“Have mercy on me, O God.” — Psalm 51:1
The foundation necessary for confidence in mercy is constructed with the mortar of the Hebrew word David uses in verse 1 of Psalm 51, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your hesed.” Hesed (חֶ֫סֶד) is difficult to translate because there is no one English word that captures the height, depth, breadth, and width of its meaning.
Bible translators give it a try with definitions such as unfailing love (NIV), steadfast love (ESV), faithful love (CEB), lovingkindness (NASB), and loving devotion (Berean Study Bible).
The core concept they are seeking to describe is the covenant loyalty of the Lord whose love is stronger than mere emotion. Yes, the Lord has a zealous affection for those upon whom his hesed rests. God’s love is not abstract. It’s personal and relational.
But it is more than emotional.
Hesed, which is used at least two-hundred-and-fifty times in the Old Testament, is the foundational love upon which all other mercies and graces may be firmly placed, without wondering if the bedrock ever crack. It won’t.
The Lord revealed himself to Moses as one “abounding in hesed.” He is the God who is said to lavish hesed upon a thousand generations. It is the hesed of the Lord to which Moses appeals as ground for God’s mercy toward the rebellious, as he prays,
“In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt” (Numbers 14:19, NLT).
In the gospels, hesed takes on flesh in the person of Jesus, who shows us in living color what the word really means. Upon a cross, the Son of God lays the foundation of mercy, not with concrete but with blood, establishing the ground where grace may flourish and love abound.
At the end of his well-known Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus indicates that every human builds their life either on a foundation of sand or one of rock. The structure on sand will crumble, but the one on solid ground will endure forever.
Sand represents my righteousness. My religious efforts, spiritual track record, moral standing, and worldly accomplishments. The rock is the perfect righteousness of Jesus. His record.
As Paul writes in Romans 5:2,
“Through him we have obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” (ESV)
Be sure of this. We do not climb on the rock of salvation. We’re placed there by pure grace.
As David writes in Psalm 40:2,
“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” (NIV84)
He lifts us out. He sets our feet. He gives us a firm place to stand!
The problem is that we are tempted to put one foot on the rock and one in the sand. What would it look like if we planted both feet on the rock?
That’s the call of the cross today.
So, as you consider the solid ground of the gospel, celebrate that Jesus’ blood and righteousness provide the mix that creates the foundation upon which you are able to stand in the presence of God without fear. In fact, your standing is not just without fear. In Christ, you are the object of the most ardent, unrelenting love ever known.
Beloved. Just stand there. Rest there. Rejoice there. With both feet planted firmly on the safe, secure foundation of mercy, grace, and love that is yours in Christ Jesus.
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