“…Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” – Jeremiah 31:3

I heard an incredibly unbelievable story sometime back.

Miraculously, this amazing family had received a Green Card to migrate to the USA. But there was a big problem with the DNA results of one of the girls.

It was not matching that of her father! If the DNA was not matching, then there would be no visa unless she remains behind.

Whereas the husband felt betrayed, madam was adamant that no other man could claim the paternity of their dear daughter. Pressed, she remembered.

There was that brief ‘one-night stand’ with a workmate while on a trip upcountry around that time.

But madam and her workmate had no idea that she had swallowed a ‘live seed’ during that brief encounter.

With the baby girl completely resembling her mum, no one could suspect anything, until nine years later.

What was the husband’s decision going to be? The man loved his wife dearly and that particular girl was his favorite child.

After much contemplation and prayer, the husband decided that forfeiting the Green Card would be the best alternative for his family.

The Hebrew word for ‘lovingkindness’ is chesed, which means perpetual, loyal and steadfast love or affection.

It denotes commitment in a relationship beyond the legal obligations.  It may also be translated “sure mercies.”

When the Bible urges husbands to “love their wives as Christ loved the Church,” this is what is implied. 

It literally means deal with her “with perpetual (faithful) lovingkindness.”

And as every honest husband knows pretty well, it can be extremely difficult to do this to a ‘normal’ woman given their endless drama and mood swings.

Chesed describes a person’s unwavering kindness or loyalty to another.

“How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of menput their trust under the shadow of Your wings.”

PSALM 36:7

Indeed, in the book of Hosea, God’s relationship to Israel is portrayed as a marriage relationship, which stresses God’s promise of “faithfulness” to Israel in covenantal terms (see Hosea 2:19-20).

Christ relates to His Church the same way that a perfect husband would relate to his imperfect spouse.

Inevitably, the term ‘lovingkindness’ is usually paired with ‘truth’ (reliability, fidelity, loyalty or dependability).

Unlike mercy, which may be shown to strangers or enemies, lovingkindness is only attributed to people who are close to the person.

In our meditation today, God is speaking to the captive Jews in Babylon through the prophet Jeremiah saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love and with lovingkindness have I drawn you.”

That implies that lovingkindness is responsive; it does something to the one it is fond of; it’s not passive or docile.

In Psalm 36: 7, David declared, “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.”

That implies that lovingkindess is so precious that it builds an unbreakable bond of trust.

“Your lovingkindness is better than life,” says the psalmist in Psalm 63:3, which implies that God’s lovingkindness is what makes life worth a living.

The other aspect that we can note about lovingkindess in in Psalm 143:8, which says; “Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning.”

That implies that lovingkindness ‘speaks’ and is “heard.”

That’s what God keeps doing daily; He keeps on affirming and confirming His Church, regardless of her apparent ‘imperfections.’

Loyal, steadfast love should never tire of speaking to the heart of the loved one through words of confirmation and affirmation.

That’s the true essence of lovingkindness.

Prayer:

Almighty God, thank you because You for Your lovingkindness that has drawn me to Yourself. Help me to extend the same loyal love to my loved ones, their shortcomings notwithstanding. For the glory of Your Name, Amen!