In a modern world with a crisis of trust, loyalty is an increasingly fragile value that is often seen as obsolete. News of broken political promises or personal bonds fractured by betrayal is a daily sight. Loyalty seems like a rare commodity that is lost to the pragmatism of momentary interests. But in the midst of this fragility, Psalm 78 is a reflection that humans often fail to keep promises, but God remains steadfast in His covenant. God's faithfulness is not an abstract idea, but a historical reality that the people of Israel experienced throughout their journey, from Egypt, to the wilderness, to the promised land.

Asaph reveals a recurring pattern of the people rebelling, forgetting God's power, and even "tempting God" (verse 41). This unfaithfulness is not just a moral weakness, but a crisis of faith memory. When people forget God's work, they slip into rebellion; when they remember, their direction is restored. Faith memory is key to understanding that faithfulness is not just an action, but also a waking consciousness. As the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur once alluded to, that "identity is formed through memory," so too the faithfulness of the people only lasts to the extent that they remember the love of God who was faithful first.

Section 43 & 55 then highlights God's work through the plagues in Egypt. It is interesting that the list of plagues here is not identical to the Book of Exodus, as the emphasis is not on historical chronology, but on the theological message: God is sovereign over creation and the Egyptian gods are helpless before Him. The changing river, the locusts that destroy the harvest, the darkness that covers the land, and the death of the firstborn. All these are signs that the work of liberation comes from a God who is faithful to His covenant. This faithfulness is never conditional on the obedience of the people, but is rooted in God's own love and commitment. Here we learn that divine faithfulness is the foundation that sustains the continuity of salvation history.

Friends of the Bible, at the end of this section we have a beautiful picture of God as the Shepherd who leads Israel "like sheep" (verse 52), protects them from enemies, leads them through the sea, and brings them into the promised land. This is the proof of faithfulness that is manifested in concrete actions, not just words. So, in our lives that are often easily shaken, we are invited to emulate God's faithfulness. Be faithful to relationships even when the world teaches us opportunism; be steadfast in integrity even when compromise seems easier; and be rooted in faith even when the temptation to forget God is strong. By remembering and living out God's faithfulness, we are enabled to bear witness to the covenant that continues to live on in the midst of this world.