Day 8: Hesed
Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.”
Luke 2:10
“Do not be afraid.” It’s the repeated refrain at nearly every angelic appearance in scripture. I suppose the same steadying words would be required toward me if ever I should encounter one. For the Old Covenant saints, it is apparent the fear was twofold: The first being the startling appearance of an ‘angelic’ being, though not all appearances carried the obvious other-worldly awe. At certain times they appear only as normal men (Gen 18, Heb 13:2). Secondly, these angels carry some weight of the glory of God. The Old Testament saint knew that to see God would mean death (Ex 33:20). These angels often carry the glory of God with them in some way that is perceived, as evidenced such that men who encounter them fear for their own demise at having seen God.
Fear is the reasonable response to a just and holy God, and would be a reasonable reaction to any messenger carrying the weight of His purposes and presence. We are encouraged to fear God(Proverbs 1:7, Ecc 12:13, Deut 10:12, Ps 111:10, Mat 10:28, etc.), because this is indeed the prudent posture toward the omnipotent, omniscient creator of life and the universe whom we’ve made our mortal enemy, by offending Him with our vile sin, an open rebellion against Him and provocation of His wrath. A man who does not fear God only heralds his own ignorance of who God is.
Yet, this heralding to the shepherds, this announcement not to be afraid is explained in a new way. They would indeed, that very night, see the face of God, and they would not perish. The unexpected message from the God of the universe is not impending wrath and judgment in repayment for our mutiple millennia of disobedience. It is something else entirely! It is the next revelation of His hesed(חֶסֶד). It is His goodwill and blessing poured out on humanity. ‘Hesed’ is a word used over 250 times in the Old Testament and is translated in various ways; faithfulness, mercy, kindness, lovingkindness, are the most prevalent. Yet none of these English words can encompass all of its meaning. It is God’s covenant faithful love toward His people, despite the fact that they have not kept their end of the covenant. Michael Card attempts to define it this way: “When the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing, gives me everything.”
“When the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing, gives me everything.”
“Do not be afraid”- The God whom you’ve reviled and rejected, and will indeed continue to revile and reject, is showing His favor toward you. He is revealing His ‘hesed’ to all people in all places, no longer bound up in revelations to the sons of Jacob. While you curse Him, He anoints your head with oil and does good to you. He does this because that is His nature. He is the God who lays down His life for His enemies, though he could slay them with a word. Good tidings indeed!
Application Questions
-It is important that we understand our own rebellion, in order that we understand God’s grace. Do you see your own rebellion accurately?
-Who could be considered an ‘enemy’ in your sphere? How might you extend a reflection of God’s ‘Hesed’ toward them?
