Abounding in Steadfast Love (God’s Hesed • Lovingkindness – part 2)

My favorite attribute of God’s character and nature is that He abounds in steadfast love. This Hebrew word (hesed) is considered one of the most powerful and profound Hebrew terms, yet is also one of the most difficult words to translate into English.

In this episode, we examine God’s hesed (His steadfast love / lovingkindness), and look at Exodus 34 where God reveals the heart and meaning of His name Yahweh … which is seen in His abounding lovingkindness.

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Hesed (chesed)

Most scholars say that the Hebrew word חֶסֶד (hesed / chesed) is a difficult word to translate; it is a distinctly Hebrew term. Hesed is translated into nearly 80 different English words – primarily:

• love, kindness, lovingkindness, steadfast love, faithful love, loyalty, favor, mercy, beauty, righteous, devotion, faithfulness, favor, gracious covenant, covenant loyalty, grace, goodness, loving instruction, covenant friendship
• for more ways the word hesed is translated into English, see the section below the footnotes

Michael Card, in his tremendous book Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness, defines the Hebrew word hesed as: “When the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything.” ⁽¹⁾

This amazing and powerful Hebrew word occurs nearly 250 times throughout all the major divisions of the Old Testament (Law, Prophets, and Writings), 127 of which are in the Psalms (with 26 of those in Psalm 136 alone).

Michael Card says this about hesed, “It is tempting to say hesed is the most important word in the Hebrew Scriptures. One Bible encyclopedia calls it one of the most important theological words in the Old Testament; another lexicon describes it as the most sacramental word in the Bible.” ⁽²⁾

Over the next several studies (podcast episodes), we will dive into different aspects and passages to understand hesed better. Let’s just look at one today …

Moses and God’s Name

At the burning bush, Moses asks God to reveal His name.

• Exodus 3:13 – Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am about to come to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ And they will say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”

Interestingly, the common question for the ancient Israelites to ask someone their name (literally: “who is your name?”) was the Hebrew “miy shimka?” But this question only asks for the identity, ancestry, or some external feature of a person.

This isn’t what Moses asked God.

Moses asked “mah shemo?” which translates, “what is the meaning (significance) of your name?” or “what makes you, you?” ⁽³⁾

The question Moses is asking God is a question of character, quality, or the essence of His life. He is not interested in knowing a name by which to call God (Moses already knew the names of God Elohim, Yahweh, etc.), what Moses is desiring to know is the character, nature, and attributes of God.

In his commentary on Exodus, Walter C. Kaiser Jr. said, 

Moses did not anticipate being asked, “By what name is this deity called?” Rather, he feared that if he announced that the God of their fathers, the patriarchs, had sent him to them, they would bluntly ask him, “What is his name?” The point of their question was not the same as “Who is this God?” That question would have been answered: “He is called Yahweh.” But as Buber has argued (pp. 48–55), the Hebrew māh (“What?”) seeks the significance, character, quality, and interpretation of the name. Therefore, as it is implied, the name of Yahweh (= LORD) was already known to Moses and Israel (Genesis gives abundant evidence to support the presence of the name Yahweh already in patriarchal times); what they needed to know was “What does that name mean or signify in circumstances such as we are in?” ⁽⁴⁾

God’s response was giving the name “I AM” and later in Exodus 3:15 God gives the personal, intimate, and forever name “Yahweh” — “And God furthermore said to Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, “Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.” This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name from generation to generation‘” (Exodus 3:15).

Strangely, when Moses asks God to define His nature and character, God gives him the name Yahweh.

As I’ve mentioned before, names are not just names in Scripture — they reveal the character, nature, life, and reputation of the person. So when Moses asks for God’s name, for God to reveal His character and nature, God gives the name Yahweh.

And as you continue through Exodus, you find that God gives greater insight and content of what Yahweh means.

For example, in Exodus 33:18, Moses said to Yahweh, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” What an audacious request! Glory isn’t merely fame, prestige, or credit; as two authors explain:

• The glory of the Lord … is God himself becoming visible, God bringing his presence down to us, God displaying his beauty before us, the true answer to our deepest longings. ⁽⁵⁾
• In ancient Hebrew literature like Exodus, to speak of God’s glory was to speak of his presence and beauty [this is very different from how we use the word glory today, where it usually means “fame” or “credit”]. Moses is asking to see God for who he really is. To see God in person. For Moses, head knowledge isn’t enough. He wants to experience God. ⁽⁶⁾

Moses is longing to know more of Yahweh so he asks Him to reveal His glory. And God responds, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of Yahweh before you …” (Exodus 33:19).

