saul to be a man devoted to himself and his own interests. A man unable to do as he was told. A man of authority ever-ready to throw his subordinates under the bus. Saul was not loyal towards his superior [God Himself was Saul’s superior] nor was Saul loyal to his subjects.

At times we can see ourselves in both these men and ask… Am I loyal? Can God trust me? Does He see me act with loyalty toward the people in my life… my superiors, my subordinates, my peers?

Saul Had The Look of a King

1 Samuel 9:2 Saul was tall and good looking, came from a good family. He was the sort people would naturally look to because people put a lot of stock in appearance. He had a head start and could have been a very effective instrument in God’s hands. But, Saul failed… because he could not be trusted. His first loyalty was to himself.

1 Samuel 15:3 Saul was given specific and important instructions [this was an opportunity to fulfill prophecy. See Exodus 17:14-16, Numbers 24:20].

1 Samuel 15:7-23 Saul failed to carry out the instructions as directed. Worse yet, when confronted with the failure blamed it on the people. He did prove himself to be loyal to the one above him, or to the people who served under him.

Verse 12 Notice how Saul focused on himself [what he accomplished] → verse 15 notice how he blames others  verse 20 allows soldiers to take items devoted to God presumably to win favor in their eyes  verse 23 arrogant in placing His priorities over God’s [now read verses 24-35]

A similar failure happened at Gilgal Saul blames the soldiers, he blames Samuel for being late, he was concerned about how events would affect him [the philistines will come against me] 1 Samuel 13:13-14

The man after God’s own heart who was selected and anointed to replace Saul… was David.

The Rest of Saul’s Reign

God did not strike Saul down, He simply said: your son after you will not inherit the throne. After Saul the kingship would go to David. In this way God showed Himself to be loyal to Saul. God had commissioned him as king… and let him remain king. But He did not add the blessing of a lasting dynasty to Saul.

Saul reigned for many years as king until he committed suicide on the battlefield.

Early in Saul’s reign David had been anointed as his successor. Through what appears to be God’s hand, David was brought into the royal courts where David served Saul as a loyal subject. As David grew in fame as a warrior Saul became jealous and at some point connected the dots… this was the man who would replace him as king over Israel.

1 Samuel 18:6-15 treachery towards his subordinate

Saul went crazy with jealousy. He tried several times to kill David. He sent him on a suicide mission hoping that David would be killed. David had to run for his life and lived in hiding for years. Yet even through those difficult years David showed himself loyal to this man… because of who he was and what he stood for: Saul was still the king of Israel.

1 Samuel 22:13-16 takes out his wrath on anyone who helps David. How could you say Saul was loyal to the greater cause? The cause Saul is loyal to is SAUL and his fame.

David’s Loyalty to Saul

David had every reason, every excuse, and to the carnal mind, every right, to kill Saul first... if he ever got the chance. Beyond pure survival David had an added motive: he would be king in Saul’s place.

David actually had opportunities to kill Saul. But instead of running a spear through his chest, David used both opportunities to try and prove his loyalty.

1 Samuel 24:1-13

1 Samuel 26:8-11, 18-20

David was loyal to the king until the day of Saul’s death. He was aware of Saul’s sins and had every reason to revile him as a man… but when Saul died the first thing David did was write a song praising and expressing thanks for what Saul had accomplished as a military commander and Israel’s king appointed by God.

David Punishes Disloyalty

Some men killed Saul’s surviving son [who could stand as a rival heir to the throne to David]. They figured they had done David a favor and came to collect their prize David wouldn’t stand for disloyalty! 2 Sam 4:10-12

2 Samuel 9:1 note the use of the word hesed [kindness=I will show my self loyal]. David took care of the lame son of Jonathan [Saul’s grandson]. Giving him a place of honor at the dinner table in the royal household. David does this to demonstrate loyalty to his friend Jonathan and the vow he made to him.

2 Samuel 10:1-2 note the use of the word hesed {kindness=I will show myself loyal]. To show loyalty to his allies.

Is There Ever a Reason Not to Be Loyal?

Yes, there is a loophole, an honorable reason that over-rides the Godly virtue of loyalty!

Obedience to God: if a person or an institution ever tries to coerce you into violating the commandments of God. You must go with your higher loyalty which is to God. Just be careful you don’t use this as a crafty way to excuse disloyal behavior.

Examine Yourself For Loyalty

Before you can be seated with Christ. Before you can be granted position representing the family of God, its values, its priorities, and its goals... you must learn [and demonstrate] what it means to be loyal.

For some that means you deal faithfully and loyally with those you have rule over – your wife, your children, your staff at work: For most of us it means you deal faithfully and loyally with those who have authority over you - Are you loyal to your parents? Are you loyal to your boss? Are you loyal to the company you work for?

Are you loyal to God’s Church? Are you loyal to one another?

Conclusion

I found defining loyalty challenging. I came to the conclusion that loyalty looks and sounds a lot like love.