We are still in chapter 39 of Genesis with our word for today. חֶ֫סֶד steadfast love, loyalty, unfailing love, kindness. It is used 245 times in the Old Testament. God is so closely identified by this word translators sometimes translate our word as “God’s kindness”. One of the many reasons Psalm 23 is so popular is because it captures God’s love for us in such a powerful way with the use of our word. Psalm 23:6 Surely your goodness and וָחֶ֣סֶד love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
You may recall we have already looked at our word back in March. But because it is such an important word we will look at it again. Last time we saw the beautiful dynamics of our word from the relationship with Ruth and Naomi. Today we will look at it in the relationship between David and Jonathan’s relative Mephibosheth. 2 Samuel 9:1-7 David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show חֶ֔סֶד kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “At your service,” he replied. The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s חֶ֣סֶד kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.” “Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “At your service,” he replied. “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you חֶ֙סֶד֙ kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” This is an amazing picture of our word David goes out of his way to want to show unfailing love and kindness to Jonathan’s relative and to search for him and to then show this to him.
Now bring this into our chapter and we find God describing his relationship with Joseph who really needed it at this point of his life. Joseph was almost killed by his brothers, sold into slavery. Then when things were looking up in his position in Potiphar’s house he gets falsely accused of evil and thrown in prison for something he didn’t do. I’m sure Joseph was struggling with feeling like avoiding the temptation to sin against God didn’t seem to turn out well for him as he sat in prison for doing the right thing. Joseph could use God’s unfailing love about now in his life. Genesis 39:21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him חָ֑סֶד steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
In this fallen messed up corrupted place we live in it is easy for us to misunderstand who God really is. This is why there are so many differing perspectives of Him. What I enjoy about God’s word is that we can see for ourselves what God actually says about himself. I’ll close with this great identification by God himself. Exodus 34:5-7 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in חֶ֥סֶד love and faithfulness, maintaining חֶ֥סֶד love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.
