Tag-Archive for » hesed «

Hope-Full

Friday, May 03rd, 2013 | Author:

O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is lovingkindness, and with Him is abundant redemption.  Psalm 130:7  NASB

Hope – How long will you hope?  How long before you run out of patience with the Lord?  How long before your once-exuberant expectation turns to disappointment, then discouragement, then anger?  How long before you exercise the statute of limitations clause on God’s goodness?

The psalmist connects the fifth verse with this verse (see the previous investigation of yahal in Psalm 130:5).  But now the subject is no longer the individual.  Now Israel must hope in YHWH.  The shift is important, as we will see.

Some translations use the English “wait” rather than “hope.”  We know that the Hebrew covers both of these ideas and perhaps we should remind ourselves that hope is exhibited in waiting.  What hope requires is patient, expectant endurance; precisely that attribute lacking in so much of our approach to the Lord.  God answers according to His purposes and men rarely if ever force His hand.  That’s why the rabbis pray, “HaShem, grant me the softness of heart to accept whatever You provide.”  To hope is to learn contentment.

Job provides us with the answer to the question, “How long?”  “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.  Nevertheless, I will argue my ways before Him” (Job 13:15).   How long will Job wait?  Until death.  Actually, do you really have any other choice?  You could insist that God answer you in your timeframe, but do you really have control of the situation?  No, you don’t!  So you make a choice, but the choice isn’t about the time required for God to answer.  The choice is about your attitude while you wait, while you hope.  Job is right.  We all wait until death – if necessary.  But notice that Job does not take this to mean that he does nothing!  He argues his ways before the Lord even though he knows that answer is entirely in God’s hands.  Perhaps if we learned to argue more and wait longer we would discover something important about the biblical view of hope.

And now the shift from individual to corporate.  Why does the psalmist change the subject from “me” and “my” to “Israel”?  Because he introduces us to the term hesed, a Hebrew word without equal that cannot exist alone.  The psalmist is not hoping, waiting for his personal relief because he knows that there is no true relief, no true rescue unless the community is delivered.  Forgiveness is a corporate affair.  Why?  Because forgiveness entails hesed and hesed demands community.  No one can experience fellowship with YHWH without hesed; without relational, reciprocal, transitive action (Go look up hesed).  My hope must be enlarged because it is not my hope.  I am who we are.  Private hope, private waiting on God, removes the required context of hesed.  God is together the God of Israel.  So what about you?  Are you waiting for God like a good Greek individual, or is your hope in YHWH so involved with His others that you can’t survive without them?

 

Topical Index:  yahal, hope, wait, hesed, Psalm 130:7

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God’s Obligation?

Friday, April 19th, 2013 | Author:

 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord.  Lord, hear my voice.  Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.  Psalm 130:1-2  NASB

Hear – “Out of my deepest despair, out of my total helplessness in the face of the darkness of my heart, Lord, YHWH, shim’ah.”  The cry we bring before our God is not a religious appeal.  It’s not an altar call or an appointment in the confessional.  It can’t wait for that!  It is anguish unabated!

“From the blackness of my soul” is the location of this cry.  Until I am in touch with the reality of my sin, I pray.  When I know how far I have fallen, I scream, even if there is no sound at all.  Now I have come to the place where my only hope is hesed.

We notice that this cry is between the psalmist and the personal name of God, YHWH.  The assumption behind the cry is that the voice and YHWH have a mutually obligatory relationship.  Once in the past, the writer experienced the grace (hen) of God’s favor, the gift was accepted and the reciprocity began.  Now distraught and downtrodden, the psalmist asserts the right of hesed to call upon YHWH.  The word should be familiar to us.  It is on our lips often.  Shema.  Hear and obey.  But now the direction is reversed.  YHWH, God of the covenant with me, with us, You hear and obey.  You, my King, my Master, my Lord, You listen with attention to the sound of my supplication – please (implied, of course).  Hesed demands faithful loyalty of me.  I know this despite my failures.  But hesed means that You, my King, have also obligated Yourself to me, and now, in this place of soul-terror, I am in desperate need of Your intervention.  The yetzer ha’ra lies at the door and desires me, desires to possess me and rob me of Your presence for all time.  Its wiles are too clever for me since every barricade I erect is known by the enemy – myself – before it can be put to use. I have defeated myself. I am in need of external rescue.  I bear the cut of the covenant, the mark that tells me You are willing and able.  Now is the day of salvation.

