ICS Daily Devotions
God Is Faithful

Psalm 78:37-43 (NKJV) For their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant. But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath; for He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again. How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power: the day when He redeemed them from the enemy, when He worked His signs in Egypt, and His wonders in the field of Zoan;

In our modern society, faithfulness or loyalty in a person has become a rare characteristic. At work, few people qualify for long service awards, and in marriage, people have forgotten that it takes faithfulness because the couple has covenanted with each other to be together through thick and thin.

Throughout the Bible, we witness God’s faithfulness with regards to His love and the relationship that He wants with us. From Adam’s rebellion, the story of the prodigal son, the death and resurrection of Christ, all the way to His second coming, we see that God sticks closely to His Word, His Covenant with us and His unconditional love. Unfortunately, while God is faithful, man is often forgetful and ungrateful, which in turn causes them to be unfaithful, and the decisions that we make out of our unfaithfulness to God’s Word, admonition and advice will cause us to face serious consequences.

So, what can we learn about the condition of man from the men of Israel in the Old Testament? Though they knew that they were a people who had a covenant with God, they were rebellious and unfaithful towards the covenant. When Moses was on the mountain with God, they rebelled against his leadership and made a golden calf that they could see and worship. Moreover, even though they witnessed God’s faithfulness and power, they swiftly forgot how God had delivered them from the slavery of Egypt and created a way out of an impossible situation by letting them cross the Red Sea and provided their every need. They provoked, grieved and repeatedly tempted and limited God.

However, God being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them because He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again.

Sermon Series: Faithfulness