The Anthem of Ancient Israel (God’s Hesed • Lovingkindness – part 3)

Every nation has a national anthem that rallies the troops and reminds its people of their national identity. In ancient Israel, God’s hesed (specifically Exodus 34:6–7) was the celebratory anthem that rallied the people, stirred unity, reminded them of their identity in Yahweh, and exalted His character and nature.

In this episode, Nathan continues his series on God’s hesed (lovingkindness) and how the character of God should also be the anthem of our lives.

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God’s Anthem

I love soundtrack music. The sweeping melodies that stir the heart. The epic pounding rhythms that cause you a raise a fist in the air. Life just seems better when there is a soundtrack underscoring how you live.

In Scripture, it appears that there is a soundtrack of praise, an anthem of worship, behind all God does.

• Isaiah 6:3 – And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is Yahweh of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.”
• Revelation 5:9–14 – And they [the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders] sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain and purchased for God with Your blood people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And You made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.” And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

The Anthem of Ancient Israel

Anthems are often a musical composition for the purpose of celebration, remembrance, and often symbolic of an individual’s affiliation within a group. It can also be a song or hymn of praise or gladness. ⁽¹⁾

Ancient Israel had an anthem, a song or praise, that focused on the character and nature of God Almighty: “For God’s hesed (chesed) endures forever.”

As we mentioned in the previous episode, scholars say that the Hebrew word חֶסֶד (hesed / chesed) is a difficult word to translate as it is a distinctly Hebrew term. Though Hesed is translated into nearly 80 different English words, the majority of times it appears in Scripture as:

• 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

My favorite definition comes from Michael Card in his book Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness, where he defines the Hebrew word hesed as: “When the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything.” ⁽²⁾

A Revelation of God’s Character and Nature

In the past study, Abounding in Steadfast Love, we examined Exodus 34:6–7 where God shows Moses His glory by declaring the name “Yahweh” and giving content to what the name means.

Then Yahweh passed by in front of him and called out, “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” (Exodus 34:6–7).

This revelation of God’s nature—He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in hesed (lovingkindness)—begins to be used throughout the Old Testament as a song of praise to who God is. It is ancient Israel’s national anthem.

• 1 Chronicles 16:34 – [David] – Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever.
• 2 Chronicles 5:13 – [Solomon’s dedication of the Temple] – … in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to give thanks to Yahweh, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised Yahweh saying, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness endures forever,” then the house, the house of Yahweh, was filled with a cloud …
  • also see 2 Chronicles 7:1–6
• 2 Chronicles 20:21 – [King Jehoshaphat going out to war with Moab and Ammon] – When he had taken counsel with the people, he caused those who sang to Yahweh and those who praised Him to stand in holy attire, as they went out before the army, saying, “Give thanks to Yahweh, for His lovingkindness endures forever.”
• Ezra 3:10–11 – [rebuilding the Temple of God after the Babylonian captivity] – So the builders laid the foundation of the temple of Yahweh. Then the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise Yahweh according to the directions of King David of Israel. And they sang, praising and giving thanks to Yahweh, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever upon Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised Yahweh because the foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid.
• Jeremiah 33:11 – … the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who say, “Give thanks to Yahweh of hosts, for Yahweh is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever” …
• Lamentations 3:21–22 – [Jeremiah lamenting over the destruction of Jerusalem] – This I will return to my heart; therefore I will wait in hope. The lovingkindnesses of Yahweh indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.
• Joel 2:12–13 – “Yet even now,” declares Yahweh, “Return to Me with all your heart and with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and tear your heart and not your garments.” Now return to Yahweh your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness, and relenting concerning evil.
• Jonah 4:2 (we will look at hesed in Jonah in a later study)
• Micah 7:18 – [Micah gives an echo of Exodus 34] – Who is a God like You, who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? He does not hold fast to His anger forever because He delights in lovingkindness.

The Anthem of Hesed Throughout the Psalms

• Psalms focused on the theme of hesed –  Psalm 89, 107, 118, 136
• Psalm 86:15 – But You, O Lord, are a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.
• Psalm 100:5 – For Yahweh is good; His lovingkindness endures forever and His faithfulness, generation unto generation.
• Psalm 103:8 – Yahweh is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
• Psalm 106:1 – Praise Yah! Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good; for His lovingkindness endures forever.
• Psalm 107:1 – Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for He is good, for His lovingkindness endures forever.
• Psalm 145:8 – Yahweh is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.

What is the anthem of your life?

Every Christian should be an anthem of praise to our God.

Paul, in talking about the blessings we have in Christ Jesus, mentions that we are blessed “to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). We are not blessed merely for our sakes, but for His.

What if we took Paul’s words to heart from 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Would you allow God to take your life and use it as a declaration and demonstration that He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness” (Exodus 34:6–7)?

In short, would you get so wrapped up in the One who is hesed that you life reflects Him by showcasing His hesed (lovingkindness, steadfast love) to the world?

I want my life to be an anthem of praise, a song of hesed, a reflection of Christ. What about you?

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Listen to the entire series on hesed:

• Part 1: The foundation of God’s character
• Part 2: Abounding in Steadfast Love
• Part 3: The Anthem of Ancient Israel
• Part 4: Hesed in Every Season of Life
• Part 5: God’s Mercy to the Most Wicked Nation in History
• Part 6: The House of Mercy
• Part 7: The Prodigal Father
• Part 8: Living a Life of Lovingkindness
• Subscribe to the DeeperChristian Podcast on your favorite podcast platform/app

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FOOTNOTES

(1) merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anthem
(2) Michael Card, Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness (Westmont, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 5

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Join the Conversation

Question: What is the anthem of your life?