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Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other
chesed /kheh·sed Strongs’s Number 2617 248 occurences in OT
AV translates as “mercy” 149 times, “kindness” 40 times, “lovingkindness” 30 times, “goodness” 12 times, “kindly”
Chesed STEADFAST LOVE, kindness, mercy, faithfulness, loyalty
The essential characteristic of God in the Old Testament.
Exodus 34 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love (chesed) and faithfulness (emed), 7 maintaining love (chesed) to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.
God’s steadfast love is expressed in keeping his covenant love for Israel, “his covenant faithfulness”
Chesed appears 100 times in the Psalms. God’s steadfast love is the reason for praising God and the basis for the writer’s appeals for God to grant forgiveness and to answer prayers
Psalm 136 1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures for ever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures for ever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures for ever.
His love endures forever echoes in all 26 verses
Psalm 23:6 Surely your goodness and love (chesed) will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Psalm 51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love (chesed);
according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Psalm 44:26 Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love (chesed).
God also wants his people to show this kind of steadfast love although there it is often translated kindness or mercy.
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
[ʾemeth /eh·meth/] STRONGS NUMBER 571 127 occurences
AV Translates as truth/true 110 times
Psalm 19:9 the fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true (emeth) and righteous altogether.
Psalm 25:5 Guide me in your truth (emeth) and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 119:160 The sum of your word is truth (emeth); and every one of your righteous ordinances endures forever.
But in Psalm 85:10-11 NIV2011, NRSV and GNB translate emeth as FAITHFULNESS.
NLT, NKJV and Message translate as TRUTH = Love and truth meet together
? Does the faithfulness/truth belong to GOD? Or to God’s PEOPLE?
Verse 11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
I think truth fits better here, and it is God’s truth.
In salvation – God’s steadfast love is reconciled with God’s truth
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
[tsedeq /tseh·dek/] Strong’s Number 6664 116 occurences
AV translates as “righteousness” 77 times, “just” 11 times, “justice” 10 times, “righteous” eight times, “righteously” three times,
God’s moral righteousness
Psalm 9:8 He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity.
Psalm 23:3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths (paths of righteousness sedeq) for his name’s sake.
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other. ׁ
[shalowm, shalom /shaw·lome/] STRONGS NUMBER 7965 236 occurences
AV translates as “peace” 175 times, “well” 14 times, “peaceably” nine times, “welfare” five times,
Psalm 122:6 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.’
8 For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’
More than just absence of war – shalom is completeness, wholeness, well-being, tranquility,
In relationships between human beings and between God and people
Psalm 29:11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.
God’s righteousness and God’s peace kiss – bringing God’s peace to earth
All this is a wonderful prophecy of the cross of Christ
Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
HERE IS LOVE vast as the ocean, Loving kindness as the flood,
(Original in Welsh by William Rees, Songs of Fellowship 168)
On the Mount of Crucifixion
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And heaven’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.
And the earth responds to God’s amazing grace with faithfulness/truth
Psalm 85:11 Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The LORD will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.
