Are We Loyal?

      Are you loyal? Before you answer please read the rest of my message. In this message I want to show you that the life of Jonathan exemplifies loyalty. Loyalty means that one is faithful to a leader, the government, etc. In 2 Sam. 2:23 after he found out about the death of Jonathan and Saul David has great praise for them. David mentions that Jonathan was slain in God’s high places. What did David mean by this? The distinguishing aspect of Jonathan’s life was his loyalty. He could have followed David but chose to be loyal to his father Saul. He probably knew that it was a suicide mission to follow Saul into battle as Saul had ceased following God and even consulted with a witch. Jonathan was loyal not only to God but his father Saul. Prov. 20: 6 says that “most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find? The word says in 2 Tim. 3::2 that in the last days men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy….

     Are we loyal in our marriage? Did we take the vows seriously? Are we loyal on our jobs? Are we loyal to our friends? Are we faithful to our word, to what we said that we were going to do or does it change with the circumstances? In Psalm 55:12 David said that “it was not an enemy that reproached him; then he could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him; but it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.” He was “knifed’ in the back by someone who he thought was a friend!  The word “reproached” in the Hebrew means to “pull away.” Have you “pulled away” from someone over a disagreement? Has someone “pulled away” from you who you trusted?

      In 2 Cor. 13:5 the word says that we need to “examine ourselves.” Do we examine ourselves to see if we are loyal and not compromise our faithfulness?

      Jonathan really shows his loyalty in 1 Sam. Chapter 14: his loyalty to God and to his father the king inspires loyalty in his armourbearer: God’s people are surrounded by the Philistines and they only have two swords. In. v. 6 Jonathan says to his armourbearer to go against the enemy because the Lord can save by many or few. Again, Jonathan’s loyalty inspires loyalty in his armourbearer because the armor bearer says to Jonathan in v. 7 that he should do all that is in his heart and that he is with him! Again, loyalty inspires loyalty. When God sees loyalty He really strengthens one to do miraculous exploits. In v. 13, 14 the word says that Jonathan and his armourbearer slew 20 of the Philistines. This results in God sending a trembling in the host of the enemy and even an earthquake. This results in the enemy killing each other! Look at how God responds to loyalty. If we are loyal to Him He will be loyal to us!

     In 1 Sam, 18 v. 4 the word says that Jonathan who was next in line to be king takes off his kingly robe and gives it to David. This is true loyalty to God-to recognize when someone is sent by God to take your place and submit to that person! This was probably hard since Jonathan is also qualified but he recognizes God’s calling on David. Remember, as the son of a king, Jonathan is giving his throne to a commoner! We also need to be loyal to God and His will. Jonathan was loyal to David too: when his father wanted to kill David it was Jonathan who warned him as recorded in 1 Sam. 20:34-42. David and Jonathan loved each other so much because they were both loyal.

     So, we can see why David said after learning about the death of Jonathan that Jonathan was slain in God’s high places. He epitomizes loyalty and is such an example to us. 

     Another example of loyalty or faithfulness is Moses: in Num.12:7, 8  God calls Moses a servant who is faithful in all his house and one that He speaks mouth to mouth and not in dark speeches. Also, the three Hebrew children were faithful in the fiery furnace and Daniel was faithful in the lions den. Because of their faithfulness they were promoted. Because they were loyal to God they were strengthened by Him, not to compromise. Also, God said that Caleb followed him so fully that He was going to bring him into the new, promised land (Num. 14:24).

     God really rewards faithfulness: He says in Rev. 2:10 that He gives a crown of life to those who are faithful unto death. He also says in Rev 20:4 that those who don’t receive the Mark of the Beast during the Tribulation will reign with Him for the thousand year Millennium. He also rewards unfaithfulness as when Yahshua told the parable about the talents and how the one who receives the one talent buries it and never gains anything. His talent is taken away from him and given to the one who has ten talents (Mt. 25:24-28).

     But, the greatest example of loyalty is Yahshua in His sacrificial death for us. It all starts in the Garden of Gethsemane when Yahshua tells His Father that He wants to do His will and not His own when facing death. This loyalty is rewarded when His Father strengthens Him to not only survive the thirty nine stripes but to live until thee o’clock in the afternoon when the Passover lambs were killed. This is when He gives up His life for us. He had to fulfill this timing.

      I pray that the Father strengthens us to be loyal in every way to Him in the Name of Yahshua.