2008-02-24 - Hesed

Matthew 25:34, "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'"

The above verse, and the passage that it is found in, are verses that sweetly smile on the follower of Christ. Christ returns as King and ushers His people into His kingdom. One day, it will come. We look for it today, but in looking today, we persevere until tomorrow. The times are not in our hands, but we know that this will be a glorious day. Christ is king. His people serve Him. In a kingdom, who is better off than those who are closest to the King? Who has food on their table in a famine? Who is more likely to have special favors, than one who is close to the King? Christian, the first insight here is that we must seek close communion with the Lord Jesus Christ. It is to our advantage to be as close to the King as we can get. The reward is in our very office of servants of the King. Serving Christ is a reward itself. The blessing to us, in drawing close fellowship with the King of Kings, is the lovingkindness, union and communion we enjoy as servants of the King.

The King says, "Come, you who are blessed of My Father." Please let us note where this blessedness comes from. They are blessed of the Father. These blessings are not second-rate blessings. They are full blessings. They are overflowing blessings. In fact, they are even more full than that. They are more full than overflowing blessings. These are the blessings that the Father gives the King's servants. We are prone, myself included, to joke that we so know our sin and rebellion, that we will be happy to just squeak into Heaven, and if the door hits our fanny as Heaven's gates close - and we are the last to "get in-" we will be quite content. There is a bit of true humility in such musings, but they betray the truth of what Heaven is shown to be, in God's Holy Word. The righteous in Heaven are blessed of the Father. They "inherit the kingdom" prepared for them, and it implies much more than tripping into Heaven's glories on a whim, or by chance slipping in unnoticed. We are talking about an inheritance here, and it is a gloriously encouraging thought for the faithful follower of Christ.

How can this be? It is a proper question for any of us who honestly understand our sin and rebellion from this very One who will welcome us. Let me introduce you to the word "hesed." Hesed is the Hebrew word of God's lovingkindness. It is a concept in the Old Testament that expresses His Covenant Love to His people. We can only experience the "Come, you are blessed," if we compete the verse (as we should) "of My Father." We are blessed only because of the hesed (the lovingkindness) of the Father to those who Christ (the King) has redeemed. This is our joy. Our reward is not subject to our earning. Our reward comes from the hesed of God. He showers us with His lovingkindness (hesed), and in this hesed, we experience that which has been prepared for us "from the foundation of the world." It is a kingdom. It is prepared for us, and it is ours because the Lord bathes us in His hesed, His ever-lovingkindness to those who love Him.

Soli Deo Gloria,
T-

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