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
上帝是信实的
诗篇78：37-43（NKJV）因他们的心向祂不正、在祂的约上也不忠心。但祂有怜悯、赦免他们的罪孽、不灭绝他们．而且屡次消祂的怒气、不发尽祂的忿怒。祂想到他们不过是血气、是一阵去而不返的风。他们在旷野悖逆祂、在荒地叫祂担忧、何其多呢。他们再三试探 神、惹动以色列的圣者。他们不追念祂的能力、〔原文作手〕和赎他们脱离敌人的日子．祂怎样在埃及地显神迹、在琐安田显奇事。
在现代社会中，信实或忠诚已成为一种罕见的个人品质。在工作中，很少有人有资格获得长期服务奖；在婚姻中，人们也忘记了需要信实，因为夫妻曾彼此立约要同甘共苦，与子偕老。
圣经的从头到尾，我们都见证了神的信实，信实于祂的爱，信实于祂希望与我们拥有的关系。从亚当的叛逆，浪子的故事，基督的死与复活，一直到祂的第二次降临，我们看到上帝谨守祂的话语，祂与我们所立的约和祂无条件的爱。不幸的是，虽然上帝是信实的，而人却是善忘且忘恩负义的，这反过来又导致他们不忠。出于对上帝的道，祂的劝诫和忠告的背弃，我们所作出的决定将为我们招致严重的后果。
那么，从旧约中以色列人的光景来看，我们可以从中学到什么呢？尽管他们知道自己是与上帝立约的人，他们却悖逆并背弃了那约。摩西与上帝同在山上时，他们背叛了他的领导，并造了他们可见并崇拜的金牛犊。更有甚者，即使他们目睹了上帝的信实和能力，他们却很快忘记了上帝是如何将他们从埃及人的奴役中解救出来，并在不可能的情况下造了一条出路，带领他们过了红海，还供应了他们一切的需要。他们激怒上帝，使祂痛心，一次又一次地试探祂，限制祂。
然而，上帝满有怜悯，宽恕了他们的罪孽，并没有摧毁他们，因为祂知道他们只不过是肉体，当一口气消失了，也就再不会回来了。
讲章系列：信实