“Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?” – FBC Morning Light (5/17/2023)

Well, good Wednesday morning. Today we're in 2 Samuel chapters 3 and 4, reading those a couple of chapters, as well as Acts chapter 9, story of the conversion of Saul, and Psalm 98. I'm very tempted to spend time talking about Saul's conversion and how that was holy and completely of God's sovereign grace, as salvation always is.

Loyalty to the Lord Versus Loyalty to People

But I want to look at 2 Samuel chapter 3. There's an interesting statement that is made by one of Saul's chief warriors that is really indicative of an interesting problem. Let me give you a little background.

So King Saul is now dead. He was killed in battle at the end of 1 Samuel chapter 31. But he had a warrior, the head of his army, actually, by the name of Abner. And when Saul died, Saul's son Ish-bosheth was considered to be the heir to the throne, except for the fact that David had been anointed king.

Well, anyway, Abner maintained his loyalties to Ish-bosheth, and he was very instrumental in leading battles against David's men. And you remember in the earlier chapters, chapters 1 and 2, Abner was responsible for the death of one of Joab's brothers.

Joab was the leader of David's army. So here's this man, Abner, being loyal to Saul's house and to the kingdom of Saul by showing that loyalty to Ish-bosheth. But then there comes a conflict between Ish-bosheth and Abner.

Allegedly, Abner took one of Saul's concubines and took her to the bedroom. This is a story that came to Ish-bosheth anyway, and so Ish-bosheth confronts Abner with this. He says in verse 7, says Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah.

So Ish-bosheth said to Abner, why have you gone into my father's concubine? Why have you had sex with my father's concubine? What do you think you're doing? And Abner became angry at the accusation. Now, on one hand he doesn't deny it, on the other hand he doesn't affirm it, he just gets angry with the confrontation, which kind of indicates that he's probably guilty.

But anyway, Abner responds and says, am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul, your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David, and you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman?

Okay, so clearly Abner's upset. He has been loyal to Ish-bosheth, loyal to the house of Saul, and now he's had he's got to deal with his accusation. But what's interesting is what comes next, what he says next.

In verse 9 of chapter 3, he says, may God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David as the Lord has sworn to him, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah.

You get the significance of that? Abner has known all along that it is God's will and God's plan to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul to David. Abner knows that, and yet in spite of what he knows, he maintains loyalty to the house of Saul.

Now here's the question for us. Where do our loyalties lie? Do they lie with man, or with the Lord and his will? Now, thankfully, many times it is the Lord's will that we are loyal to certain people, certain individuals.

We are to be loyal to our marriage covenant. We are to be loyal to our parents, our spouse, our friends. We're to be loyal. We're to be loyal people. But here's the thing, we're to be loyal to our country.

But here's the thing, when loyalty to any one of these entities would mean that I have to betray or deny God's will, or work against God's will, then that loyalty is misplaced. My loyalty must first and foremost be to the Lord and His will.

And if that means I have to go against some friend, go against some political, you know, machination to keep my loyalty to Christ, then I need to maintain my loyalty to the Lord. Where do our loyalties ultimately lie?

That's our question for today. And so, our Father, I pray today that our loyalties would truly lie with You, first and foremost. Even as Christ said, we need to love Him more than we love a mother, father, wife, children, family.

Our love for You and our loyalty to You must be supreme. May it be so today, we pray, in Jesus' name, Amen. All right, well listen, have a good rest of your Wednesday. Hope the Lord will bless you, and a good day.