What is loyalty in the Bible?

The Gadites, courageous men of war, separated themselves to David (1 Chr. 12:8-15). The children of Benjamin and Judah committed themselves to David, "Thine are we, David, and on they side, thou son of Jesse" (v. 16-18). T o be separated to David meant separation to him and his interests and separation from Saul and his interests. A very serious and deliberate decision to make. To be committed to David meant the acknowledgement of his complete control over them. These two features are indispensable for an army. Soldiers who have no interests but those of their commander in chief, and who are loyal to his commands, constitute an army that will be formidable in battle. Transfer these principles to believers who follow the Lord Jesus and they present encouragement and also a challenge. When believers in Jesus, the Son of God, were baptised in the early days of the church, they virtually said "If we are Jews we are finished with all that is connected with the synagogue. If we are Gentiles we are finished with all that is connected with pagan myth and idolatry. We are baptised to Christ and desire to live for His interests solely". What was true then is true today. Every baptised person is responsible to rightly support the interests of Christ. Such soldiers of Christ should have no entanglements (2 Tim. 2:4). How many interests interfere with Christ's interests? Too many, perhaps. Separation to Christ is a great honour and privilege. It is also a great and solemn challenge. To confess Jesus Christ as Lord brings salvation to the confessor but it also brings a very great responsibility. When Jesus is confessed as Lord it means that He alone has authority over us and there are no other lords to whom we give our loyalty. He is our "One Lord" (Eph. 4:5; 1 Cor. 8:5-6). How many loyalties interfere with loyalty to Christ? How much better to be positive soldiers of Christ and in single minded separation and loyalty to Him to serve Him as enabled by the Holy Spirit and in obedience to the Word of God. This will involve our time and talents and bring testings and trials but will earn the Commander's thanks. "Well done, good and faithful soldiers".

Ittai's test was regarding his loyalty to a person — to David, who was in rejection; a usurper, his own son Absalom, had seized the throne. It would appear that Ittai had not long been connected with David, but quite evidently David had won his affections. He was a "stranger" and an "exile," but he was marked by absolute loyalty to his rejected king. As the opportunity of returning from following David is put before him we hear his words of true committal, "As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be." Notice that he puts death first; his devotion to David was such that even death itself would not deter him from completely following his rejected king.

One will put family connections, the natural and right dislike of bringing in disunity in his family, among those closely related, such as husband and wife, parent and child, etc. Such put family feelings before loyalty to the Lord! Should that be? Should the Lord not be first?

The path of the heavenly man on earth is continued. What is to be his conduct as to the government of this world? He is to be subject. He is to regard the powers of government that be, as appointed of God. He is to be far from lawlessness and insubordination. “And they that resist shall receive to themselves judgment” [or, bring guilt upon themselves]. The Christian is to be, of all men, most loyal, even for conscience sake. “Render, therefore, to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”

What course does the child of God pursue? He does not maintain himself by leaning upon the civil power; he acts according to his conscience, and seeks only the will of God; at the same time he submits, and in so doing yields up his body; for his conscience is submissive to no one but the Lord: he cannot serve two masters. Shadrach and his friends undergo their punishment, but they refuse to do what the king, in the exercise of his power, wishes them to do. They do not seek to turn away the king from his plans; they are threatened and punished by Nebuchadnezzar, but they are faithful to their God, and He delivers them. They leave their case with Him. "He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king; but if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods," chap. 3:17-18. There is yet another remark; it is, that even when man is unfaithful (as were the Jews), God never loses his rights. He may confer power on the Gentiles for a time, but He never loses His rights, and, as a consequence, He never abandons His people; as He said unto Pharaoh, "Let my people go." The people of Israel were a subject of controversy between Pharaoh and God. Christians have other hopes, but the principle is always true. Daniel, who had faith, spoke as faith always does; for it sees as God sees. It is true that God had said, "It is no longer my people"; but Daniel speaks always of Israel as the people of God, because faith confesses all the rights of God. If a Jew had faith in the heart, God recognised him in spite of his circumstances; and this is very precious.

