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Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. -Deuteronomy 7:9(NIV)

We turn now to another of God's moral attributes associated with His holiness-His faithfulness. There is also no doubt a connection between His faithfulness and His love, but because His faithfulness is His integrity, we say it is associated with His holiness and righteousness. A number of texts may be cited which declare that God is faithful:

For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. (Psalms 33:4)

I will sing of the Lord's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself. (Psalms 89:1,2)

Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures. (Psalms 119:89,90)

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22,23)

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. (1 Corinthians 1:9)

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. (1Thessalonians 5:23,24)

If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. (2 Timothy 2:13)

So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. (1 Peter 4:19)

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. (Revelation 19:11)

What does God's faithfulness mean? It means He is dependable, trustworthy, consistent, that He does not fail nor forsake His own, that He keeps His promises and commitments, that He is not forgetful nor fickle, variable, or changeable. All of these ideas are expressed in Scripture in connection with God's faithfulness.

We may readily see what other attributes of God are connected to His faithfulness. 1) His righteousness; it would be wrong for anyone to fail to keep his promises or commitments, to forget about them or change one's mind concerning them. Others depend upon commitments and promises we make to them and when we do not follow through on them, we fail them and do them wrong. 2) His patience; many times people change and forsake their commitments because they are impatient. They cannot remain steadfast through the "thick and thin" of a relationship or commitment, but God is faithful because He is patient. 3) His immutability; this is the word most commonly used for God's unchangeableness. Often in the study of His attributes, this is given separate treatment, but we include it here as an aspect of His faithfulness. People change because they are ever in the process of becoming more of what they should be or ever in the process of becoming worse, whichever the case may be. But God is perfect and unchangeable; He neither grows older, nor wiser, nor more mature, nor better, and certainly not worse.

"I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed." (Malachi 3:6)

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17)

4) God's faithfulness is connected to His omnipotence. Sometimes people fail to keep a promise or commitment, not because they forget or abandon it but because they are unable to keep it. Something comes up to prevent them from following through on it. But God never has this problem, because He has all power. He never lacks the ability to carry out what He has committed Himself to doing. 5) His goodness; God keeps His promises and commitments because He desires to demonstrate that His is good. 6) His love; He loves His own and out of His great love He is careful to be faithful to them. 7) His truth; this attribute is also often dealt with separately, but again we include it here as an aspect of His faithfulness. Sometimes in Scripture, as in Revelation 19:11 above, His faithfulness and truth are put together: "[He] is called Faithful and True." We ourselves commonly use these adjectives together as synonyms. When one fails to keep a promise or commitment, he is, in effect, guilty of lying. But God cannot lie, which is the same as saying that He is faithful. Notice in the following verses that God is called the God of truth and that there is a connection between His truth, righteousness, unchangeableness, faithfulness, and the fact that He will not lie:

Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth. (Psalms 31:5)

For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. (Psalms 33:4)

"I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right." (Isaiah 45:19)

Whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the God of truth; he who takes an oath in the land will swear by the God of truth. For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes. (Isaiah 65:16)

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19)

"He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind." (1 Samuel 15:29)

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness-a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time. (Titus 1:1,2)

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. (Hebrews 6:18)

We may well contrast, as Scripture often does, God's faithfulness with man's unfaithfulness-his fickleness, mutability or changeableness, forgetfulness, undependableness, untrustworthiness, lying, etc.:

Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find? (Proverbs 20:6)

Not a word from their mouth can be trusted; their heart is filled with destruction. Their throat is an open grave; with their tongue they speak deceit. (Psalms 5:9)

Because God is a faithful God, His word is called the faithful word or message or saying, meaning that it is true, trustworthy, dependable, and sure:

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9)

Scripture tells us that God is faithful to each of these things: His promises, His covenants, Himself, His people, His servants, and those who seek Him, look to Him, and depend upon Him. God's faithfulness was expressed (and continues to be expressed today) to His people Israel in many ways throughout their history especially as not forgetting His covenant and promise but fulfilling them:

"I am with you and will watch over you [Jacob] wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (Genesis 28:15)

For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath. (Deuteronomy 4:31)

"Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. But just as every good promise of the Lord your God has come true, so the Lord will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has destroyed you from this good land he has given you." (Joshua 23:14,15)

"O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below-you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. You have kept your promise to your servant David my father; with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled it-as it is today." (1 Kings 8:23,24)

"Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses." (1 Kings 8:56)

He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations. (Psalms 105:8)

He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations. The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness. He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever-holy and awesome is his name. (Psalms 111:5-9)

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. (Psalms 145:13)

"This is what the Lord says: 'If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, then my covenant with David my servant-and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me-can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.'" (Jeremiah 33:20,21)

I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord. (Hosea 2:19,20)

Often His faithfulness is expressed as assurance that He will not fail nor forsake His people:

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you....The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:6,8)

No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua 1:5)

Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem. (Ezra 9:9)

"But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, 'This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,' or when they committed awful blasphemies. Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take." (Nehemiah 9:16-19)

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. (Psalms 9:10)

For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off. (Psalms 37:28)

David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished." (1 Chronicles 28:20)

"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them." (Isaiah 41:17) "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." (Isaiah 42:16)

But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." (Isaiah 49:14-16)

The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame. (Zephaniah 3:5).