For me to say, “Shema, O Israel,” You must hear my voice.  All that is within me wants to speak the words of blessing to You.  Ha-kadosh baruch hu.  But how, how will these words of praise escape from a mouth sewn shut by corruption unless You cut the bonds.  Return, O YHWH, return to Egypt and remove us from darkness.

“The voice of my supplication, O Lord.  Not my voice since my voice is unable to speak in Your presence.  Rather, O Lord, listen and obey the voice of the silent cry of desolation that dwells still within me.  And bring me peace.”

Topical Index:  hear, shama, hesed, Psalm 130: 2

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The Un-Beatitude

Friday, February 08th, 2013 | Author:

“Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”  Matthew 25:34  NASB

Blessed – If you turn to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, you will find that each one begins with the Greek word makarioi.  This word should not be translated “blessed are” since it is not a verb and it does not carry with it the idea of some favor bestowed on another.  As I have pointed out in my book, The Lucky Life, this word is about a state of bliss brought about by the actions of men.  It is a description of the condition of a person, not a formula for receiving some spiritual blessing.  But when we come to Yeshua’s statement about the final judgment, we don’t find the word makarioi.  Instead, we find eulogemenoi (from the verb eulogeo).  The change is important.  The implications are entirely different than those found in the normal “blessed are” statements.  The problem, of course, is that you don’t even see a hint at the difference when you read the Bible in English.

Eulogeo is specifically associated with the act of showing favor toward someone else.  In the first century, this is typified by the action of a king toward one of his subjects.  The king represents power.  He has the authority to grant or remove privileges or rewards.  In this verse, Yeshua uses this well-known fact about kings and kingdoms to describe the action taken by the absolute sovereign at the Final Judgment.  Since eulogeo is the standard Greek translation of the Hebrew barak, it is often associated with God’s favor.  In this case, the grace and goodness of God is exhibited in the selection of the righteous to eternal reward.  Because the word eulogeo is connected to the Hebrew barak, we recognize that Yeshua undoubtedly used barak when He spoke these words, and that means that He employed a verb that implies that God is the only source of true favor; i.e., that abundant life depends entirely on God’s goodness and faithfulness.

This means that we must look to the Tanakh in order to understand what Yeshua meant, and when we look to the use of barak as an action of God in the Tanakh, we discover that context of the Tanakh is built on the idea that God is the only one who can grant life.  The Tanakh clearly states that He is willing to give life to all who trust in Him.  But that trust is demonstrated in faithful loyalty to Him.  In other words, barak is commonly associated with hesed and ‘emet.  Favor is not indiscriminate.  While the invitation to enjoy God’s favor knows no boundaries, the resulting reward requires reciprocal action.  Eulogeo follows obedience.

Consider the implications of the connection between eulogeo and barak and the statement at the end of this verse.  All of this was prepared “before the foundation of the world.”  This means that the relationship between invitation and reciprocal obedience has been in place since the beginning.  It didn’t change when Yeshua was born.  It wasn’t altered on the cross.  It’s exactly the same connection found in Abraham and in Paul.  This un-Beatitude is eternal.  And it will still be in place when the Final Judgment occurs.  The only question left is this:  how do YOU connect eulogeo with hesed and ‘emet in your life?  If God’s blessing after the Judgment marries hesed and ‘emet, is your walk preparing for the wedding?

Topical Index:  eulogeo, makarios, blessed, barak, hesed, ‘emet, Matthew 25:34

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A Trip to the Market

Thursday, January 24th, 2013 | Author:

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.  James 3:17  NASB

Good fruits – What is “good fruit?”  Don’t spiritualize.  Don’t start telling me about love, joy and peace.  Just tell me what you look for when you buy good fruit.  You’re at the store.  How do you choose what’s good?  I’m just guessing here, but I assume you start with color and turgor.  You test by squeezing (gently, of course), smelling and looking.  But do you know for sure that the fruit is good?  No, in order to know for sure you have to cut into it.  You have to examine it from the inside.  You have to taste it.  Now, why do you go through all this trouble to find the best fruit.  The reason is simple;  you want to eat it and thoroughly enjoy the experience.

