How do you describe God?
First John tells us that God is love. Certainly, that’s true.
I sign all my letters to the church with the line, “God is faithful,” which is also true.
In the Bible, one of the primary words used to describe God is the Hebrew word hesed. It’s used almost 250 times in the 39 books of the Old Testament. It’s all over the place, but it’s hard to spot in our English Bibles because the word is notoriously difficult to translate.
Sometimes it’s translated as “faithful.” Other times it’s translated as “love.” And then sometimes it’s translated as “devotion.” But then sometimes it’s translated as “kindness.” Other times, it’s translated not just as “kindness” but as “unfailing kindness.” Oh, and I can’t forget how it also shows up as “great love,” “unfailing love,” “loving deeds,” “loyalty,” “merciful,” “favor,” “good favor,” and the list keeps going.
God is hesed. He is all of that.
At the core, this word is about God’s covenant-loyalty. It’s about his reliability.
Essentially, the Old Testament says, in various ways, that God keeps his promises. We may not see it at first, but God is faithful…and also loving, kind, loyal, merciful… well, you get it.
We can trust him. We can take him at his word.
I bring up the hesed of the Lord because this summer we celebrate 75 years as a church. How does that happen? In our culture, where everything is temporary, how does a church reach across at least 5 generations into 75 years of legacy? I’ll tell you it doesn’t happen by accident. It doesn’t even happen because of good leadership and business acumen. It doesn’t happen because of smart decision-making.
It happens because of the hesed of the Lord. He is faithful. He keeps his word.
To celebrate 75 years is to celebrate the hesed of the Lord. It’s also to publicly declare our trust in him for our future.
Friends, God is Faithful. Let us celebrate.
Pastor Spencer Smith