Lent Day 18: His ‘chesed’ Love
Mar 31 in Lent
What is ‘chesed’ or ‘hesed’? A word hard to translate as it covers such a diversity of meanings: kindness, unsurpassed loyalty and commitment as that expressed in a covenant relationship between a husband and wife or God and us; persistence, unconditional tenderness, faithfulness to keep promises, favour, friendship and total commitment to another; faithful and steadfast love in action (as a shepherd who watches over his flock), support and companionship during a journey, mercy, lovingkindness, going beyond what is expected from you for the benefit of another… friendship.
The word ‘Ruth’ means ‘friend’, she embarked upon a journey of faith to a foreign land and people, with no future prospects but that of taking care of and providing for her mother-in-law Naomi. She worked arduously, gleaning in fields (the welfare system of the time) where the poor were allowed to collect grain left behind by the reapers “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God” Leviticus 23:22. It was a humbling job, she was beautiful, her nature transparent and soon considered by all as a woman of excellence.
Naomi had left Bethlehem (meaning house of bread) during a time of famine, seeking better fortune they had sold their land and migrated to Moab where her husband and two sons died. Perhaps it would have been better to have stayed despite the conditions. Sometimes God wants to become our Jehovah Jireh (meaning provider); where He provides our manna for each day, where we learn to depend on Him as a Shepherd, who will take care of His sheep. The wonderful thing is that He can restore the years that the locust have eaten! lead us to new springs.
As Naomi returns she causes quite a stir, she says to the women who run out to greet her: “Do not call me Naomi (meaning pleasant); call me Marah (meaning bitter)… I went out full but the Lord has brought me back empty”. We read of a place called Marah in Exodus 15 a place where Moses had led Israel to; after travelling for 3 days without finding water, they come to Marah, called like that for its bitter waters. The people complain, Moses cries out to God who in turn shows him a piece of wood, which once thrown into the waters make them fit to drink …. (the cross applied to our bitter experiences can also remove the feelings attached to these and heal us)… we read on to find that from Marah they are first directed to “listen carefully to the Lord their God and do what is right in His eyes, pay attention to his commands…” and then brought to Elim, a place “where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water” Exodus 15:27.
Once we choose to follow Him (just like Ruth did “your God will be my God” Ruth 1:16) we enter into His covenant love (chesed) He becomes our keeper, restores our land and causes us to inherit the desolate heritages, enter a life of true liberty, climb to new heights, where we no longer hunger or thirst but are led to springs of living water. Isaiah 49 says it!