Such arguments, if used, carried no weight with these godly men. The test only makes manifest their devoted character. They refuse to be directed by mere expediency, or the dictates of human reason, and will enter into no compromise. They do not forget that, in spite of the failure of Israel, and though suffering under the chastening of God, they are still the people of the true God to whom they owe whole-hearted allegiance. They are rightly prepared to submit to the Gentile king, but they will not disobey the word of their God.

Here lies the whole question, in all its weight and magnitude. The ties of natural relationship, with all the claims, duties, and responsibilities arising out of such ties, will ever get their proper place, their due respect, from those whose hearts, and minds, and consciences have been brought under the adjusting power of the truth of God. Nought save what is really due to God and His Christ should ever be suffered to infringe those rights which are founded upon natural relationship. This is a most necessary and wholesome consideration, and one which we would particularly press upon the young Christian reader. We have ever to be on our guard against a spirit of self-will and self-pleasing which is never so dangerous as when it clothes itself in the garb of religious service, and work so called. It behoves us to be very sure indeed that we are directly and simply governed by the claims of God when we disregard the claims of natural relationship. In Levi's case, the matter was as clear as a sunbeam, and hence the "sword" of judgement, not the kiss of affection, befitted the critical moment. So, also, in our history, there are moments in which it would be open disloyalty to our Lord Christ to hearken, for one instant, to the voice of natural relationship.

The break-down of these truly excellent saints is recorded for our instruction. Perhaps there is nothing that so hinders full loyalty to Christ as natural affection. We find it so difficult to give Him the place of absolute supremacy in our hearts and lives. Levi is specially commended in Deuteronomy 33:8-11 because in the day of the golden calf he "said to his father and mother I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren nor knew his own children." In Luke 14:26, the Lord Jesus points out a similar path for all who would be His disciples. The natural must be subservient to the spiritual if we would follow Him. The rejected One — our God in "the likeness of sinful flesh" laid it down emphatically, "He that loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me." (Matt. 10:37). What a test for our hearts!

The Lord said, "He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me" (Matt. 10:37) and again, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26). In these words the Lord declared the condition of discipleship. This condition was based upon the acknowledgment of His authority as paramount and absolute. No human tie should have a superior claim to that of the Lord Jesus. And in the utterances quoted, He contemplated a case where family authority sought to override His word as Master. Even in national government parental claims or filial responsibilities are not allowed to absolve a subject from allegiance to the Crown, or to screen a criminal from retributive justice. Must the Lord of all ask less than this from the subjects of His kingdom? If patriotism demands that a man shall leave all to serve his country, who should complain when the Master calls His disciples to leave all to serve Him?

That there may be no mistake, we may ask in a definite form, Is there any limit to the obedience which a parent may require from his children? We have already alluded to this; but the subject is so important that it seems advisable to enter upon it more fully. The words, then, "in the Lord," and "well pleasing in the Lord," define, as we judge, both the nature and the limit of children's obedience to their parents; that is, in the first place, obedience never acquires its proper character unless the Lord Himself is the object before the mind. It must be done as unto Him — unto Him who gives both the parents and the children their relative positions. In the second place, unless the action required can be done in the Lord, it is not binding. If a command be given by a parent to a child which cannot be obeyed with a good conscience before the Lord, then it is not of force in His presence. This principle is constantly affirmed in the Scriptures. Thus we are enjoined to "be subject unto the powers that be;" but when Nebuchadnezzar commanded Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to fall down and worship the golden image which he had set up in the plain of Dura, they replied, "We will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Dan. 3:14-18.) Peter and John also, when forbidden to speak at all, or teach in the name of Jesus, answered, "Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye." (Acts 4:18-19.) While therefore God confers authority upon men in the different relationships of life, He never abdicates His own, or suffers any human claim to limit His own supremacy. The Lord Jesus thus said, "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." (Matt. 10:37; see also Luke 14:26.)