Faithful

“I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD.” ~ Hosea 2:20

Look up the word faithful in the dictionary and you will find things like, “true to one’s words, promises, and vows” or “steady in allegiance or affection, loyal, and constant.” You will even find, “reliable, trusted, or believed”, “adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original.” The word faithful can mean many things, but it always points to one thing. Faithful is to be full of faith. When we are faithful in our marriage, we are full of trust, allegiance, and loyalty to our spouse. When we are faithful in our relationships, we are constant, steady, and true. Faithfulness speaks to the way we think, what is in our hearts, and then to how we act.

As we begin to read the Minor Prophets, faithfulness takes on an important role. The Minor Prophets are spread throughout the timeline of the divided kingdom, the Babylonian captivity, and the return to the Promised Land. The Minor Prophets speak loudly about the need to be faithful to God. Covering a variety of situations and circumstances, the Minor Prophets are faithful to talk about faithfulness. Faithfulness in marriage, toward the oppressed, in business, and in work. But most of all, the Minor Prophets call for God’s people to be faithful to God and the covenant that God has established with His people.

As Hosea takes on the mantle of a prophet, God will show how marital faithfulness reflects the faithfulness of God. Both are encouraged, but Hosea is targeting the heart of a people who need to understand their faith in God. Amos will call the people of God at a different time in history, but again, he will show how faithfulness keeps us in the will of God.

Faithfulness is about being totally committed to something. Marriage, honesty, integrity are places we can go, but in order to be faithful in the best way, we must be faithful to God. We must love by His standard alone. We must be true to His word and His will. We must remain constant in our connection to Him. God has always been faithful in His relationship with us.