HESED 上帝盟約的愛
(From Got Questions)
Many biblical words such as mercy, compassion, love, grace, and
faithfulness relate to the Hebrew word hesed (חֶסֶד), but none of these
completely summarize the concept.
Hesed is not merely an emotion or feeling but involves action on behalf of someone who is in
need. Hesed describes a sense of love and loyalty that inspires merciful and
compassionate behavior toward another person. Hesed, found some 250 times in the Old Testament, expresses an
essential part of God’s character.
When God appeared to Moses to give the Law a
second time, He described Himself as “abounding in” or “filled with” hesed,
which is translated “love and faithfulness,” “unfailing love,” “faithful love,”
“steadfast love,” and “loyal love,” depending on the Bible version (Exodus
34:6–7). The core idea of
this term communicates loyalty or faithfulness within a relationship. Thus, hesed is closely related to God’s covenant with His people, Israel.
As it
relates to the concept of love, hesed expresses God’s faithfulness to His
people. In Exodus 20:6, God says that He lavishes His hesed “for a thousand generations” on those who love Him
and obey His commands. This trustworthy, ever-enduring, loyal aspect of
God’s covenantal love resonates throughout the Old Testament (Nehemiah 1:5; Daniel 9:4; Jeremiah 32:18)
In the Bible, hesed describes the mercy and compassion of God. When
Moses interceded for people, he appealed to God’s hesed: “‘The LORD is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love [hesed],
forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. . . . In keeping with your
magnificent, unfailing love [hesed], please pardon the sins of this people,
just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt” (Numbers 14:18–19,
NLT).
While God’s faithful love [hesed] is eternal and limitless, humans, too, can express
hesed to one another. As in the case of Jonathan and David (1 Samuel 18:3; 20:8; 2 Samuel 9:1, 3, 7), hesed motivates one person,
the superior or more powerful party, to supply a critical need to the lesser or
weaker person. Acts of hesed are always performed freely, under no
obligation or fear of reprisal. The inspiration behind hesed is born of the
relationship between the two parties. Boaz describes Ruth’s kindness toward him
and Naomi as hesed (Ruth 3:10).
God’s covenant relationship with His people results in His loyal love
and faithfulness [hesed], even when His people are unfaithful to Him. Always at
the heart of hesed lies God’s generous sense of compassion, grace, and mercy. Hesed
surpasses ordinary kindness and friendship. It is the inclination of the heart
to show “grace” to the one who is loved. Hesed runs deeper than social
expectations, responsibilities, fluctuating emotions, or what is deserved or
earned by the recipient. Hesed finds its home in committed, familial love, and
it comes to life in actions.
The gospel—God’s act of forgiveness and salvation in Jesus—is rooted in
hesed. Hesed describes the disposition of God’s heart not only toward His
people but to all humanity. The love of God extends far beyond duty or
expectation. His forgiveness of sin fulfills a need that is basic to all other
needs in the relationship between human beings and God—the restoration and
continuation of fellowship with God in Jesus Christ. God’s hesed manifested in
forgiveness makes a relationship with Him possible. That forgiveness comes to us freely as a gift from God based on the sacrificial act of Christ.
耶31:3 古時(從遠方)耶和華向以色列(原文是我)顯現，說：我以永遠的愛(ahava)愛你，因此我以慈愛(hesed)吸引你。
約12:32 我若從地上被舉起來，就要吸引萬人來歸我。
