The God Word
All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth to those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. Psalm 25:10 NASB
Lovingkindness – By now you certainly know the difficulties of translating hesed. And you certainly know just how important this word is. Hesed is the single most important expression of the character of YHWH. It is the word that describes all of God’s interactions with men and women, particularly men and women of the covenant. As the rabbis note, “Even death springs from God’s chessed.”[1] Hesed is the essential relationship of covenant, often paired with ‘emet (faithfulness, trustworthiness, truth, reliability). Hesed is multifaceted, bi-directional, active care. There is no word in any other language that quite captures its totality. A quick survey of the term on my web site will convince you that without understanding this word your concept of God is severely truncated.
But that’s not what is so striking in this verse. Notice two things. First, David informs us that all of YHWH’s paths are both hesed and ‘emet. God ishesed and ‘emet. There is nothing you can think of that God does that cannot be portrayed by these two terms. That is a very big claim. Lots of things happen in life that we are quick to attribute to luck, fate or the devil. Not so, says David. Everything God does, including those things that we just can’t understand, is an expression of hesed and ‘emet.
The second shocker is the follow up phrase. Hesed and ‘emet are for those who “keep His covenant and testimonies.” And you thought God was for everyone. In order to experience hesed, that bi-directional, transitive bond of care, you and I must participate in commandment keeping. Grace is for everyone. Hesed is for those who obligate themselves to His instructions. Furthermore, no man can expect to see and understand the truth (God’s utter reliability) unless that man is participating in commandment keeping. Grace initiates. All the rest is voluntary submission and obedience. In fact, from the Hebraic (biblical) point of view, the experience of grace does not guarantee covenant relationship. Covenant relationship comes through obedience.
So now you get to ask yourself, “Am I one of those who keeps His covenant and testimonies?” “Am I identified by faithful loyalty to the God of grace?”
How will you know? Well, you can start by asking yourself if you keep the commandments, the eternal commandments, given at Sinai.
Topical Index: hesed, ‘emet, commandments, loyalty, Psalm 25:10
(Friend) What a Wonderful Word!
A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
~ I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever.. ~ (and) with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations ~ (Psalm 89.1)
Here is a precursory glance of these words in other biblical translations:
I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever..
I will sing of the LORD’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.
I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever;
I will sing forever about the gracious love of the LORD;
I shall sing the grace of LORD YHWH for eternity..
What is it about this wonderful word that causes a song to spring up within the heart of this Shepherd-King?
The word used in the KJV, (I believe) is the best of the best, – the word is “lovingkindness,” or more accurately, “lovingkindnesses”- (plural). Stay with me, this word is “worth it!” The word transliterated is chas·dei or chacad or (in Hebrew)- chesed or hesed. What’s the “big deal?”- Plenty! For there is a “world” within this one word! – and it is (only?) a beautiful life-altering, life-imparting, life-sustaining word!
“Chesed” is a covenant word. (?) Still there? Let us take a deeper look at lovingkindness, -may we? Behold!- (let’s take a good, long look at “lovingkindness.” Oh, children! This one word (if recognized and realized) will rock your world! “Chesed” is a blood-covenant word!
~ Is there any left of the house of Saul that I may show him “chesed” for Jonathan’s sake? ~ David and Jonathan were (yes!) blood-covenant “friends”. Yes, ~ there is a friend who sticks closer than a (milk) brother, and that “friend” is a blood-covenant friend! David and Jonathan (voluntarily) entered into, with each other, the (irrevocable) blood-covenant relationship of Friendship!
Yes, I know.. -you (also) are racing ahead – to the cross of Christ and His words..- ~ This, is the new covenant in My blood ~ We too, may enter into this (very same) blood-covenant (relationship) of Friendship with the LORD of the Universe(s).
If David had any need, Jonathan would supply. If Jonathan had any need, David would supply. For everything (name included) once “belonging” to David, was now given unto Jonathan, and everything (once) belonging to Jonathan (name included) now was given unto David. This blood-covenant of Friendship is an exchange of everything! David, I (voluntarily) given everything to you, and I, Jonathan, give everything (name included) to you, David.
Nothing (nothing) is excluded! All that David “owned” or thought he owned- was given unto his blood-covenant “friend,” Jonathan! And everything, past-present-future that was once Jonathan’s was given up and given over to his friend, David. This, was an exchange of everything! Do you, (like me) consider this to be a bit “radical?” (Me too.)
~ Is there any left of the house of Saul that I may show him “chesed” -lovingkindnesses? Why? – for Jonathan’s sake! Because of my unending- eternal-forever blood-covenant relationship of Friendship with my “blood-brother” Jonathan! Jonathan doesn’t get a lot of press, but think of his “sacrificial love” -He gave up his throne, and “right to rule”-his entire future over to his “closer than a brother” friend, the future king of Israel, David!