James is Hebrew.  His orientation to life doesn’t begin with concepts and ideas.  It begins with the tactile, the sensory, the real stuff of ordinary living.  He knows what good fruit is in the market and this allows him to draw inferences about good fruit in the Temple.  Good fruit fulfills the expectation of its design.  It nourishes.  It sustains.  It provides health.  It does what God intended it should do.  It has the right color, the right texture, the right smell and most of all, it satisfies when it is eaten.

Spiritual good fruit is the same.  It has the right color – the purity of holiness.  It comes without spot or blemish.  It isn’t deceptive (as some fruit in the Garden might be).  It displays on the outside what it is on the inside.  It has the right texture.  It has the feel of conformity to the standard.  Good fruit reflects God’s purposes.  It is Torah-observant.  It doesn’t contradict what God designed into the universe.  It is uniformly the same as its origin.  Good fruit has the right smell; that sweet savor of sacrifice that delights YHWH.  It is offered up in a way that pleases and when it is consumed, it smells of divinity.  And, it satisfies!  Spiritual good fruit fills the needs of others, delights God and produces righteousness in the life of the giver all at once.

Karpon agathon is not self-satisfying.  In other words, the fruit I produce from my life is not designed to feed me.  My fruit is designed for others to enjoy.  The production of peace, joy, love, patience, kindness in me is not for me to feed myself on all these qualities.  The produce of my life is for others so that they may experience the “good fruit” of my offering.  As my friend, John Samuel, says, “This is the fruit that lasts, the fruit that remains.  It is not what I do for myself but what I do for others.”

Wisdom from above shows itself in the four-fold character of hesed and that four-fold character produces nourishment that lasts.  Once again we are confronted with a simple test of personal spirituality.  We are asked to look toward our marketplace, where people come to buy what we are selling.  When they examine the fruit of our lives, what will they find?  What color will they see?  What texture will they feel?  What smell will they discover?  And when they taste, will it nourish?  Will it satisfy?

Topical Index:  karpon agathon, good fruits, hesed, James 3:17

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99 and 44/100th Percent

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013 | Author:

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.  James 3:17  NASB

Full of mercy – The Greek word mestos means “completely full, replete.”  It is not a term that allows qualification.  All or not all.  Those are the choices.  When James says that one of the characteristics of wisdom from above is “full” of mercy, he isn’t saying that it is mostly mercy or partially mercy.  And if we understood “mercy” the way a Hebrew native speaker would understand the word, we will see why eleos (mercy) admits no compromises.

In Greek, “mercy” is eleos.  In Greek thought, mercy is a pathos; an emotion that arises from encountering undeserved suffering in another.  You will recognize this Greek idea in the “passion” story of the Christ.  It is an emotional experience.  The anxiety, agony and physical response we feel when we experience this story is extremely upsetting and it is that disturbance in the balance of life that makes emotions so frightening for the Greek world.  Eleos is life out of control.  Emotion overpowering reason is the worst possible situation.  Greek thinkers do everything possible to avoid these situations.

With this background in mind, it is clear that James cannot be using eleos in the Greek sense of the term.  He uses eleos the way the LXX uses eleos, and that means he is thinking of hesed, not the emotion of mercy.  Over and over, the LXX translates the Hebrew hesed as eleos.  But if this is true, then James is not thinking about emotions at all!  He is thinking about the godly actions of hesed.  Divine wisdom from above produces a life of hesed; a life dedicated to relational, reciprocal, transitive obligation in demonstrable action.  For James, it doesn’t matter how you feel.  It only matters what you do!  (If you want to review all the aspects of hesed, click here).

Now that we have the meaning of the term in mind, we recognize that James is not exhorting us to have some kind of spiritual feelings toward others.  He is simply telling us to go do what God would do, and let the emotions follow.  “Actions, then feelings” is the Hebraic way.  As Greek thinkers, we might be inclined to wait for that moment of inspiration before we take steps.  In fact, we might seek the emotional experience in order to be motivated to act.  But this is backwards.  Do it – and see what happens.  That is Hebraic thinking.  First obedience, then feelings.  James simply informs us that wisdom from above is displayed in hesed and hesed is covenant relationship in action.

Today is another test of your spiritual condition.  It is the test of emotion.  Are you waiting for the right feeling to do the right thing?  Do you ask God to change how you feel so that you will be motivated to do what He asks?  Do you seek the spiritual “high” rather than the obedient routine?  Is God just as real when you feel down as when you are on top of the waves?  Just how Greek is your spiritual condition?

