Faithfulness and love, along with mercy and compassion, are the most characteristic attributes of the God we serve. From Genesis to Revelation, and in the lives of believers through history, he is known as a faithful and loving God who keeps his covenant promises without fail. This faithfulness and love is demonstrated in his relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - the Patriarchs; in his relationship with Moses and Joshua who led the children of Israel into the Promised Land; in his relationship with Prophets like Isaiah, Elijah and Daniel; and in his relationship with Kings like David, Solomon and Hezekiah. The God of Simeon and Anna, the God of Zachariah and Joseph, the God of the Virgin Mary and of John the Baptist, and yes, the God of Jesus Christ and the early Christians, is a God who never goes back on his word, but whose faithfulness is from generation to generation.
God made a promise to Abraham when in Genesis 12:2-3 he said, “I shall make you a great nation. I shall bless you and make your name famous; you are to be a blessing! I shall bless those who bless you, and shall curse those who curse you, and all the clans on earth will bless themselves by you.” The promise was repeated in the form of a solemn covenant in Genesis 17:4-8. The Lord fulfilled this promised when he made the descendants of Abraham prosper in Egypt; when at a time of great distress he responded to their cry and with a mighty hand (against Pharaoh and his chariots), he brought them out of Egypt; when he took them across the red sea in miraculous circumstances, while their oppressors who chased after them perished in the sea; he provided food and drink for them in the desolate desert; and when he led them through the treacherous and hazardous wilderness with a pillar of clouds by day and a pillar of fire by night. It is thus that he brought them into, and made them possess the land flowing with milk and honey which he had promised to give Abraham and his descendants - conquering powerful Canaanite nations and peoples that stood on their way.
Even when on numerous occasions the children of Israel violated the covenant of obedience which their fathers signed with God – when in the desert they murmured, complained and rebelled, God did not abandon his word. Though he punished them for their sins, his mercy and compassion, and his commitment to the promise he had made to Abraham Isaac and Jacob, often made him relent. He raised up leaders like Moses, Joshua, Deborah, Gideon and Jephthah to lead them through perilous circumstances, and at the commissioning of each one of these leaders, repeated his promise of fidelity, constantly binding himself as it were to these people.
When the children of Israel demanded to have a King just like the other nations around them, God raised up Saul, but as Saul proved to be unworthy and disobedient, he found David the son of Jesse to rule over them and consolidate their hold on the land they had inherited. Through Prophet Nathan he made a solemn promise of establishing a ruling dynasty for the house of David. He said, “And when your days are over and you fall asleep with your ancestors, I shall appoint your heir, your own son to succeed you …and shall make his royal throne secure for ever … my faithful love will never be withdrawn from him… Your dynasty and your sovereignty will ever stand firm and your throne will be for ever secure.” (2 Samuel 7:11-17).
Our faithful God did not disappoint when, consumed by righteous anger against the 400 Prophets of Baal who had poisoned the land with their abomination, Prophet Elijah challenged them to a deadly contest on Mount Camel. In that moment of desperation Elijah called, and our faithful God did not let him down. He answered in the form of fire that consumed Elijah’s sacrifice, putting the enemies pitched against him to shame. And when he was in trouble on account of his prophesy against King Ahab and fled into the wilderness, the Lord appeared to him there and offered him consolation. (I Kings 18:20-40; 19:9-18).
The Prophet Daniel also experienced such a spectacular demonstration of God’s faithful love. He was thrown into the Lions’ den for his stubborn adherence to God’s ways when others had succumbed to apostasy. Confronted with the jaws of the hungry lions, Daniel called on God, and the Lord responded. To the utter amazement of his adversaries, the ferocious animals were calm like lambs, and Daniel walked among them peacefully! (Daniel 6:17-25). In Prophet Hosea he showed himself in the form of a long-suffering husband of a habitually unfaithful wife. To be un-faithful, or to abandon his word of promise even in such circumstances would be acting against his own nature. That is why he says through Prophet Isaiah, “Even if a mother should forget a baby at her breast, I will not forget you.”
The incarnation, passion, death and resurrection of Christ were the ultimate fulfilment of the promise made to Abraham and renewed in the lives of believers from generation to generation. Yes, the coming as man of the Son of God is the ultimate expression of God’s love and fidelity. St. Paul says in Romans 5:8, “This is the proof of God’s love for us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Christ revealed God to us as the loving Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, and as the faithful Father whose love is undying for a prodigal son.
We could go on and on with examples or instances of God’s faithful love for his people, as the entire Bible itself could be called a tribute to God’s love and faithfulness, but perhaps we should conclude by saying that God’s nature, his inherent goodness, is the guarantee of his love and fidelity. By baptism, we are all meant to share in God’s nature of goodness and love. And this should be the guarantee of our own faithfulness as Christians!
