LOYALTY
Faithful adherence to a sovereign or government, or to a leader, a cause, or the like. It connotes devoted attachment, the feeling of devotion to something or someone, trueness to any person or persons to whom one owes fidelity.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the adjective hha·sidhʹ is variously translated by the English words “loyal,” “kind,” “holy,” and similar terms. The noun hheʹsedh has reference to kindness, but contains more than the thought of tender regard or kindness stemming from love, though it includes such traits. It is kindness that lovingly attaches itself to an object until its purpose in connection with that object is realized. Such is the sort of kindness that God expresses toward his servants and that they express toward him. It therefore comes into the field of loyalty, a righteous, devoted, holy loyalty.
In the Greek Scriptures the noun ho·si·oʹtes and the adjective hoʹsi·os carry the thought of holiness, righteousness, reverence, being devout, pious; the careful observance of all duties toward God. It involves a right relation toward God.
There appear to be no English words that exactly express the full meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words, but “loyalty,” including, as it does, the thought of devotion and faithfulness, when used in connection with God and his service, serves to give a close approximation. The best way to determine the full meaning of the Bible terms in question is to examine their usage in the Bible.
JEHOVAH’S LOYALTY
Jehovah God the Most Holy One, devoted to righteousness as he is, and exercising unbreakable loving-kindness toward those who serve him, dealing in righteousness and trueness even with his enemies, is eminently dependable. It is said of him: “Great and wonderful are your works, Jehovah God, the Almighty. Righteous and true are your ways, King of eternity. Who will not really fear you, Jehovah, and glorify your name, because you alone are loyal?” (Rev. 15:3, 4) Loyalty to righteousness and justice as well as love for his people prompts him to act in judgment, about which an angel was moved to say: “You, the One who is and who was, the loyal One, are righteous, because you have rendered these decisions.”—Rev. 16:5; compare Psalm 145:17.
Jehovah is loyal to his covenants. (Deut. 7:9) Because of his covenant with his friend Abraham he exercised long-suffering and mercy for centuries toward the nation of Israel. (2 Ki. 13:23) Through his prophet Jeremiah he appealed to Israel: “‘Do return, O renegade Israel,’ is the utterance of Jehovah. ‘I shall not have my face drop angrily upon you people, for I am loyal.’” (Jer. 3:12) Those who are loyal to him can rely fully on him. David, in prayer, asked for God’s help and said: “With someone loyal you will act in loyalty; with the faultless, mighty one you will deal faultlessly.” (2 Sam. 22:26) In an appeal to the people, David asked them to turn away from what is bad and do what is good, “for,” he said, “Jehovah is a lover of justice, and he will not leave his loyal ones. To time indefinite they will certainly be guarded.”—Ps. 37:27, 28.
Those who are loyal to Jehovah can count on his closeness and his help to the very end of their faithful course, and can rest in full security, knowing that he will remember them no matter what situation arises. He guards their way. (Prov. 2:8) He guards their lives or souls. (Ps. 97:10) He counts the death of those loyal to him precious, for they have died, not merely as sinners dying on account of Adam’s sin; rather, theirs is a death of integrity in answer to Satan’s challenge of God’s sovereignty.—Ps. 116:15.
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ when on earth was greatly strengthened in the knowledge that God had caused to be foretold of him that, as God’s chief “loyal one,” his soul would not be left in Sheol. (Ps. 16:10) On the day of Pentecost, 33 C.E., the apostle Peter applied this prophecy to Jesus, saying: “[David] saw beforehand and spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he forsaken in Hades nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God resurrected, of which fact we are all witnesses.” (Acts 2:25-28, 31, 32; compare Acts 13:32-37.) The Expositor’s Greek New Testament, in a comment on Acts 2:27, says that the Hebrew word hha·sidhʹ (used in Psalm 16:10) denotes not only one who is godly and pious, but also one who is the object of God’s loving-kindness.
LOYALTY REQUIRED BY GOD
Loyalty in his servants is required by Jehovah. They must copy him. (Eph. 5:1) The apostle Paul tells Christians that they “should put on the new personality which was created according to God’s will in true righteousness and loyalty.” (Eph. 4:24) In recommending prayer in the congregation, he says: “Therefore I desire that in every place the men carry on prayer, lifting up loyal hands, apart from wrath and debates.” (1 Tim. 2:8) Loyalty is one of the qualities essential in qualifying a man for appointment to the office of overseer in the congregation of God.—Titus 1:8; see KINDNESS.