A Forgotten Word
May 15, 2009

“But the noble man devises noble plans, and by noble plans he stands.” – Isaiah 32:8

Nobility. It’s a little-used word nowadays. To be noble is to “have high moral character.”

Here is Isaiah, we see three important points about nobility:

God’s people should have noble characters. That means that we should be above reproach, as Daniel was when “the commissioners and satraps began trying to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to government affairs; but they could find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption, inasmuch as he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him” (Daniel 6:4).

God’s people should have noble actions. “The noble man devises noble plans” – nobility goes beyond who we are into what we do. Character always results in action. Action always reveals character.

God honors nobility in his people. The noble man stands. He is made strong, sure, and steadfast by his high moral values and his reliance on God. We can be sure of God’s favor when we seek to demonstrate noble character.

• Who do you personally know who demonstrates noble character and noble action? Spend time considering their defining attributes.
  
• How do you and your actions compare to the definition of nobility? Is there any area – of character or action – that you need to work on? If so, how will you proceed to effect change in that area?