I read a book several years ago A Sacred Sorrow by Michael Card. As a result, I learned a new word. That word was “hesed”. This Hebrew word describes the indescribable undefinable characteristics of God. It can not be translated into English using just one word.
In God’s Holy Word, the Bible gives us many glimpses of God’s “hesed”:
Jeremiah 31:3 “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
Exodus 34: 6-7 “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation”
Psalm 86: 15 “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness and truth.”
As we prepare for Resurrection Sunday this week, let us think about the “hesed” of God that was demonstrated in Jesus Christ. It is through Jesus that we can see true meaning of the word. Because God came in the flesh, lived a life that was fully “hesed“, died on a cross and rose from the dead. He was the incarnation of this undefinable word and was the embodiment of God’s love for us.
1 John 4:7-10 “…for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. “
How has He shown His “hesed” to you?
