What other scriptures emphasize God's enduring love and goodness? Setting the scene at Solomon’s temple 2 Chronicles 7:3 records the people’s spontaneous outburst when God’s glory filled the newly dedicated temple: “For He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.” That declaration isn’t an isolated refrain. From Genesis to Revelation, the Spirit repeats—and deepens—the same truth. Echoes of the same song in the Psalms The hymnbook of Israel keeps returning to the identical chorus: • Psalm 100:5 — “For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.” • Psalm 106:1 — “Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.” • Psalm 107:1; 118:1; 136:1 (and every refrain in Psalm 136) repeat the same line. These lyrics weren’t filler; they were faith-forming truth meant to be sung into memory. Foundational truths from the Law and early histories • Exodus 34:6 — “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness.” • Deuteronomy 7:9 — “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.” • 1 Chronicles 16:34 — “Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.” From Sinai to David’s tabernacle, the same character portrait stands unaltered. Prophets: love that pleads and restores • Nehemiah 9:17 — “You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion. Therefore You did not forsake them.” • Jeremiah 31:3 — “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving devotion.” • Lamentations 3:22-23 — “Because of the LORD’s loving devotion we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!” • Micah 7:18 — “He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion.” Even when announcing judgment, the prophets anchor hope in the unchanging goodness of God. Love embodied in Jesus Christ The New Testament doesn’t replace the Old song—it amplifies it. • John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” • Romans 5:8 — “But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” • Ephesians 2:4-5 — “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ…” • Titus 3:4-5 — “When the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us…” • 1 John 4:9-10 — “God sent His one and only Son… not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” • James 1:17 — “Every good and perfect gift is from above… with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.” • Hebrews 13:8 — “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” At Calvary, the enduring love declared in 2 Chronicles 7:3 is displayed in blood and resurrection power. Living in the confidence of His unchanging goodness • Because His love endures forever, our hope is never situational. • Because His goodness is constant, gratitude can rise in every circumstance. • Because His character is fixed, faith can rest securely—yesterday, today, and forever. |
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