And while God will not fail us nor forsake us, we find in Scripture that all else-relatives, strength, courage, parents-may:

My kinsmen have gone away; my friends have forgotten me. (Job 19:14)

My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak. (Psalms 31:10)

My heart pounds, my strength fails me; even the light has gone from my eyes. (Psalms 38:10)

For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. (Psalms 40:12)

Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. (Psalms 143:7)

Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. (Luke 21:26)

Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. (Psalms 27:9,10)

One metaphor for God found repeatedly in Scripture that illustrates His faithfulness most clearly is that He is the "Rock," the only rock; that is, He is massive, strong, and secure, the only truly stable thing that does not move or shift, a solid foundation upon which to place our trust. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament says:

Rock, by reason of its magnificence and hardness, affords many metaphorical uses....The gods of the nations are called a rock (Deut.32:31,37); to them are attributed qualities of strength and reliability....Yahweh himself is many times called a Rock....He is a sure source of strength and he endures throughout every generation....He is a strong refuge in which his people may take shelter from any difficulty. In distress the psalmists cry out to Yahweh so that they may experience the security of his steadfast endurance (Ps.27:5; 28:1)....The man who relies on God as his Rock will not be greatly moved (Ps.62:2,6,7). (Harris, Archer, and Waltke, eds.; Moody:Chicago; 1980, Vol.2, p. 762)

Here are a few of the references to God as the Rock:

He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he....Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; filled with food, he became heavy and sleek. He abandoned the God who made him and rejected the Rock his Savior....You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth. (Deuteronomy 32:4,15,18)

How could one man chase a thousand, or two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, unless the Lord had given them up? For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede. (Deuteronomy 32:30,31)

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold....For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?...The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! (Psalms 18:2,31,46)

O Lord, are you not from everlasting? My God, my Holy One, we will not die. O Lord, you have appointed them to execute judgment; O Rock, you have ordained them to punish. (Habakkuk 1:12)

"Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." (Isaiah 44:8)

Because God is infinitely trustworthy, we should have no problem putting our trust in Him. Faith is a reliance upon His faithfulness, while unbelief is an ignorance of or a failure to properly consider it. It is difficult to trust someone who is not trustworthy, but it is a natural thing to trust one who is utterly trustworthy. In fact, in the ultimate sense, only God is trustworthy. Thus the Scriptures are full of admonitions to trust Him and reminders of the folly of trusting man:

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (Psalms 20:7)

In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed. (Psalms 22:4,5)

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me. No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse. (Psalms 25:1-3)

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. (Psalms 28:7)

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this. (Psalms 37:3-5)

I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. (Psalms 40:1-4)

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. (Psalms 62:5,6)

My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Selah (Psalms 62:7,8)

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." (Psalms 91:1,2)

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes [or, as we would say today, government or elected officials]. (Psalms 118:8,9)

Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. (Psalms 146:3,4)

This is what the Lord says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:5-8)

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal. (Isaiah 26:4)

So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." (Isaiah 28:16)

This is what the Lord says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:5-8)

He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe. (Proverbs 28:26)

As it is written: "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (Romans 9:33)

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (Romans 10:11)

For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (1 Peter 2:6)

I like what Hebrews 11:11 says of Sarah:

Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. (KJV)

This stands in sharp contrast to all the popular mind science principles being preached as faith today and all the things they say you have to believe in order to get answers from God. This text reveals the simple key to faith-"considering Him faithful who has promised."

If we put our trust in Him, He will not fail us because He is faithful to keep His Word. If we stand by Him, He will stand by us. On the other hand, if we deny Him, He will deny us (2 Timothy 2:12). If we refuse to obey Him and go our own way instead, we may be just as sure that He will destroy us, for He is just as faithful to His threats as He is His promises. Joshua, in his farewell address to the people of Israel, said:

"Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. But just as every good promise of the Lord your God has come true, so the Lord will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has destroyed you from this good land he has given you. (Joshua 23:14,15)

We have a choice, either to trust God and obey Him and be saved by His faithfulness, or to defy Him and be destroyed. Which will it be?

Until next time, may God help each one of you to make the right choice.

Leon Stump, Pastor of Victory Christian Center

Background from Greenfield Graphics.