Was I five days late with my last Scripture Memory verse? I don't know. I am just trying to keep it even. I might do better if next month I just go back to starting things on time. The first and fifteenth of every month. NO EXCUSES!
This week I picked a verse that has already spoken to my heart this year. However, after doing another Bible study this summer, I now have a new fondness for it.
In Knowing God by Name by Mary A. Kassian, I am studying all the different names of God. In knowing each name, understanding what they mean, and seeing them used in scripture, I am feeling like I am getting to know my Lord all over again. Many of the names given to God are given to reflect a character trait of His, thus, giving me a deeper understanding of who He is.
One of the days this past week, I studied the name Rav-Chesed which means abounding in love. As I worked through some different verses that spoke specifically of God's love for us, I studied two different words used for love, Ahab and Chesed. Ahab means "to desire, to breathe after, to be inclined toward, to delight in." It can be understood as having a warm personal attachment and affection towards another. This is a kind of love that I can understand. My head and heart get it. I have been the giver and receiver of Ahab. It's the kind of love we see in Zephaniah 3:17 "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Chesed is a different kind of love. The kind of love that is a bit harder for both my head and heart to grasp. A love that I don't know if I am capable of giving on my own.
"Chesed speaks of a love that is firmly rooted in God's character. In involves loyalty, steadfastness, and covenant commitment as well as kindness tenderness and mercy. Chesed is the type of love that accepts moral obligation for the welfare of the person loved. It's a love that doesn't depend on the response or behavior of the receiver, but rather on the steadfast character and commitment of the giver. Ahab has to do with feelings, whereas chesed implies a mind-set and mode of interaction rooted in deep values." -Knowing God by Name (emphasis mine)
She goes on to state that, "God's love is deeper and more steadfast than that of a mother for her children (Is 49:15, 66:13). It is so strong that it makes Him stay committed even when His loved ones are not. It is so deep that it causes Him to feel affection even when they do not."
I don't know about you, but I know that I find it very difficult to love another when I know that they will not be returning the same sentiment. In fact, I will err on the side of caution, and actually with- hold love from a person, until I know that it's "safe" to love them (meaning they will return my love). As ugly as this sounds, I might as well get brutally honest here, my heart is incapable of loving and staying committed to loving a person, completely unguarded, unless I feel as though there is some sort of love or affection being returned. Yet, this is exactly the kind of love that the God of the universe has for me.
Amazing.
So as I re-read Isaiah 54:10, it had a fresh, new, powerful meaning.
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you." (Is 54:10 NIV)
"The capacity of God is infinite, so it stands to reason that His love is also infinite...God's love is more than enough...In His infinite wisdom He knows you completely. He loves you tenderly. He loves you faithfully."-Knowing God by Name
Doesn't get much better than that, does it?
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