Hesed

Hesed
The Indescribable Love of God

In the autumn of 2004, I heard about the Hebrew word hesed (or chesed) for the first time. My new husband and I had left our jobs to go to a 22-month Bible school in a new city. I remember walking out into the dark night after a class in a trance of joy. The deep, vast meaning of hesed captivated me.

Since no English translation could do the word justice in a single word, I painted the Hebrew letters for hesed on a card that had a fuller explanation on the back. I made many hesed cards, bookmarks, and banners to give away.

At the time of this revelation in 2004, I had been a Christian for 24 years. During much of that time, I was taught by a mentor that learning the original Bible languages was unnecessary and a waste of time, since “I should be following the Holy Spirit, not academics.” So sad. God’s Word was originally written in Hebrew and Greek – gorgeous languages that are almost impossible to put into English. In my latter years, I am entrenching myself in the richness and beauty of these words and letter forms.

In 2019 as I approached the 40-year mark of knowing my heavenly Father, He surprised me by taking me on a new hesed journey. It began on August 8, 2019 after my dear friend, De, gave me a book by Michael Card entitled Inexpressible – Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness. The full story is still too personal to share, maybe someday. But, I have written a lot about hesed since then in writings such as:

• Living in God’s Undeserved Love
• The Tabernacle Hesed Moon
• The Sheepfold - Folded in Hesed
• The Judean Home - The Incarnation of Hesed
• Yom Kippur and Hesed (with pictures of the long hesed banner I made and the art process)

The Hesed Art Card is available at Flower Girl Greetings in here. If you would like to read the words on the back of the Hesed Art Card, please continue reading:

No single English word exists for the Hebrew word hesed. Hesed is the love of God, defined as the passionate, undeserved, eternal, promised, loyalty of the Sovereign Creator God for His creation.

It is expressed through covenant and characterized by faithfulness, kindness, mercy, grace, sacrifice, forgiveness, and compassion.

God fully expressed hesed toward us in the life of Jesus Christ. God in Christ took upon Himself the penalty for our sin at the cross. He paid our debt if we would receive this free gift of forgiveness through Him.

Because He rose from the dead with power, we can receive His life, His living hesed into our hearts and pour it out to others.

Volumes have been written about this word hesed. Scripture uses words such as lovingkindness and mercy to attempt to convey its meaning. Although our limited minds cannot fully grasp this vast love, we can receive it and rest in it. The hesed of God is our eternal hope, our comfort, our security, our message, our life, and our joy!

Romans 5:1-5;  John 1:12;  Psalm 145;  Hebrews 1:1-3;  Lamentations 3:21-23; John 3:16-17;  Luke 1:68-79.

Shale Fragments™ - devotionals by Beth Ann Phifer is a division of Flower Girl Greetings, LLC. ©2020, All Rights Reserved.
Blessings and love in Him,
Beth Ann