Love, Loving Kindness and Mercy
Gen 1919 (NIV) Your servant has found favorhave shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. Lot and his daughters found favour with the angels meaning they were accepted or chosen and great kindness was show this context portrays the mercy or good deed accorded to them. Lot can thus plead for a chance to bargain with the angels of the Lord not to flee to the mountains because of the kindness or mercy they have received exonerating them from destruction. They were thus granted their request.
Gen 2427 (NIV) Praise be to the God of my master Abraham who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master In the KJV loving kindness and truth are used to replace the words kindness and faithfulness in the NIV in this context the request made to God by man is proved successful, The God of Abraham is proved true to his promise Gen 2412(NIV) O God of my master Abrahamshow kindness Gods faithfulness is proven to the servant of Isaac that God has honored his treaty with his servant Abraham by showing him mercy and making him successful in getting a wife for Isaac. Gods loving kindness and faithfulness is also mentioned by Jacob as he prayed to meet his brother Esau, Gen 3210 (NIV)I am unworthy of the kindness and faithfulness you have shown Jacob puts forth his petition humbly on the knowledge God has given him more mercy than he deserved through out his life. In this context God is proved true again when his encounter proved successful.
In her song of praise of deliverance Miriam talks of unfailing love implying the consistent never changing love of God, Ex 1513. The love of God is also at a price those who keep his commandments and love Him Ex 206 the consistency of the love of God is shown in the commandments. Ex 346, 7 The Lord describes His own nature when he passed in front of Moses as abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness The consistency of the love of God is portrayed here and a new dimension of the endless love of God is also illustrated in his love for the thousands. As the people rebelled against the Lord and Mosses became angry he is reminded of the attributes of the Lord in Num 1418, 19 the lord is abounding in love and his consistency in forgiving and loving the Israelites from the days they were delivered from Egypt. In this light the nature of God is portrayed as amorous in spite of the grumbling and bad behavior of the people. In his loving kindness God also pardons and disciplines those he loves. Moses emphasizes and repeats the commandments on love illustrated in Deut 510 and Deut 79 is a similar to of Ex 346, 7 emphasis on the love of God to a thousand generations. The Israelites probably had a tendency to forget the mercy and love of God and would therefore grumble and sin.
The word kindness is also illustrated as a way of seeking pardon and favor between the people. For instance, in Gen 4729 Israel asked his son Joseph for kindness and faithfulness not to be buried in Egypt. He asked Joseph to pledge to deal with him truly as illustrated in KJV. In Jos 212 Now then please swear to me by the Lordshow kindness Rahab after housing the spies and before letting them go urged the spies to guarantee the safety of her household on the day the Lord gives them the land. Jos 1214 the men assured her they would treat her kindly and faithfully if she did not reveal what they were doing. Both parties made a secrecy oath in return for kindness. A similar scenario is replayed by in Jdg 124 Show us how to get to the city and we will see that you are treated well kindness was shown in exchange for a good act. In Jdg 835 The Israelites did not show kindness to the family of Gideon for all the good things he had done for them. The people were expected to return the act of kindness but because they had prostituted themselves to the baals, kindness did not matter to them. Boaz showed kindness to Ruth and Naomi as they gleaned in his field Rth 220 he has not stopped showing his kindness to the living and the dead kindnesses as act of favour as a personal characteristic human attribute. Rth 310 This kindness is greater than that which you showed earlier Ruth showed kindness to Boaz by choosing him as a kinsman redeemer as compared to her choosing other younger men. 1Sam 2014 Jonathan reassures David and at the same time petitions for Davids kindness according to the Lord so that as long as he lives he will not be killed.
Naomi bid farewell to her two daughters in Rth 18 Go backMay the Lord show kindness to you in this context kindness is demonstrated as a form of benediction or blessing a farewell message a form of remembrance from the Lord spoken by Naomi to her two daughters. 2 Sam 26, May the Lord now show you the kindness and faithfulness and I too will show you the same favour because you have done this. David blessed the men of Jabesh Gilead for they had buried Saul. The loving kindness and truth of God was also on David and God promised him he will never take his love from him like he did from Saul, 2 Sam 715 The lord blesses David and declares his favour upon him. 1 Chr 1634 a Psalm of David declaring and praising the blessings of the Lord. 1Chr 1713 I will be his father and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. Nathan the prophet spoke the promise of God to David about his offspring who will build him the temple as an assurance that the blessing and mercy will follow Davids lineage.
Through out the Old Testament the Israelites relate to God as their deliverer the faithfulness and loving kindness of Yahweh. In his complaints and anguish Job still acknowledges that his sustenance comes from God in Job 1012 You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit. He also continues in Job 3713 to express the nature of God He brings the clouds to punish men, or to water his earth and show his love.
David is known for the composition of songs that express the loving kindness of God. He pleads his petition from the Lord in Ps 511(KJV) by reminding the Lord of his loving kindness to pardon sin. Have mercy upon me oh God, according to thy loving kindnessaccording unto the multitude of thy tender mercies and blot out my transgressions. David expresses that Gods mercy is great and his mercy will prevent the enemies of God to harm him. