They say that a particularly effective way to avoid or try to keep Alzheimer’s at bay is to do word searches, crossword puzzles and other games that engage your brain. I do not speak of this lightly or bring this to you as jest, because my mother passed away a year ago, February 2021 and had been afflicted with this awful disease. However, I would be amiss if I did not acknowledge for those still living with this or a loved one with this illness, that there are smatterings of funny, even hilarious moments, scattered amongst the long, awful, even sometimes horrifying days. Does the word ‘purloin’ have anything to do with this, no, however, one thing that does come to mind in correlating the two is that you’d better try to live right and keep your spirit bright, because you’d better believe, the ‘whole, unadulterated truth’ of your character comes out when you get old!
Purloining is found in the scripture only one time, in Titus 2:10. “Not purloining but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” Let us look and see what the word itself means according to Webster. “To Purloin: verb: to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of trust: to take from another without right or without detection. Purloiner: noun. Webster also provides synonyms for purloin that are helpful in defining the word: appropriate, boost [slang], filch, heist, hook, lift, misappropriate, nick [British slang], nip, pilfer, pinch, pocket, rip off, snitch, steal, swipe, thieve.
The dictionary also gives an extra ‘Did you know?’ tidbit: “The word purloin features in the title of a famous Edgar Allan Poe story in its past tense form: “The Purloined Letter” was included in Poe’s 1845 Tales and involves the search for a letter that a cabinet minister has stolen and is now using to blackmail the rightful owner, an unnamed woman of royalty. When Poe opted for ‘purloin’ for his story, he was employing a term in use since the 15th century with the meaning “to put away; to inappropriately take or make use of.” The word had earlier use, now obsolete, with the meaning “to set aside; to render inoperative or ineffectual.” An example of purloin in a sentence is: The studio stepped up security, fearing that someone might attempt to purloin a copy of the script for the show’s season finale.” This gives us the general gist of the meaning, that we are going to explore further.
Since this word is only found once in scripture, let us look at the word that he states someone should show instead of purloining. Fidelity. Titus 2:10, “Not purloining but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” This word is also found only once in the King James Version of the bible. The essential meaning of fidelity according to Webster is: “1.) the quality of being faithful to your husband, wife, or sexual partner. 2.) the quality of being faithful or loyal to a country, organization, etc. 3.) the degree to which something matches or copies something else. Full Definition of fidelity: 1a.) the quality or state of being faithful, his fidelity to his wife. b.) accuracy in details: EXACTNESS. The movie’s director insisted on total fidelity to the book. 2.) the degree to which an electronic device (such as a record player, radio, or television) accurately reproduces its effect (such as sound or picture). Synonyms: adhesion, allegiance, attachment, commitment, constancy, dedication, devotedness, devotion, faith, faithfulness, fastness, fealty, loyalty, piety, steadfastness, troth.”
Wow, that was a lot to sift through. Let us just put it into simpler terms. The two words used together are showing what we should be and in turn what we should not be. What we should do and what we should not do. Putting the two words together we in addition to the actual verse; do not purloin, but shew good fidelity, we could say, do not misappropriate, but apply with exactness, or do not be unfaithful, but be loyal, or do not embezzle or steal, but show allegiance and commitment, and so on and so forth. They are antonyms of one another.
The bible verse begins with “Not purloining but shewing all good fidelity.” We must remember to find the context of the scripture to know the who, where, what and why of the instructions. Going all the way back to the beginning of the book of Titus will show you in the first verse who is authoring the book or letter, then verse four reveals to whom it is being written. Paul is writing to Titus! Verse five begins to reveal why he is writing to Titus. He has left Titus in charge of appointing and ordaining elders in the churches in the surrounding cities. He was an appointed ‘district official,’ finding pastors for the various churches that had sprung up. Bishop is another word for pastor and verse six begins with Paul reiterating what he has already told Titus; How a pastor should act, and what would be the qualifications of a pastor. Things they should and should not do. Paul warns that he and his family’s conduct would all come under scrutiny and consideration.
Titus 1:6 to Titus 2:10 which is the verse we are discussing, the admonitions continue. In Titus 2:11 to 14, Paul gives the whys. In chapter 2:15 to chapter 3:11 Paul is encouraging Titus to be strong, teach with authority and not to back down, no matter what others say. Then Paul concludes his letter in Titus 3:12-15 with general greeting and instructions. So, are we saying that our verse is referring to elders, pastors, and bishops? Those in leadership and in charge? Though it would certainly apply to them to not purloin, but shew all good fidelity, our verse is referring to those who are not in the limelight, not in leadership, and those who may think they could get away with a little disloyalty here and a little there. Servants.
Our verse Titus 2: 10 is directly preceded by verse nine which states, “Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again;” Notice the end of the verse is a semi colon. This indicates an incomplete thought or a prerequisite thought that will be followed by a completing thought. Therefore, it would seem to indicate that our verse in continuation, is talking about servants. Servants who are also believers. This puts a whole new spin on things and takes the blame off the leaders for once and puts it right down to where the rubber meets the road.
