“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
- John 3:16

Today's verse is recorded at the end of a conversation between Jesus and a religious Jewish man. Both of these men would have thought, felt, and related to God from a Hebrew perspective. Knowing this gives us some additional insight into what is already a well-known portion of Scripture.

When they heard or read about God’s love, they would have connected that to the word Chesed. 

This was a word used to represent God’s committed loyalty and covenant faithfulness, his steadfast loving-kindness. It was a word/value that had implications.

Imagine that you are part of a desert tribe where resources are scarce and having them is a matter of life and death. Someone comes to you and needs 100 sheep to survive. Among your possessions, you have exactly 100 sheep. You might decide to give some of your sheep to this person and maybe point them in the direction of where they could find more. That would be loving, but it wouldn’t be Chesed.

Chesed would be if you gave all 100 of your sheep. You are willing to disadvantage yourself for the sake of this person. Essentially, you are saying “my sheep are your sheep”. You do this in the hope that they will join your tribe and also in the hope that they will embody Chesed in the future. You do it without guarantee that they will.

This is what God has done for us. He offers us his committed loyalty and covenant faithfulness. He wants to be there for us and stick with us when all else might abandon us. He want to provide for us in our areas of deepest need.

How have you benefited from receiving God’s committed love (Chesed)? What opportunities to embody Chesed might you encounter this week?