Topical Index:  emotion, eleos, mercy, hesed, James 3:17, mestos, full

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True Religion (3)

Thursday, October 11th, 2012 | Author:

 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.  James 2:10 ESV

Rodney Baker has contributed several TW’s on Religion while I am in South Africa.

Whole – This is a favourite proof text for those who would claim that the Law is no longer applicable to believers under the “new covenant.” “See? If you keep one part of the law, you have to keep ALL of it. Therefore, you shouldn’t even try to keep part of it, because we’re now under grace, not under law.”

If I had $1 for every time I’d heard that, I wouldn’t be exactly rich but I’d sure have enough to buy a meal. And a decent one at that. But that is not at all what James is saying (in my view, anyway). It is easy to take the verse out of context and make it say what we want it to say, but let’s consider the context. James has just finished reminding us of the “law of liberty” (not the law of bondage) which requires that we take care of the widow, the poor and the orphan. Now, no Christian that I know would disagree with that concept. By that logic, should they not then be keeping the “whole law” if they keep even that part of it?

At the beginning of Chapter 2, then James continues to give examples (obviously pertinent to the congregation(s) to which he was writing) about favouring one person over another because of their wealth or social status, (of course, we would never do that in our churches, now would we?) culminating in verse 8 and 9:

James 2:8-9 ESV – [8] If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. [9] But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

James’ point is that, even if you are keeping the law perfectly, if you break one part of it you are guilty of all. Just like today. If you have a perfect driving record, yet you are detected driving faster than the speed limit, you are guilty of breaking “the law” and will be subject to the penalty proscribed under the law. James gives an example in verse 11, and then goes on to say this:

James 2:12-13 ESV – [12] So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. [13] For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Did you get that? Speak and act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. If you fail to show mercy, if you fail to look after those in need when you have the capacity to do so (and you do, because God does), you are guilty of transgressing the law. Show mercy to your brothers and sisters. Meet their needs. If you want to be shown mercy, you’d better be merciful. Remember the parable of the unforgiving servant? I think James remembered that one. Oh, and that word, mercy? I think we’ve come across that one before. In the LXX it is eleos; in the Tanakh it is hesed.

It is not optional.

Topical Index:  eleos, mercy, hesed, James 2:10, law, whole

Rodney Baker, Adelaide

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True Religion

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012 | Author:

“But let the man who boasts, boast of this, that he understands and knows me.  For I am Yahweh who acts in steadfast loyalty, justice, and righteousness upon the earth; for in these things I delight – Yahweh’s word.” Jeremiah 9:24  J. A. Thompson translation.

Delight – How would you answer this question:  What are the minimal requirements of worship?  Jeremiah gives us an answer that probably does not match the list we would provide.  Furthermore, our idea of worship today actually seems to exclude some of the elements that God says (through Jeremiah) delight Him.

The Hebrew hafets covers “take delight in,” “be pleased with,” and “desire.”  It’s important to recognize that this word in God’s revelation to Jeremiah does not simply mean “to gladden God’s heart.”  Hafets includes the idea that this not only pleases God but is also what God desires.  As we would expect, there is an assumed obligation here.  In other words, while a larger range of behaviors might give God pleasure, these particular actions are what God truly desires of His people.  J. A. Thompson notes:

“True religion consists in acknowledging the complete sovereignty of God in life and allowing him to fill life with those qualities of steadfast faithfulness, justice, and righteousness which he possesses, in which he delights, and which he desires to find in his people.”[1]

What is worship?  It is whatever gladdens the heart of God.  And what gladdens the heart of God?  To act with steadfast loyalty (hesed), to do what is just (mishpat), and to bring righteousness (tsedaqah) to the earth.  Let’s amplify a bit.  To act with steadfast loyalty is to follow the instructions God gives for living as His people.  In a word – Torah.  Keeping Torah delights God.

To do what is just is to fulfill what the ruler requires, to make daily practices align with the wishes of the tribal chief, to exercise authority on behalf of the ruler of the people and the judge according to his guidance.  Modern paradigms suggest that justice is a matter of upholding the law, but this is not the case in the ancient Near East.  In Jeremiah’s culture, justice is determined by the actions of the ruler and to do what is just is to reflect those actions.  We might ask ourselves if our behaviors reflect the heart of God.  It would be quite simple to decide.  Look at Luke 4:18-19.  Yeshua tells us what it means to be aligned with God’s heart.  He tells us in actions anyone of us could do.  So, are you doing them?

