The Lord is a merciful and gracious God, rich in kindness and fidelity. It did not take long after the unanimous declaration by the Israelites that they would observe the commands of the Lord (cf. Exodus 19:7-8) for them to break their word. The people were quick to forget that they had given God their word that they would not forget their identity and how God had fought on their behalf. They forgot about the Lord their God. It was a heartbreaking moment for the Lord and in the heat of the moment, he wanted to obliterate them. But Moses interceded for the people as he reminded God of what constituted the Lord’s ‘greatness’: mercy, kindness, compassion, slowness to anger, and fidelity to his word. Moses’ imploration worked, for the Lord relented of the harm he had planned to inflict upon the people (cf. Exodus 32:14).
Faithfulness is a quality of God that is most often overlooked or not given a second thought. This might be due to the fact that God owes us nothing, that it is creation that owes God ‘something.’ Moreover, it is always assumed that fidelity makes sense in a situation where both parties are ‘equals’ (husband and wife, contracting partners). Since God is not our ‘equal,’ then it would make very little sense to talk of fidelity on the side of God.
God’s fidelity is not dependent on equity or sense of obligation. God’s fidelity comes out strongly in God’s forgiving acts towards creation. As a partner in the covenants God has often made with humanity, it is God who has always been treated unfairly. Time after time, humanity has broken her promise of observing the terms of the covenant. And each time, God has come through for humanity, forgiving her and obliterating her mistakes. It is God’s fidelity that forms the basis of God’s other qualities.