SHIFTING ALLEGIANCE

 2 Kings 8:1-9:13; Acts 16:16-40; Psalm 143:1-12; Proverbs 17:26

“… Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah…. He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD.”

“Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and… there was a massive earthquake…. The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul shouted to him, ‘Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!’ The jailer … brought them out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’

“Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.”

We all have loyalties, priorities that cause us to value one person or thing above another. Our loyalties can help us navigate rough waters in the midst of the storm… or they can weigh on us like anchors, chaining us helplessly in place. Most of us know what it feels like to be betrayed, to have our loyalty abused or taken for granted. We are the ones with calloused hearts and introspective souls. We are the withdrawn ones who have decided not to expose ourselves again because the pain of desertion is just too great. So, we have shifted allegiance from one thing or person to… nothing. But if we don’t already know it, we soon will experience the fact that loyalty to nothing is the very worst allegiance of all. It leaves us hard and brittle on the outside, and shockingly hollow on the inside. When the uncertainties and difficulties of life then press in on us from all sides, it is no wonder we implode. Only a true fool thinks they can get by without pledging allegiance to something. All of us have an inbred need to connect. That is seldom the real issue. The real issue becomes what we give our lives to and, as important, how dedicated we remain to the cause.

I once had a legal assistant I liked very much but who was no performer. She was just not dedicated or focused enough to handle the details of her job. The time finally arrived for her “one last chance” talk, one which usually simply prepares both sides for an actual parting of the ways. However, this young lady suddenly caught fire. For the next several years, she was the best legal assistant I ever had. To this day her turnabout is inexplicable, but her talents blossomed and she began to accept and even seek tutelage. I invested a lot of time training her. She eventually announced plans to go to law school. This, of course, would result in a different kind of separation, but it was one in which we both took pride. She thanked me for my mentorship, and I told her how proud I was of her accomplishments, especially having come so far so fast. All was well. I felt a kind of grandfatherly affection as I wrote her a recommendation for law school. Her reduced hours and loss of focus at the time seemed very understandable as part of her transition to life’s next chapter. I was happy to cut her some slack, until she was caught stealing from the Firm to help her cousin work up cases for his Firm while she was still on the clock with ours. When challenged, she was utterly unremorseful. She didn’t care about my recommendation – she had already been accepted to law school. At that point, it became clear that the only thing she did care about was herself. She had not even stopped to consider how the ethical implications of what she had done would compromise her cousin’s practice and professional reputation. Perhaps neither of them cared. But, of course, that wasn’t the point.

Or maybe it was. Maybe the exact point was that, when we shift allegiance to the wrong things, we pollute everyone around us. Having watched his father rule justly and follow God for decades, and having had the chance to compare the corrupt Kings of Israel to his Dad, Jehoshaphat, it seems incredible that Jehoram could have been so misled by Ahab’s daughter into imitating her father rather than his own. But spousal loyalty is a funny thing, sometimes.

On the other hand, there are Christians like Paul and Silas who are astonishingly capable of generating a saving loyalty to Jesus Christ in the hearts of others. This Godly allegiance can save entire households. All it takes is a little sacrifice. And therein is our litmus test. We must avoid at all costs swearing allegiance to anyone who directs our loyalty toward him or her self. Even the best of us is a sadly fallen and weak creature. Declaring allegiance is a dangerous thing when it is directed at anything or anyone other than God. Only the Lord is constant. He is our Rock, and our Foundation. He is Alpha and Omega. And He graciously offers us the chance to be part of His family on a daily basis and no matter how many times we have rejected Him before.

It is time for those who thought they would never trust again to once more shift allegiance. It is time for those who trust in lesser gods or materialism or people to take another look at their loyalties. What, or who, or Who, is truly worthy of our trust and confidence? If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit it’s a very short list. But we also need to be connected to something greater than ourselves. Choose wisely.