Finally, righteousness is the action of preserving what matters most to God.  Here is the basis of biblical ethics and morality.  This is also the motivation behind grace, forgiveness and blessing.  A righteousness life delights God because it looks just like Him, no matter what the circumstances.

This summary from the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah calls us to examine our idea of religion and worship.  If these things are missing, what are we doing?  All the praise music, all the discipleship classes, all the tithes and offerings mean nothing without the critical elements that produce heavenly delight.  As the New Testament authors write, “worship” without the delight of the Lord is form without function, religion without the power of the Spirit.

Topical Index:  delight, hafets, hesed, mishpat, tsedaqah, Jeremiah 9:24, religion, worship


[1] J. A. Thompson, The Book of Jeremiah: NICOT, p. 321.

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Hebrew Anagrams

Friday, August 17th, 2012 | Author:

Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not failed in His kindness to the living or to the dead! For,” Naomi explained to her, “the man is related to us; he is one of our redeeming kinsmen.”  Ruth 2:20  JPS

Failed – “Hebrew words suggest each other,” says Eskenazi.[1]  What she implies is not limited to common phrases.  It’s true that we need to pay attention to the connections between similar Hebrew words.  For example, it is no accident that the same word is used to describe both Adam’s unconscious state when Havvah is formed and Abraham’s deep sleep when God establishes the covenant.  The phrase “listened to voice of your wife” in the story of Adam and the story of Abraham is deliberate.  But common occurrences are not the only way Hebrew draws connections.  Some ways are much more subtle.

Tikva Frymer-Kensky points out that the name “Boaz” (b-‘z) is the reverse of the consonants found in the word “abandon” (‘ –z-b).  The author of Ruth loves word games, and this is truly one of the most subtle of them.  Obviously, it can only be seen in Hebrew.  It makes the story about Boaz’ actions even more delightful.

Boaz is the kinsman redeemer.  You might ask yourself why Naomi never bothers to mention this to Ruth prior to Ruth’s encounter with him.  Nevertheless, at this point in the story Naomi confesses that there is in fact a man who can assist them.  The meaning of his name isn’t clear.  It might mean “there is strength in him” or it might refer to one of the two pillars in the Great Hall of the Temple.  But if the character of a man is revealed in his name, then the actions of a man display that character, and in the case of Boaz, we see a man of faith, compassion and strength.  More than anything else in the story of Ruth, we see a man who brings about the blessing of God.  He is the exact opposite of azav (to abandon).  This is the point of the anagram.  Boaz and “abandon” don’t go together.

With this anagram in mind, it might be necessary to re-read the story.  Ask yourself if Boaz doesn’t fulfill each requirement in the chain of hesed while all along crediting YHWH with the actions.  Boaz is the model of a man who does all that he can without thinking he is doing anything more than what is required.  He is the picture of hesed.  And that picture demonstrates what it means to reflect the character of the Most High God in a setting that hardly ever mentions God at all.  The anagram is more than a clever trick.  It is a call to become the living display of hesed in the lives of those around us.  It is turning failure into blessing.

Do you think that God might mix up the letters of your name and produce a demonstration of His character?  There’s only one way to find out.  Do hesed and see what happens.

Topical Index:  abandon, fail, azav, Boaz, hesed, Ruth 2:20


[1] Tamara Eskenazi and Tikva Frymer-Kensky, Ruth: The JPS Bible Commentary, p. 44.

 

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Ruth and Rebekah

Thursday, August 16th, 2012 | Author:

Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not failed in His kindness to the living or to the dead!”  Ruth 2:20  JPS

Has not failed – What does Ruth have to do with Rebekah?  If you read the two stories in Hebrew, you would be struck by the repeated phrase lo-azav hasdo (has not abandoned his hesed).   This phrase is found in the mouth of Abraham’s servant when Rebekah appears at the well (Genesis 24:27).  Eskenazi points out that this phrase occurs only twice in the Tanakh,[1] so it would be hard to miss the connection.  While the pronoun in this verse in Ruth is ambiguous (does it refer to God or to Boaz?), the statement in Genesis is quite clear.  God is the subject of lo-azav hasdo.

