Loyalty sometimes comes at the steepest of prices! For some, the cost may seem minimal, but for others it has cost them deeply, dearly, and sometimes completely. Throughout history, the people of God have endured mocking, persecution, and even martyrdom. God offers us the record of many who chose to suffer rather than recant their proclaimed faith in the Creator. Many things have changed since ancient times, but those choosing to walk with the Lord today will likewise see an escalation in all forms of persecution. This tribulation from the world will become increasingly worse as man continues to be influenced by ungodliness. Believers should willingly endure whatever cost loyalty may require by keeping in mind the ultimate price paid when Christ gave Himself for mankind. Though the list in Hebrews chapter 11 has been closed, the Lord continues to track the actions of those loyal to Him.
Sometimes the Bible conveys some disheartening truths including man’s inability to love the Lord during difficult times. Regrettably, believers are easily offended and sometimes even scattered from the Lord because of a lack of resolve. The Lord prophesied in Zechariah 13:7 concerning His followers’ reaction to His rejection. Though the Lord knows the future, consider how this rejection must have grieved Him when it actually transpired. At a time when any faithful disciple should have been loyal to his Master, those closest to the Lord were instead scattered. The One that fed them when they were hungry (Mark 6:35-44), healed family members when ill (Mark 1:29-31), calmed the troubled waters during the storms (Mark 4:37-41), and taught them many wonderful truths was now the cause of their offence.
True loyalty never wavers without sound justification. The book of Revelation reveals that believers in Smyrna were going to face various difficulties such as imprisonment, trials, and perhaps even martyrdom. In the midst of these calamities, the Lord admonished them to be “faithful unto death.” God’s people have always had their loyalty to the Lord tested. If loyalty occurred naturally, everyone would exhibit loyalty. True loyalty is not something a believer possesses in the absence of adversity. Rather, adversity provides the means for loyalty to excel. In fact, it was in the face of the adversity of crucifixion that the Lord Jesus Christ exemplified His loyalty to both mankind and the Father. In doing so, He set forth an example that every believer ought to willingly follow and exemplify.
God expects loyalty from man. He is not interested in “worship” that involves Him being one of man’s many gods. In fact, He adamantly opposed this position within the Ten Commandments. There the Lord admonished His people to “have no other gods before” Him (Exodus 20:3). He then warned them not to make nor bow in worship to idols (Exodus 20:4-5). The Lord earned Israel’s loyalty in many ways, but the Bible specifically points to His delivering them from Egypt. It is important to note that God does not expect blind loyalty from man, but He certainly deserves this type of loyalty. He earned man’s loyalty by being his Creator. Yet His ultimate claim to loyalty stems from His offering to redeem fallen man though man is completely unworthy.
God offered man the greatest statement of loyalty when Christ promised never to leave the believer. The Lord did not promise some type of reciprocating loyalty conditioned upon man’s loyalty toward Him. Rather, the Lord promised He will “never leave . . . nor forsake.” Man’s frailty offers God numerous reasons and opportunities to justify leaving and forsaking, but God’s character overrides man’s frailty. If the Lord promises loyalty, He fulfils that promise without requiring reciprocity. According to 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise.” Once a man is born again, he becomes a child of God and immediately becomes the beneficiary of promised loyalty given to him by the Son of God.
The Bible links together wisdom, knowledge, and discretion to help the Bible student comprehend God’s truths. Today’s passage provides insight into the composition of this connection. When wisdom enters the heart and knowledge is pleasant to the soul, then discretion preserves the believer. Preserve can mean to protect from harm as the context of this passage shows. Those who use discretion are protected from being ensnared by those who have little regard for God or the things of God. Verse 12 indicates that discretion protects the individual from the way of evil men. Verse 16 further reveals how discretion delivers from the strange woman. Discretion implements wisdom and knowledge to keep the believer from unnecessary difficulties that trouble those who fail to abide by biblical principles.
Joseph went through so many trials and tribulations that at times he must have questioned if he had been forsaken of God. Our passage picks up the story with Joseph unjustly imprisoned. Pharaoh had a dream and called the wise men of the land together for the interpretation. All of Egypt’s wise men could not interpret the dream, but Joseph could. God revealed to Joseph the impending famine with detailed information on how to prepare for it. He instructed Pharaoh on how to gather during the time of plenty to prepare for the famine. These guidelines would allow Egypt to survive and even increase throughout the period of famine. Joseph also counselled Pharaoh to set a man over the land of Egypt who was “discreet and wise.” Pharaoh told his servants that Joseph was the only one who could adequately do the task because he was “a man in whom the Spirit of God” resided. Joseph’s acts of discretion not only led Egypt through the famine but also provided for Joseph’s family when they too would come to Egypt in need of food (see Genesis chapter 42).
Most women who receive gold and jewelry consider them treasured gifts. In fact, gold and some jewels increase in value with some being of inestimable value. These treasures have many uses whereby their owners can benefit. Yet, imagine the reaction when a jewel of gold is mounted in a swine’s snout rather than in an appropriate decorative setting. No matter the perceived value of the item, its appeal significantly decreases. The Bible likens this scenario to a fair (beautiful) woman who is void of discretion. The world values outward beauty more than inward beauty though the Bible cautions against this. Today’s passage equates a beautiful woman without discretion to a jewel of gold in a pig’s snout. Discretion is of such importance that God instructed the aged women to teach the younger women to be discreet in Titus 2:5. The problem began where the Bible began – with a story about a woman in the garden in Eden who partook of the fruit based on what she saw and felt. All of God’s people, including ladies, should make their decisions with discretion.
The Bible proclaims that creation was not some type of random accident. Though proponents of the evolutionary theory vehemently disagree, the Bible indicates that creation involved wisdom and great carefulness by a benevolent Creator. Even scientific evidence reveals the truth of order in our world and the universe. For instance, the sun and the moon work perfectly together. The solar system runs its course without catastrophic misadventures. The heavens provide water for the earth and the earth cycles it back to the heavens. This system, far from haphazard, works together in harmony. What did the Lord do in order to ensure this type of perfection? According to today’s passage, the Lord “stretched out the heavens by his discretion.” To claim otherwise is to depict the Bible as false and God as a liar. God wants His people to use discretion in making decisions and clearly reveals that decisions made with discretion yield great benefits for those involved..
Last week’s subject covered the matter of discernment, but this week focuses on another closely related subject—discretion. The word of God uses three forms of discretion: discreet, discretion, and discreetly. A simplistic definition would be to gain knowledge on matters before making a decision and then using wisdom to make the right decision. According to today’s passage, discretion cannot be implemented without attending unto wisdom and bowing one’s ear to understanding. Only through God’s word can one hope to attain understanding, wisdom, or discretion. An individual must make decisions based on God’s word in order to be discreet.
