The Alphabet Attributes of God: Faithful King
The Alphabet Attributes of God series is ready to kick back into gear after several weeks of pause due to site issues. This post will be centered on the "faithful king" attribute of God.
Alphabet Attributes of God: The Faithful King
"Crucified Laid behind the stone You lived to die Rejected and alone Like a rose trampled on the ground You took the fall And thought of me Above all" --"Above All" performed by Michael W. Smith. Written by Lenny Leblanc and Paul Baloche
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7EPZV56PuA
God is faithful in all things. Because of the victory on the cross and triumph on the cross over death and sin, He deserves the right to be honored as the faithful king. The song "Above All" portrays marvelously not only the attributes of God, but the rightsof Him.
Since He is holy and perfect, there is none before or after Him that can compete. Throughout the Bible, and in everyday current life, God has always fulfilled His promises. Throughout many millennia, there is not one promise God hasn't kept. His faithfulness is first noted in the Old Testament and is seen as a reminder throughout the New Testament through lineages.
The lasting impression we see of God's faithfulness in the Old Testament through several lineages is with the Israelites. God emphasized they would return to their land, as noted in Zechariah 8:7-8.
"Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west: and I will bring them back and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness.'" Zechariah 8:7-8, NASB.
Other examples of God's faithfulness to fulfill His promises to mankind include the following.
Noah and His Family: Genesis 6:17-18
Blessing Ishmael and his descendants: Genesis 17:18-20
To spare the Israelites if they obey God's commandments: Exodus 19:5
God reaffirmed His covenant with Israel: Psalm 105:10 (contrary to popular belief and interpretation, God is not finished with Israel.)
This is not an exhaustive list as there are hundreds of examples of God's faithfulness. This is merely just scratching the surface.
One Who is Faithful in Little is Faithful in Much
In peace and in war, God has been there before and after the dust cleared and the chips fell. As He is faithful in little (in peace), so He will be in much (in tribulation). We see evidence of this in the following scripture.
Atonement of sin: 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10
Everlasting life: John 3:16 (see also the other three Gospel books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke)
Removal of sin: Romans 11:25-27
Forgetfulness of sin: Micah 7:18-19
Rescue from enemies: Luke 1:71, Psalm 23:1-6, 2 Samual 22:18, etc. (non-exhaustive list)
More on deliverance at these articles below.
God also promises that those who are steadfast in Him, are more than conquerers. No temptation has overcome the world that He has not dealt with or triumphed over (1 Corinthians 10:13) and there is an eternal covenant of protection from the evil one--Satan--mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 3:3.
As God is faithful in the good, He is also faithful in judgement/discipline. God is of order and sin does not escape His sight. In the beginning, after sin entered the world, God invoked judgement through sin that there would be toil on the earth and the earth would be hard pressed beneath the feet. There are labor pains, disease, betrayal, and murder because of sin. The first human murder occurred with Abel at the hands of His brother Cain and his blood screamed out to God. Fast forward a few thousand years, God taught a lesson to Jacob and Esau after Esau's birthright was stolen by Jacob. He rained brimstone (sulfur) on Sodom and Gomorrah, conjured a plague judgement on Pharaoh and his kingdom after He would not free the Israelites and hardened his heart to God and sealed his fate. There are many more examples of God's wrath. Notice here, there is discipline of His followers and judgment upon the nonbelievers. One cannot talk about God's love aside from His wrath. To have righteous love, one must hate what is evil.