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and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side and the other on the other side; and
his hands were
until the going down of the sun” (Exod. 17:12).
The basic meaning of
$
is “certainty” and “faithfulness.” Man may show
himself “faithful” in his relations with his fellow men (1 Sam. 26:23). But generally, the
Person to whom one is “faithful” is the Lord Himself: “And he charged them, saying,
Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord, faithfully, and with a perfect heart” (2 Chron.
19:9). The Lord has manifested His “faithfulness” to His people: “He is the Rock, his
work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just
and right is he” (Deut. 32:4). All his works reveal his “faithfulness” (Ps. 33:4). His
commandments are an expression of his “faithfulness” (Ps. 119:86); those who seek them
are found on the road of “faithfulness”: “I have chosen the way of
$
&
thy judgments
have I laid before me” (Ps. 119:30). The Lord looks for those who seek to do His will
with all their hearts. Their ways are established and His blessing rests on them: “A
faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be
innocent” (Prov. 28:20). The assurance of the abundance of life is in the expression
quoted in the New Testament (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11) from Hab. 2:4: “Behold, his soul
which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”
The word
$
is synonymous with
%
(“righteousness”—cf. Isa. 11:5), with
(“lovingkindness”—cf. Ps. 98:3,
NASB
), and with
(“justice” cf. Jer. 5:1).
The relationship between God and Israel is best described by the word
(“love”);
but as a synonym,
$
fits very well. Hosea portrays God’s relation to Israel as a
marriage and states God’s promise of “faithfulness” to Israel: “And I will betroth thee
unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and
in loving-kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in
7
7$ &
and
thou shalt [acknowledge] the Lord” (Hos. 2:19-20). In these verses, the words
“righteousness,” “judgment” (“justice”), “loving-kindness,” “mercies,” and “faithfulness”
bear out the conclusion that the synonyms for
$
are covenantal terms expressive
of God’s “faithfulness” and “love.” The assurance of the covenant and the promises is
established by God’s nature; He is “faithful.” Man’s acts (Prov. 12:22) and speech
(12:17must reflect his favored status with God. As in the marriage relationship,
“faithfulness” is not optional. For the relation to be established, the two parties are
required to respond to each other in “faithfulness.” Isaiah and Jeremiah condemn the
people for not being “faithful” to God: “Run ye to and fro through the streets of
Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a
man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh the
$
;
and I will pardon
[this city]” (Jer. 5:1; cf. Isa. 59:4; Jer. 7:28; 9:3).
Faithfulness will be established in the messianic era (Isa. 11:5). The prophetic
expectation was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, as his contemporaries witnessed in Him God’s
grace (cf.
) and truth (cf.
$
): “No man hath seen God at any time; the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). It
is significant that John puts these two terms side by side, even as they are found together
in the Old Testament.