LovingKindness

“She (Ruth) gave up marriage to a man to devote herself to an old woman- and in a world dominated by men at that.” -Robert L. Hubbard Jr.

William Blake: Naomi entreating Ruth and Orpah to return to the land of Moab. Public Domain.

One of the key theological ideas of the Old Testament is captured in the word Hebrew word “hesed.” It is a little hard to define with a single English word. The King James Version of the Bible often translates it “lovingkindness” but even this compound word doesn’t capture all of the meaning behind this rich concept. And it is this word and the ideas behind it which dominate the book of Ruth. God’s work in the book is based on hesed. Ruth’s commitment to Naomi, hesed. Boaz’s role in the book and the actions he takes toward Ruth and Naomi, you guessed it, hesed. Here is how Leon Morris helps us grasp this short-in-length, long-on-meaning word: “The key word is hesed, often rendered ‘loving-kindness’. It is a word which on occasion means something very like loyalty, and on occasion something very like love. In the Old Testament it is often related to the covenant, and it indicates the kind of warm loyal attitude that parties ought to have for one another.” God describes Himself to Moses in their closest encounter twice with this word. Once hesed has the idea of “abundant goodness” and once hesed has the idea of “keeping mercy” (Exodus 34:6-7). Our God is a God of hesed commitment to us. He has for us a loving loyalty that cannot be overstated. He shows His mercy-filled commitment time and again but most outstandingly in Jesus. In the book of Ruth, we will see that hesed is the highest ideal for the human characters (it is the blessing that Naomi speaks over her daughters-in-law in 1:8). So, while the depth of the word is best seen in God’s relationship to people, hesed is also to be a quality and characteristic of the people of God. A quality they demonstrate in their commitment to God and to one another. In fact, one could say that the concept of hesed should define our relationships in the family of God. We should be demonstrating hesed toward our brothers and sisters in Christ (as well as to our spouse, children, parents and so on). As we journey on in the book of Ruth, we will invariably highlight this word and its centrality to the story. But, as with all of the book, it begs for us to look from this story into the grander story- Redemption’s Story and for us to be reminded of God’s lovingkindness and commitment to us. Might you be blessed by God’s hesed and might you be a blessing to those around you as you demonstrate hesed toward them.