Ty Gibson wrote about it in his book titled “A God Named Desire.”
And our Sabbath School lesson devoted a day’s study to it a few weeks ago.
Have you guessed what the word is yet?
Love? Yes, and no. It isn’t the love that song writers are always telling us about. But it is love. A very special kind of love.
The word is Hesed. (Sometimes spelled Chesed.)
Ty Gibson was told that it would take at least 26 English words (synonyms) to adequately encompass the richness of this one Hebrew word.
Ty then gave us a list of some of those synonyms he had found in the Hebrew Bible: steadfast love, unfailing love, loving kindness, faithfulness, mercy, compassion, changelessness, determination, constancy, reliability, commitment, dependability, predictability, trustworthiness, integrity, patience, hope, devotion, passion, longsuffering, justice, truthfulness, goodness, kindness, grace, loyalty, generosity, and faith. There are more, I’m sure. But this is a good start.
Most importantly, hesed is the word used to describe the love that God has for you. Yes, you specifically. And for each and everyone of us - together and individually. God loves you with hesed; He loves your friends, your neighbors, yes, and even your enemies. You don't earn hesed - God has hesed for you because of who He is and not because of what you've done or haven't done.
I found a wonderful short (3 minute 11 second) video on the word hesed that I’d like to share with you. It’s not a word study – it’s about hesed in real life. I think you'll find it compelling.