Everyone in leadership wants to be surrounded by people who are loyal.
In any team, it’s important to have people pulling in the same direction, motivated by the same goal. In God’s family, unity should be the norm – it’s how we are created to be (Eph.4:5-14). In the early church, leaders actively called out divisions that were dishonouring to God (Phil.4:2-5).
But what does loyalty actually mean?
‘A strong feeling of support or allegiance’ says one dictionary – ‘faithful in your support’ says another. Synonyms include: constant, steadfast, trustworthy or on one’s side. It’s a beautiful characteristic – one we need when the task before us is important, one we need when the stakes are high. But we never need loyal friends more than when we are deeply and profoundly wrong.
Come with me, if you will, back to the home of King David. A shepherd boy, chosen by the Lord – able to defeat Goliath, in the power of the Lord – now ascended to the throne, for the glory of the Lord. He was reigning wisely, but then it all started going astray. He saw Bathsheba, ‘took her’, and got her pregnant even though she was married to another man (2 Sam.11). It was a multifaceted horror. Devastating on so many fronts.
At the time, David was surrounded by obedient men. The messengers sent to collect Bathsheba were obedient. They did as they were told and brought Bathsheba to the King. The messenger who called Uriah back from the front was obedient – he followed the orders he was given without question. But despite all their obedience, they each played their part in enabling a grievous sin to take place – they didn’t help David’s rule, they helped him go astray.
Thankfully, David was also surrounded by loyal men. Men who through their actions and words showed David how to lead as God would want.
Uriah wasn’t aware of what David had done. All he knew was that he had been temporarily called back from war. He could have taken that as an opportunity for a spot of self-indulgence – enjoying the luxuries and privileges that his leader was keen he should – but he acted with integrity, not even sleeping in his own bed whilst his men were away from theirs. In his loyalty, in his abstinence, he embodied an exemplary example of sacrifice and integrity. He didn’t do what David wanted, rather he quietly showed David how, as king, he should have been acting – sadly, he paid for it with his life.
Nathan’s loyalty fared a little better, but his loyalty still came with risk. He saw David’s sin and, as a deep act of steadfast loyalty, he called David out. After his carefully-crafted parable of a stolen sheep, the words ‘you are that man’ cut David to the core. It led to the beauty of repentance in Psalm 51. Challenging words spoken by a loyal friend caused David to turn around and come back to the Lord.
There are times when loyalty and obedience are synonymous. When a good leader asks us to undertake a good and appropriate task, a loyal friend will follow, whenever possible. But when a leader’s heart is going (even temporarily) astray, loyalty looks much more akin to Uriah’s quiet integrity, standing up for godliness whatever the cost. Or Nathan’s respectful yet uncompromising determination to call out sin. Doing so is not breaking unity, or causing dissent, it’s the very thing that allows a team to return to the unity Christ has so sacrificially won. It can stop drift and provide a context for restoration.
Loyalty is an attribute we all need in the people around. Leaders need us to be loyal friends. Often that will involve us embodying the strength that togetherness brings: a cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Eccl.4:12). But sometimes it will also involve remembering that wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses (Prov.27:6).
May we all be rightly loyal this week.
