Noblesse Oblige

“Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.” (Luke 12:48 HCSB)

For years I’ve heard truckers complain about the way four-wheelers (car drivers) drive. I’ve heard truckers lament, too, that so many problems occur because these four-wheelers just don’t have enough road experience. Truck drivers receive special training and after a few years of driving are considered professional drivers. In one year truckers drive more that most car drivers do in a lifetime. Truckers are required to take special written and driving tests in order to receive commercial driver licenses. A car driver, on the other hand, can buy a large motor home yet isn’t required to have additional training or licensing. When the motor home crosses a white line while turning a corner, the driver is excused for he isn’t a professional; he’s not expected to be able to handle the motor home with that high degree of skill. A truck driver, however, is required to maintain his/her truck within the marked lane, even when it is five-times longer than a motor home.

The trucker is a professional. The trucker is held to a higher standard than other drivers on the road. But this doesn’t mean the trucker a better person than the four-wheeler. It simply means a trucker has a skill and that he/she is expected and required to perform at a significantly higher level of expertise.

Y’shuaJesus said, “Much will be required of everyone who has been given much.” John Gill, in his expository of the Bible, says concerning Luke 12:48, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall, much be required: the more knowledge a man has, the more practice is expected from him; and the greater his gifts are, the more useful he ought to be, and diligent in the improvement of them: and to whom men have committed much, or to whom much is committed, of him they will ask the more; not more than what was committed to him, but more than from him, who has less committed to him; in proportion to what a man is entrusted with, the greater increase and improvement it is expected he should make.”

We are sinners saved by grace, are we not? How do we differ from those we call “unsaved”? We recognize Y’shuaJesus as our savior. We recognize that we are the children of G-d. We are not better, just knowledgeable. And we are accountable for that knowledge. Peter tells us we ‘are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 HCSB)

We are nobility. Much has been given to us. Much is required of us. This brings us to Noblesse Oblige. I found the following explanations in Wikipedia, an information source on the internet. Noblesse Oblige essentially means that nobility performs a service. Whoever claims to be noble must conduct himself/herself nobly, must act in a fashion “that conformes with one’s position, and with the reputation that one has earned.” It suggests noble ancestry constrained to honorable behavior. A privilege entails a responsibility. In the days of of monarchy, being a noble meant that you had responsibilities to lead and to manage, and were not to simply spend your time in idle pursuits. Noblesse Oblige is also belief that the wealthy and privileged are obliged to help those less fortunate.

Today I’m impressed that it is a time for refining. Perhaps a place to begin is to look into the noblesse oblige concerning a child of G-d. We can take a look at other teachings of our Master, Y’shuaJesus, in which He gives guidance on our behavior as Children of G-d. We can look at the apostles’ writings, too. We can discuss the various and differing roles in which we are to be noble, such as father, mother, son, daughter, employer, employee, land owner, business owner, and even the role of a country’s citizen. We can discuss rights, privileges, and obligations; the similarities and the differences; and how scripture guides us.

You are needed in this discussion! I’d like this to be a two-way discussion. Take a look at situations as they occur this coming week and look at ways in which you think–or perhaps could have thought–differently based on your status as a noble child of G-d. Examine events from your past, also. Comment! Share your thoughts. I’d like include some of them into this column in future weeks.

Thank You, LORD for You have granted us the right to enter You Kingdom. Help us live today as nobles upon Earth. In the Name of Y’shuaJesus. Amen

Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. CloudWarmer.