The concept of God's loving-kindness, often translated from the Hebrew word "chesed," is a central theme throughout the Bible, reflecting God's steadfast love, mercy, and faithfulness towards His people. This divine attribute is portrayed as surpassing even the most essential aspects of human existence, including life itself.

Biblical Foundation

The psalmist David eloquently captures the essence of God's loving-kindness in Psalm 63:3, stating, "Because Your loving devotion is better than life, my lips will glorify You" . Here, David expresses a profound truth: the loving-kindness of God is of greater value and significance than life itself. This declaration is made in the context of David's time in the wilderness of Judah, highlighting his reliance on God's steadfast love amidst adversity.

Attributes of God's Loving-Kindness

1. Steadfast and Unchanging: God's loving-kindness is unwavering and eternal. Lamentations 3:22-23 affirms, "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" . This passage underscores the perpetual nature of God's mercy and faithfulness, which renews daily.

2. Redemptive and Forgiving: God's loving-kindness is intricately linked to His redemptive work. In Ephesians 2:4-5, Paul writes, "But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved" . This highlights the transformative power of God's love, which brings spiritual life and salvation.

3. Covenantal and Relational: God's loving-kindness is covenantal, reflecting His commitment to His people. In Deuteronomy 7:9, it is written, "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" . This covenantal love establishes a relational bond between God and His people, characterized by faithfulness and loyalty.

Experiencing God's Loving-Kindness

Believers are called to experience and respond to God's loving-kindness through worship, obedience, and trust. Psalm 36:7 declares, "How precious is Your loving devotion, O God, that the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings" . This imagery of refuge under God's wings conveys a sense of security and peace found in His love.

Furthermore, the loving-kindness of God compels believers to extend love and mercy to others. In Micah 6:8, the prophet exhorts, "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" . This call to love mercy reflects the transformative impact of experiencing God's loving-kindness.

Conclusion

The loving-kindness of God, as revealed in Scripture, is a profound and life-giving attribute that surpasses all earthly experiences. It is a source of comfort, hope, and strength for believers, inviting them into a deeper relationship with their Creator. Through His loving-kindness, God demonstrates His unwavering commitment to His people, offering redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life.Psalm 63:3
Because your loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

That Human Life is a Distraction but that through the Mercy of God ...
... But that Through the Mercy of God He Was Intent on the Prize of His Heavenly Calling.
39. But "because Thy loving-kindness is better than life," [1054] behold ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/chapter xxix that human life is.htm

The Divine Hunger and Thirst
... Psalm 36:7, 8, 9. How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God! ... is, or rather ought
to be, always hungering and thirsting after something better than he has ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon ii the divine hunger.htm

What Men Find Beneath the Wings of God
... boundless perfections of God; His lovingkindness, faithfulness, righteousness ... mystic
union between the God who has ... which we cannot express better than by that ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/what men find beneath the.htm

How is Christ, as the Life, to be Applied by a Soul that Misseth ...
... the fountain of life," Psalm 36:9, and "whose loving-kindness is better than life,"
Psalm 63:3 ... 1. They complain of God's hiding of himself, and forsaking them ...
/.../brown/christ the way the truth and the life/chapter xxvi how is christ.htm

John i. 11
... has exhibited them to all; thinking it better that his ... of the free gift of God might
appear ... obscure His ineffable and indescribable lovingkindness by hesitating ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily x john i 11.htm

"But Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God, and his Righteousness, and ...
... whose loving kindness is better than life? And not only so, but if ye be diligent
here ye shall obtain a kingdom. "Seek first the kingdom of God." "The hand of ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xvii but seek ye.htm

Love and Forgiveness
... He stands before you clothed in infinite loving-kindness indeed; but ... our souls; and
such is the God to whom ... Christ, above all, a vast deal better than he did. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/love and forgiveness.htm

God in the Covenant
... we can never use up the infinite treasures of God's loving kindness. ... am neither
fatherless nor friendless; my God is both ... no child, but is not he better to me ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/god in the covenant.htm

Continual Sunshine
... Presence, and an unbroken experience of the lovingkindness and favour ... 'Better to
have loved and lost Than never to have ... But for those to whom God's Face is as ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture j/continual sunshine.htm

The Goodness of the Son of God is Proved from his Works...
... not this by works, by acts of lovingkindness, let Him ... it was said: "Behold the Lamb
of God, behold Him ... His mouth; for thy breasts are better than wine;" [1938 ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter ii the goodness of.htm

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