Personal Hesed
[The Lord] Who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion. Psalm 103:4 NASB
Lovingkindness – This Hebrew word (hesed) has a great deal more in its full meaning than we can capture in an English word. Our studies in the past have shown us its richer character. It is the paradigm word surrounding the bond between God and His people. Yet it does not mean that God shows kindness toward His people simply because they have a covenant with Him. Rather, it indicates that behind God’s promise to any of His children lies God’s love for His own creation. God loved us before He made promises to us. He loved us because we were made to enjoy Him and glorify Him. In fact, His help toward us is not dependent on our keeping the terms of the relationship outlined in the Law. That is something none of us have done. Instead, God desires to rain His love and compassion on us when we need it most, after we have broken our relationship with Him. This verse contains a wonderful promise for each of us. It promises that God is the One Who will rescue us from the pit of our disobedience and rebellion. Not only will He rescue us but He will heap His mercy, love, and compassion upon us precisely because we need Him. For God, hesed begins because He chooses to obligate Himself to us. None of us in recovery could be more aware of our desperate plight to escape the hell of our lives. But God knows all about us. He will bring us back to ourselves and to Him so that we too may show hesed and compassion (notice that they are not the same).
The great Psalm of hesed is Psalm 136. David considers the intervention of God in the history of His people as a remarkable sign of loving loyalty. He describes God’s character and actions with the same term. When you want to see the full scope of God’s hesed for you, take a moment to read this Psalm. It is a look back at the way God demonstrated His care for Israel, and it is a look forward to the way God will continue to care for us. Yeshua once asked this question: “When a child asks his father for bread, will the father give him a stone?” If you human parents know how to respond to the needs of your children, how much more do you think God wants to respond to the needs of His children?
It is far too easy for us to ignore the gift of God’s hesed. We judge ourselves unworthy. We confront our own failures and mistakes. We recognize our sins. And we think, “God could never love such a man as me.” We know we don’t deserve kindness even though we are desperate for it. Hesed teaches us that God doesn’t wait for our self-improvement efforts. Nor does He delay His faithfulness because we have faltered. Hesed is essential for life and the God of life provides it abundantly.
Look for hesed today. My guess is that you will find it.
Topical Index: hesed, lovingkindness, loyalty, Psalm 103:4
What a wonderful Word Study to start the day! This, along with the reading of Psalm 136, causes my soul to join the Psalmist in saying, “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
This is indeed a wonderful way to start the day.
(Though one might be forgiven for noting the apparent irony in Ps. 136 wherein the striking down and killing of mighty kings is followed by “His love endures forever”!)
🙂 It’s only ironic in our culture. In the Hebraic mind, striking down the enemy is an act of hesed. It fulfills an obligation to protect those within the covenant commitment. We are the ones who, adopting a Greek cosmopolitan, egalitarian, fairness doctrine, read that passage and cringe. A Hebrew in the 10th C BC would read that passage and rejoice.
The translation deceives us. In Hebrew, it is not “his love.” It is “his hesed”. That changes things, doesn’t it?
Very helpful, thank you Skip.
“The great Psalm of hesed is Psalm 136. …. He describes God’s character and actions with the same term.”
Hmmm
What “jumps out” at me about Psalm 136 is that God is NOT the only god
God is the Lord, but not the only lord
And when Jesus talks about his father, Jesus is obviously talking about this God
1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
I like to compare this passage to Job 1, my favorite book in the Bible, which starts out in Heaven:
1:6 One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and the Adversary also came with them.
1:7 The LORD said to the Adversary, “Where have you come from?”
It would seem to me that wherever they are, the “sons of God” are also gods.
And it would seem to me that wherever they are, the “Adversary” is called out from the “sons of God”
And the “Adversary” (Ha Satan) is given a “special assignment”
~ A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. I will sing of the lovingkindness(es) of the LORD forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth ~ (Psalm 89.1)
Leaving Lodebar: (2 Samuel 9:1-13) Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him (loving) kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”