{"id":3515,"date":"2012-06-29T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2012-06-29T14:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/?p=3515"},"modified":"2012-06-29T12:27:26","modified_gmt":"2012-06-29T18:27:26","slug":"the-steadfast-love-of-the-lord-never-ceases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.desertspringschurch.org\/blog\/2012\/06\/the-steadfast-love-of-the-lord-never-ceases\/","title":{"rendered":"The Steadfast Love of the LORD Never Ceases"},"content":{"rendered":"

At Wednesday’s Lord’s Supper\u00c2\u00a0service, Ryan preached a sermon titled, “The Roots of God’s Love<\/a>,” unfolding the riches of two Hebrew words found in Exodus 34:6. There, God gave Moses his long name, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”<\/p>\n

The pairing,\u00c2\u00a0translated, “steadfast love and faithfulness,” shows up all over the Bible.\u00c2\u00a0Below you’ll find a myriad of verses from the Psalms, the rest of the Old Testament, and the New Testament that pick up this pairing. For this reason, you might consider printing this post out and tucking it in your Bible for a few weeks.<\/p>\n

But first, we should explore the meaning of “steadfast love” a little further. As Ryan said, in most cases English is\u00c2\u00a0adequate\u00c2\u00a0to convey of the meaning the original Old Testament Hebrew text. In this specific case, the word, hesed,<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0translated, “steadfast love,”\u00c2\u00a0is more difficult. This is evident from the myriad of ways this word gets translated: lovingkindness, steadfast love, goodness, etc.<\/p>\n

Ryan gathered a number of helpful lines from various writers to give us this definition of hesed<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Hesed<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0is. . .God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s gracious character and exceptional commitment to his people, . . .an attitude of God which arises out of his relationship with his people. It means that he has bound Himself to his people. Hesed<\/em> is outside the realm of duty, even though a promise to do hesed brings with it the idea of commitment. It is not merely an attitude or an emotion; it is an emotion that leads to an activity beneficial to the recipient. . .in the context of a deep and enduring commitment made by one who is able to render assistance to the other\/needy party. That is to say, God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hesed<\/em> is the providential exercise of his power on behalf of the needy people with whom he has established a special relationship. It is a promise and assurance of future help and fellowship, that is characterized by permanence, constancy and reliability. It is primal, elemental, associated with God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s love, grace, and compassion. It is rooted in God himself. In short, it is simply who God is.*<\/sup><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The pairing of “steadfast love” \u00c2\u00a0and “faithfulness” appears\u00c2\u00a0twenty-four\u00c2\u00a0times throughout the Psalms, clearly drawing from Exodus 34:6. Here they are:<\/p>\n

Psalm 25:10 \u00c2\u00a0All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,\u00c2\u00a0for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.<\/p>\n

Psalm 26:3 \u00c2\u00a0For your steadfast love is before my eyes,\u00c2\u00a0and I walk in your faithfulness.<\/p>\n

Psalm 40:10-11 \u00c2\u00a0I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart;\u00c2\u00a0I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;\u00c2\u00a0I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness\u00c2\u00a0from the great congregation.\u00c2\u00a0As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain\u00c2\u00a0your mercy from me;\u00c2\u00a0your\u00c2\u00a0steadfast love and your faithfulness will\u00c2\u00a0ever preserve me!<\/p>\n

Psalm 57:3 \u00c2\u00a0He will send from heaven and save me;\u00c2\u00a0he will put to shame him who tramples on me.\u00c2\u00a0God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!<\/p>\n

Psalm 57:10 \u00c2\u00a0For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,\u00c2\u00a0your faithfulness to the clouds.<\/p>\n

Psalm 61:7 \u00c2\u00a0May he be enthroned forever before God;\u00c2\u00a0appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!<\/p>\n

Psalm 69:13\u00c2\u00a0 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD.\u00c2\u00a0At an acceptable time, O God,\u00c2\u00a0in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.<\/p>\n

Psalm 85:10\u00c2\u00a0 Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;\u00c2\u00a0righteousness and peace kiss each other.<\/p>\n

Psalm 86:15 \u00c2\u00a0But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,\u00c2\u00a0slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.<\/p>\n

Psalm 88:11 \u00c2\u00a0Is your steadfast love declared in the grave,\u00c2\u00a0or your faithfulness in Abaddon?<\/p>\n

Psalm 89:2 \u00c2\u00a0For I said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Steadfast love will be built up forever;\u00c2\u00a0in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Psalm 89:14 \u00c2\u00a0Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;\u00c2\u00a0steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.<\/p>\n

Psalm 89:24 \u00c2\u00a0My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,\u00c2\u00a0and in my name shall his horn be exalted.<\/p>\n

Psalm 89:33 \u00c2\u00a0…but I will not remove from him my steadfast love\u00c2\u00a0or be false to my faithfulness.<\/p>\n

Psalm 92:2 \u00c2\u00a0…to declare your steadfast love in the morning,\u00c2\u00a0and your faithfulness by night…<\/p>\n

Psalm 98:3 \u00c2\u00a0He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness\u00c2\u00a0to the house of Israel.\u00c2\u00a0All the ends of the earth have seen\u00c2\u00a0the salvation of our God.<\/p>\n

