The Good, the True, and the Beautiful
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You. Psalm 63:3 NASB
Better than – kî ṭôb pens the Psalmist. “Better than.” Better than what? mē ḥayyîm, he replies. ḥesed is kî ṭôb mē ḥayyîm. ḥesed is better than life!
That is a powerful claim! Do we really think that ḥesed is better than being alive? Let’s ask the question in terms of the full umbrella of ḥesed. Is the personal relationship established by ḥesed better than being alive? Well, since in this case it is a relationship with God, perhaps we would say, “Yes!” a personal relationship with Him is better than staying alive. Martyrs must think so.
Next part: Is the reciprocal obligation (obedience) demanded by ḥesed better than life? This is a bit harder. If I die as a martyr, my troubles are over. My act of self-sacrifice means I no longer have to struggle with the yetzer ha’ra over the details of living. But, if ḥesed is better than life, then I assert that being under obligation to God is better than staying alive. Is that what we think? Do you think doing God’s commandments is better than life itself? Are they so filled with joy, so crammed with love, that you just can’t imagine living without them? Or do you still find some of those instructions bothersome, irrelevant, onerous? Are they still “rules,” or are they the quintessential expressions of living?
Next part: ḥesed is also transitive. Not only does it imply a reciprocal obedience to God, it demands the same godly actions toward others. Are you so in tune with the needs of others that transitive ḥesed is better than life itself? Are you waiting on pins and needles for the next chance to demonstrate righteousness to a stranger, an enemy? Do you think that the only reason God keeps you around is so you can do unto the least of these what you would have done for yourself? Are you a totally other-centered person? ḥesed suggests you come last on the list, in fact, you might not even be on the list. Is that better than life for you?
Last part: ḥesed is always active. No sitting around contemplating what you could do, or what you might do. ḥesed is all about doing. Is doing the will of the Father better than living? Are you alive simply to fulfill His desires? And you can’t wait for the next chance to show Him?
Sometimes I wonder if we really read the words or if we just sort of let them comfort us without thinking about their implications. These words are frighteningly serious and radically challenging. Is that what you felt when you read them?
“‘God is alive’ does not mean He is a Person among persons. ‘It means,’ the psalmist or the prophet would say, ‘that more than my own life do I cherish His regard for me.’ ‘For Thy love (ḥesed) is better than life’ (Ps. 63:3 [H. 63:4].”[1]
Topical Index: ḥesed, kî ṭôb mē ḥayyîm, better than life, Psalm 63:3
[1] Abraham Heschel, The Prophets: Two Volumes in One (Hendrickson Publishers, 1962), Vol. 2, p. 58.
