Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Psalm 36:5
"Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start." These lyrics are the beginning of one of the most popular songs from the movie The Sound of Music, Do-Re-Mi. In this song, governess Maria was teaching the Von-Trapp children how to sing, but she was also giving the audience great advice: the beginning is truly a great place to start. This is true for us when we think about what the Bible teaches about kindness. The first thing we must do when learning about kindness is to understand what kindness means.
Scripture makes it clear that the truest, strongest, most powerful understanding of kindness is studying the kindness of God. There is a Hebrew word for the kindness that God shows that can be found throughout Scripture, and that word is "chesed" in the English language. This word is translated in the New Living Translation as "unfailing love," and the New American Standard Bible translates this word as "lovingkindness." Throughout the book of Psalms, we find this word as David continually recounts God's unfailing love and kindness to His people. One of these Psalms is Psalms 36. In this Psalm, he wrote, "Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds" (verse 5). He continued to explain that God cares for "people and animals alike" (verse 6). He continued saying, "How precious is Your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of Your wings. You feed them from the abundance of Your own house, letting them drink from Your river of delights" (verses 7-8). This is the kindness of God. God loves, protects, and cares for His people. This kind of love is, indeed, as David described, precious.
Understanding the depth of the word "chesed" provides a greater and richer understanding of God's kindness. Out of kindness, God is a chief protector and provider of His people. Because of this, we get to rest in His great kindness towards us and share it with those around us. In a world where we are often encouraged to hustle, God invites us to rest in His kindness. Will you rest in His kindness today?
Spend some time reading the verses in the Going Deeper section, paying particular attention to what they teach us about kindness. After reading, write a summary of this kindness. How would you describe it and explain it to a friend? How does this understanding impact your understanding of the kindness that God has shown you?
Read Psalm Psalm 36:1-12(NLT)
Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all.In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are.Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good.They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their actions are never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil.
Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.You care for people and animals alike, O Lord. How precious is your unfailing love, O God!All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.You feed them from the abundance of your own house, letting them drink from your river of delights.For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.
Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you; give justice to those with honest hearts.Don’t let the proud trample me or the wicked push me around.Look! Those who do evil have fallen! They are thrown down, never to rise again.
©2024 Sagebrush Church