As you come to Exodus 34:6–7, Yahweh passes by in front of Moses and declares the glory of Himself by proclaiming the name “Yahweh,” in so doing, God gives content and meaning to the name. And Yahweh said, “Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

There is so much content in this passage but let’s examine the one aspect that Yahweh mentions twice: hesed (lovingkindness). God says he abounds (Hebrew “rav” – meaning rich or abundant) and keeps (Hebrew “natzar” – meaning to maintain; used of someone guarding a vineyard; or keeping watch over the tongue … God maintains and keeps a guard over His hesed).

Hesed becomes a defining characteristic of God. He Himself clarified that the heart of His name (nature, character, reputation, and life) is found in the concept of hesed (“when the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything”). This is most clearly seen at the cross of Christ — we should expect nothing from God except justice and judgment, yet though I have a right to expect nothing, He gives me everything I need for life and godliness (see 2 Peter 1:3–4).

Michael Card wrote about Exodus 34:6–7, “So in this definitive encounter God reveals His infinite compassion and mercy as well as His perfect justice. His fundamental character is grace and truth and, accordingly, He will definitively deal with the problem of sin.” ⁽⁷⁾

Moses responds to this revelation of God’s glory (His name Yahweh) in Exodus 34:8–9, “And Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. And he said, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though they are a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own inheritance.'”

And because Moses spent time experiencing the glory of God, his face shown.

• Exodus 34:29 – Now it happened when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him.
• Michael Card – “The God of the universe has spoken the definitive words that perfectly describe his character to the person who will henceforth be known as God’s friend. Moses has asked to see God’s glory. The Lord has responded by revealing the true nature of that glory: compassion, mercy, truth, kindness, hesed. Moses now knows the Lord as no one has yet known him, even Abraham. The depth of his new knowledge is revealed in the request he makes as he worships the God he now knows is a God of lovingkindness. | The first words from Moses’ lips reveal his new understanding of God as well as his heart for the people. “Please, go with us,” he stammers. That sliver of doubt that God still might not go with his people into the land has been weighing on Moses’ heart. He acknowledges the stubbornness of the people, and so in his request that God accompany them, Moses is asking for something he admits he and they do not deserve. The request is based on the new revelation of hesed. | When the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything. | The broken prophet, kneeling before the Lord in worship, is asking for hesed because now he knows he can. | Moses makes his way back down the trail … his face is fearfully radiant. Jonathan Sacks notes that when Moses descended from the mountain the first time, his face was not shining. Only now, having seen and heard the character of the hesed of God, is his face aglow.” ⁽⁸⁾

Will you be daring enough to pray like Moses “Lord, show me Your glory”?

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FOOTNOTES

(1) Michael Card, Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness (Westmont, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 5.
(2) Ibid, 9.
(3) taken from John Mark Comer, God Has a Name (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2023), 46.
(4) Walter C. Kaiser Jr., “Exodus,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990), 320.
(5) Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. and R. Kent Hughes, Isaiah: God Saves Sinners, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 237.
(6) John Mark Comer, God Has a Name (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2023), 31.
(7) Michael Card, Inexpressible (Westmont, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 26.
(8) Ibid, 27–28.
(9) Ibid, vii.

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Ways hesed is translated into English

love, lovingkindness, merciful love, loyal love, sure love, relentless love, enduring love, extravagant love, affectionate satisfaction, love in action, dependable love, steady love, true love, fundamental love, miracle love, generous love, deep love, wonderful love, great love, incredible love, marvelous love, gracious love, loyal in love, steadfast love, expression of love, election love, unfailing love, faithful love, tons of love, loving instruction, loving deeds, covenant love, covenant of love, covenantal faithfulness, covenantal deeds of love, covenant friendship, covenant commitment, gracious covenant, loyal, loyalty, covenant loyalty, loyal faithfulness, great loyalty, unswerving loyalty, loyal mercy, loyal service, kindness, kindly, divine kindness, loyal kindness, godly kindness, merciful kindness, great kindness, everlasting kindness, mercy, mercy work, mercy feeling, miracle mercy, generous mercy, benevolence, compassion, persistent faithfulness, faithfulness, faithful act, reliable solidarity, goodwill, ardent zeal, grace, graciousness, extravagant generosity, largesse, glory, honor, honoring, pity, clemency, rock, bedrock, god fearing, piety, charity, strength, devout, active goodness, favor, immense favor, loyal friendship, good heartedness, immense favor, working graciously, generous yes, endlessly patient, generous act of goodness, devotion, devoted work, commitment, goodness, good deeds, gracious dealings, beauty, disgrace, reproach, shameful thing, wicked thing, stick with me, sticking by, sticking with, big-heartedness, “unlimited, unconditional, unconditioned, and all-inclusive love for all creation” ⁽⁹⁾

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Question: How have you experienced the hesed (lovingkindness / steadfast love) of God?