Loving Kindness
The loving-kindness of God. “Loving-kindness” is a word coined by a man named Miles Coverdale back in the late 1500’s to translate the Hebrew word ‘hesed’. Hesed is one of the richest words in all the Bible. It has been variously translated into English with such words as:
compassion, mercy, steadfast love, covenant loyalty. It is such a heavily nuanced word that it is actually very difficult to translate into our language. It expresses three parallel thoughts:
“(1.) a feeling in the heart of love (2.) that results in actions of mercy and grace (3.) because of a prior covenantal relationship.”
It’s hard for translators to put all that into one word. It ties very nicely with the N.T. Greek word- charis (grace). The term “loyal-love” expresses the thought closely.
So today we study the fact that when God makes a covenant with his people He faithfully discharges the obligations of that covenant. But, not only does He faithfully discharge His obligations- He does so from a heart full of love. What a great God we love!
“Through the LORD’S mercies (hesed) we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23
The words of the little chorus fit nicely:
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to end,
They are new every morning,
New every morning,
Great is Thy faithfulness O Lord,
Great is Thy faithfulness.”
And so it is
Because of grace,
Tim