Psalm 100:5 \u00c2\u00a0For the LORD is good;\u00c2\u00a0his steadfast love endures forever,\u00c2\u00a0and his faithfulness to all generations.<\/p>\n

Psalm 103:8 \u00c2\u00a0The LORD is merciful and gracious,\u00c2\u00a0slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.<\/p>\n

Psalm 108:4 \u00c2\u00a0For your steadfast love is great above the heavens;\u00c2\u00a0your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.<\/p>\n

Psalm 115:1\u00c2\u00a0 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory,\u00c2\u00a0for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!<\/p>\n

Psalm 117:2 \u00c2\u00a0For great is his steadfast love toward us,\u00c2\u00a0and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.\u00c2\u00a0Praise the LORD!<\/p>\n

Psalm 138:2\u00c2\u00a0I bow down toward your holy temple\u00c2\u00a0and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,\u00c2\u00a0for you have exalted above all things\u00c2\u00a0your name and your word.<\/p>\n

Psalm 145:8\u00c2\u00a0 The LORD is gracious and merciful,\u00c2\u00a0slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Elsewhere in the Old Testament, “steadfast love” and “faithfulness” appear together from Genesis through the prophets:<\/p>\n

Genesis 24:27 \u00c2\u00a0Blessed be the LORD,\u00c2\u00a0the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken\u00c2\u00a0his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master.<\/p>\n

Nehemiah 9:17 \u00c2\u00a0But you are a God ready to forgive,\u00c2\u00a0gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.<\/p>\n

Isaiah 16:5 \u00c2\u00a0…then a throne will be established in steadfast love,\u00c2\u00a0and on it will sit in faithfulness\u00c2\u00a0in the tent of David\u00c2\u00a0one who judges and seeks justice\u00c2\u00a0and is swift to do righteousness.<\/p>\n

Hosea 2:19\u00e2\u20ac\u201c20 And I will betroth you to me\u00c2\u00a0forever.\u00c2\u00a0I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.\u00c2\u00a0I will betroth you to me in faithfulness.<\/p>\n

Joel 2:13 \u00c2\u00a0For he is gracious and merciful,\u00c2\u00a0slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love;\u00c2\u00a0and he relents over disaster.<\/p>\n

Jonah 4:2 \u00c2\u00a0You are a\u00c2\u00a0gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.<\/p>\n

Micah 7:18\u00e2\u20ac\u201c20 \u00c2\u00a0Who is a God like you,\u00c2\u00a0pardoning iniquity\u00c2\u00a0and passing over transgression\u00c2\u00a0for the remnant of his inheritance?\u00c2\u00a0He does not retain his anger forever,\u00c2\u00a0because he delights in steadfast love.\u00c2\u00a0He will\u00c2\u00a0again have compassion on us;\u00c2\u00a0he will tread our iniquities underfoot.\u00c2\u00a0You will cast all our\u00c2\u00a0sins\u00c2\u00a0into the depths of the sea.\u00c2\u00a0You will show faithfulness to Jacob\u00c2\u00a0and steadfast love to Abraham,\u00c2\u00a0as you have sworn to our fathers\u00c2\u00a0from the days of old.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Then, in the New Testament, this pairing shows up in some surprisingly familiar places. The authors of the New Testament wrote in Koine Greek and\u00c2\u00a0carried\u00c2\u00a0over the meaning of these Hebrew words into words we translate, “grace” and “truth.”<\/p>\n

John 1:14\u00c2\u00a0And\u00c2\u00a0the Word\u00c2\u00a0became flesh and\u00c2\u00a0dwelt among us,\u00c2\u00a0and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of\u00c2\u00a0grace and\u00c2\u00a0truth.<\/p>\n

Hebrews 1:1\u00e2\u20ac\u201c3, 2:17 \u00c2\u00a0Long ago, at many times and\u00c2\u00a0in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,\u00c2\u00a0but\u00c2\u00a0in these last days\u00c2\u00a0he has spoken to us by\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0his Son. . .He is the radiance of the glory of God and\u00c2\u00a0the exact imprint of his nature. . .he had\u00c2\u00a0to be made like his brothers in every respect,\u00c2\u00a0so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest\u00c2\u00a0in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The appearance of this pairing in John 1:14 is especially fascinating against the backdrop of the context of Exodus 34:6. God gave Moses his full name, “The LORD. . .abounding in steadfast love and\u00c2\u00a0faithfulness,” after Moses asked in 33:18, “Please show me your glory.” God would not do it, at least not for Moses, and not then.<\/p>\n

But he has done it for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ. For Christ is the radiance of God’s glory, and it is in the gracious salvation of sinners through Christ that God’s glory is most brightly seen and praised (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14<\/a>).<\/p>\n

For a rich\u00c2\u00a0meditation\u00c2\u00a0on the meaning of God’s\u00c2\u00a0hesed<\/em>, consider reading\u00c2\u00a0Puritan, Edward Griffin’s, “The Tender Mercies of God<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00e2\u20ac\u201c\u00e2\u20ac\u201c<\/p>\n

*Ryan compiled material from the following sources for an extended definition of <\/em>hesed above.\u00c2\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n