If you are a child of God, your conduct should not be as those who are unbelievers. Unbelievers, because they have formed a habit or have ignored their conscious to where it does not bother them anymore, as servants, aka employees, of any sort, will often lie, cheat, and steal from their employers. We as employees in any profession should not act in this matter, NOT purloining, embezzling, cheating, stealing, misappropriating funds or information, BUT show all good fidelity, faithfulness, loyalty, commitment, and honor. True Christian character is shown by what you do when you are all alone. As in an office that has no camera or there are not co-workers around all the time to keep you honest or toeing the line. A little number switching here or there is important. Remember that we are always in the presence of the Lord. He is always watching, and it is Him we should ultimately be wanting to please.
Another passage in the scripture bears witness of this, Colossians 3:22-24 states, “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God; And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” Let us not always lay the blame upon the leaders. Even servants are called to honesty, and to be forthright in their dealings. Everyone is a leader to someone, even if it is just our children. Having all good fidelity also comes with wonderful benefits, such as peace and joy, a possible raise on the job, or a consideration for a promotion. Whereas, purloining, comes with a high price tag of shame. Losing your reputation, your job, your peace of mind and your family and friends. Not all servants are purloiners, but all purloiners are servants.
What do you see in the following story? A folktale from Korea, called, The Thief and the King.
“Long ago in Korea, a thief was caught stealing a bit of silk. He was brought before the King. “Your punishment will be a lesson to others,” the King told the thief. “I will not tolerate stealing in my realm.” He sentenced the thief to serve ten years in jail. Alone in his jail cell, the thief hung his head. He cursed the fact that he lived under the rule of an intolerant king. True, he had committed a crime. But ten years seemed unjust. The clever thief paused to consider all that the King had said and done.
The next morning, he asked the jailer to take him to the King. “Ridiculous,” the jailer laughed harshly. “Don’t waste my time.” But each day the thief made the same request. Each day his plea became more urgent, until he finally told the jailer, “I must give the King this precious gift before it is too late.” The jailer’s curiosity won out, and he agreed to arrange for the thief to see the King. When the thief entered the Great Hall, he walked slowly past the members of the Royal Council: The Minister of Defense, the Minister of the Treasury, the Minister of Education, and the Queen. At last, the thief bowed before the King. “Your Highness, please accept this gift,” said the thief. He held out a small parcel wrapped in gold silk.
The King untied the silk wrapping. He almost dropped what lay within when he saw what it was. “Do you wish to make a fool of me?” the King sputtered angrily. “This is not a precious gift,” he cried. “It is a worthless plum pit! Take this thief back to his cell!” he demanded. “Wait, your Highness!” cried the thief. “A tree with golden plums will grow for the one who plants that pit. I must give it away because only a person who has never lied, cheated, or stolen will succeed in growing the golden plums,” the thief explained. “I am sure that your Highness is a man worthy of this gift.”
The King hung his head, remembering how he had lied to the Queen after breaking her favorite vase. “No,” he confessed, “I am not worthy.” “Your Minister of Defense then,” suggested the thief. “He must be a man who deserves such a gift.” The Minister of Defense turned away in shame as he thought of the bribes he had accepted. The thief turned. He held out the pit to the Minister of the Treasury. “Will you accept this gift?” The Minister of the Treasury put his hands in his pockets. He felt the gold coins he had taken from the King’s coffer. He sighed and shook his head.
Walking around the Royal Hall, the thief offered the pit to every person in the room. No one could accept his gift. No one was free from having lied, cheated, or stolen. “Members of the Royal Council,” the thief called out. “You have all lied, cheated, or stolen, yet here you are—free to live as you see fit. I stole a mere bit of silk to wrap my gift for the King. For that, I am locked in a jail cell. Where is the justice in this?” The enlightened King paused to consider all that the thief had said and done. “Go free,” he proclaimed. “You have taken much, but you have given more. Thank you for this gift.”
There are so many lessons in this short story, but it comes down to the fact that we may all be guilty of purloining in some fashion, shape or form, but have never been caught. The one who had been caught had been punished by imprisonment. He felt the punishment was too steep for the crime. However, to the King it as not only a matter of honor, but a high-priced commodity that was stolen. I read it takes 2500 silkworms to make one pound of silk. It is a major undertaking and therefore a very costly, luxury item. The king realized in the end that the lesson they learned was of equal or more value than the silk itself. However, as clever as his idea was, did the servant really change his ways, or just find a way to get out of something by pointing out everyone else’s faults? Did he learn the value of what he had taken and the importance of fidelity? Was he purloining even here in the royal hall?
As servants to humanity or to our jobs we should do it all as unto the Lord as Paul in the book of Colossians urges us, in a good conscious and with a pure heart and motive. Our reward is from God, whether we see it here on earth or not until we get to heaven. If we do all as unto the Lord, we can keep ourselves accountable and loyal to the company or the cause to which we have committed. We want to be known as trustworthy, steadfast, and honest in all our dealings in life. We want to be the one who is loyal and shows good fidelity, no matter how great the temptation is before us or how beautiful and valuable the ‘piece of silk’ might be. To adorn ourselves with the doctrine of God our Savior as Paul states in our verse, is much more preferred than to be a purloiner clothed in the finest silk.