Who, dear friends, was the further recipient of the benefits of all this? (And the grace goes on!) One who was soon to leave the forelorn land of Lodebar, one who was lame in both his feet, one who could not “save” himself, one whose fear of the King and whose fear of death was instead rewarded with the blessing and honor of eating at the table of the King (Himself) and one who was given rich and lavish (prodigal) supply- Mr. Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul. – All because of grace! All because ~ the mercies (lovingkindnesses) of the LORD endure forever! ~
And now you (too) know..- the “rest” of the story! Yes sir, yes m’am, – “What a Friend we have in Jesus!”
Preach it Carl!
‘Word’ !!
What’s the difference between His covenant and His testimonies? I think I’ll go look it up…
After a cursory look at the inter linear, the word translated as “covenant” is transliterated ” berith”. The word translated as “testimony” is transliterated “edah”. Seems to me that’s the word Skip paired with “qahal” when investigating Shaul’s use of ekklesia (assembly) and soma (body). Correct me if I’m wrong. I’m just going from memory and researching the matter on my phone!
Anyway, the other uses of edah (testimony) in the concordance are in those verses where a marker was laid (a stone or pile) as a testimony of an event or covenant.
Interesting.
Good question! In one of Skip’s earlier posts entitled Situational Legislation he speaks of testimonies as characterized by permanence and stability and that “they are as permanent as the One who declared them”… anyway, more digging to do here.
I don’t know where you looked, but you got the wrong word. Even Logos software indicates the wrong root. The word is ‘edut (Strong’ 5715)and comes from ‘ud (Strong 5705). See TWOT 1576d. The root means “to return, repeat” so your examples are correct. But ‘edah means “one” and is used for a description of the assembly as “one” entity without parts.
Excellent. Thanks Skip. I was looking at BibleHub… an app on my phone. It shows edah (Strong 5713). It’s interesting to find an error like that.
Skip,
I sent an “Report Typo” message to Logos. I don’t know how long it will take them to fix it, but it is reported!
(ʿēdût). Testimony, reminder, warning sign. (ASV and RSV are similar but the latter will occasionally use the rendering “warning,” cf. II Kgs 17:15; Neh 9:34, which is justified since the meaning of this word is not simply a corroborative testimony but also a warning testimony.) This substantive is from the root ʿûd meaning “to bear witness.” Synonymous and derived from the same root are ʿēdâ III, found less frequently and only in the plural, meaning “testimonies” of God and tĕʿûdâ, also meaning “testimony” but somewhat more restricted since it seems to designate the particular prophetic testimony of Isaiah (8:16, 20) rather than the law in general. (For this latter word cf. UT 19: no. 1832, tʿdt, which has the dual meaning of message and messenger—UT. 16: T nos. 137:22, 26, 30, 41, 44.)
This word is always used in reference to the testimony of God. It is most frequently connected with the tabernacle (Ex 38:21; Num 1:50, 53), resulting in the expression “tabernacle of the testimony,” and with the ark (Ex 25:22; 26:33, 34; 30:6, 26), resulting in the phrase “ark of the testimony.”
Schultz, C. (1999). 1576 עוּד. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (649). Chicago: Moody Press.
עֵדָה] noun feminine only plural ᵑ0 testimonies (always of laws as divine testimonies or solemn charges); — plural absolute -Strongs
I have to make sure that I am a solid pillar/ witness for the same testimony that YHVH has – that same testimony(Torah) He gave to Moses on solid rock.The “edah” consists of pillars that become livings stones by permanently declaring the testimony of YHVH!
“Everything God does, including those things that we just can’t understand, is an expression of hesed and ‘emet.”
I was once challenged as to why God would allow a young very zealous believer to be killed in a motor bike accident.
My answer was, that only GOD is in control, only He knows what is ahead of us, in that case, the future of that young man.
Who knows, I asked in return, what would have taken place if that young man had not been killed. That perhaps it was ABBA’s mercies/
chesed that that young man be taken “home” while he was in a good standing with YHWH. Who knows, indeed?
“In order to experience hesed, that bi-directional, transitive bond of care, you and I must participate in commandment keeping.” Absolutely!
That is a vital criteria of Kingdom protocol/House rules! Keeping YHWH’s commandments is testimony of our relationship/walk with Him, that
will cause YHWH’s Face be turned towards us, and we to appreciate His chesed whenever we fall short in straying from His path. We cannot appreciate the beauty of His abundant chesed when we disregard His commandments. We would be tossed to and fro with no clear directions.
“In fact, from the Hebraic (biblical) point of view, the experience of grace does not guarantee covenant relationship. Covenant relationship comes through obedience.”
Grace alone is insufficient to see us through without having a covenant relationship that requires obedience to YHWH’s Torah, which is His clear directions for living according to His ways.
Many have fallen from ‘grace’ and gone so far from YHWH, for lack of knowledge of Torah ways, walking in their own understanding, having no testimony of YHWH’s nature , nor transformation from old ways in their lives, due to the teachings gotten from false doctrines, and from “pastors”
who are not feeding the flock in truth, for the reason that they themselves are ignorant of truth, being indoctrinated by theological institutions.
We need someone like Skip to help us dig into the Hebraic understanding of the Word to be rid of ignorance. Thank you, Skip! Shalom!