This little linguistic link highlights three important points.  First, of course, is the fact that if you read the Tanakh in any other language you will probably miss these exquisite clues.  Just like the name of the Messiah, Yeshua, is only a play on the word “salvation” only in Hebrew (which is why the name “Jesus” conveys nothing about this connection), so we find many, many connections between stories and people only in Hebrew.  The first lesson of lo-azav hesed is that translations fail us.

The second lesson is not so pleasant.  Many scholars argue that Ruth is fiction.  They make this claim because, among other things, they find these Hebrew word connections too contrived to be actual events.  As we study Ruth, we will find many word plays, allusions and clues to other Hebrew verses.  Some scholars consider these indications that the author of Ruth fabricated the story in order to artificially produce these connections.  Ruth becomes a teaching tool, not an actual record of real people.  I don’t agree, but I do notice that even those who challenge the historical authenticity of Ruth recognize these connections.  So how can we who believe the story is real ignore them!  I believe that Ruth reflects a culture saturated with God’s language and God’s history.  It wouldn’t surprise me to find these clues any more than it surprises me to find allusions to American historical events in the cultural idioms of contemporary American English.

The third lesson is a puzzle.  Naomi speaks of God not abandoning His hesed to the dead.  But in what way does God show hesed to the dead?  Even some of the rabbis struggled with this idea.  On this basis, they claimed that the pronoun must refer to Boaz.  But this cannot be the case in Genesis so it seems unlikely in Ruth.  That leaves us with the question, “What is hesed for the dead?”  What does it mean to show benevolence, to take on obligation, to pass on favor to someone who has died?  Perhaps the puzzle of Ruth 2:20 can’t be answered yet.  Perhaps we need to rethink our idea that “dead and gone” is the final act of life.

Topical Index:  has not failed, lo-azav, hesed, Genesis 24:27, Ruth 2:20, dead


[1] Tamara Eskenazi and Tikva Frymer-Kensky, Ruth: The JPS Bible Commentary, p. 43.

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Personal Shuv

Saturday, June 30th, 2012 | Author:

 They broke into weeping and said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.”  Ruth 1:9-10  JPS

Return – Literally this verse reads, “No, it is with you that we return to your people.”  Eskenazi points out that the focus of the women’s concern is Naomi, not their personal plight nor their potential rescue.  They are committed to the relationship, not the results.

This is a good place for us to pause and ask ourselves if we have the same personal relationship burden.  Why do we pursue interaction with others?  What is the motivation behind our reaching out?  These two Moabite women are the paradigm of true hesed.  They are committed to the person.  If we have other motives, perhaps “winning souls” or “bringing them to the truth,” we might need to re-examine our focus.  Even the loftiest spiritual motives fall flat if they are not the result of complete commitment to the other person.  The relationship always comes first.

It’s easy for us to think that we have the other person’s best interests at heart.  With so much spiritual language in the evangelical air, we often think that the primary purpose of relating to others is to make sure they know Jesus and will find their way to heaven.  But I wonder if that actually demonstrates the character of God’s hesed.  Orpah and Ruth have nothing to gain by committing themselves to Naomi.  In fact, their commitment carries considerable risk.  They will be outsiders in Bethlehem.  They will be rejected and possibly abused.  After all, they are the “cursed” Moabites.  The chances of them ever finding a husband, and the accompanying security necessary for survival, are slim.  To go with Naomi is to accept a life of destitution and distress.  But it doesn’t matter.  Why?  Because they love Naomi.  They are not thinking of themselves.  They are not even thinking about normal precautions, about weighing the options, about projecting outcomes.  They are concerned only for this other woman.  What happens to them has no consequence.

Is that the kind of commitment you and I make toward loved ones?  Are we ready to be exposed, abused, rejected or distressed in order to demonstrate unfailing love toward another person?  I suggest that if we begin calculating the pros and cons, we no longer exhibit hesed, and if we do this with another human being, I doubt we can demonstrate hesed toward a being we cannot see.  The test of hesed shel emet (true hesed) is its demonstration here and now, among those like us.  If we fail with our fellow travelers, we can be assured we fail with the Holy One of Israel.

“It is with you that we return,” say Ruth and Orpah.  What do we say?

Topical Index:  return, hesed, Ruth 1:10

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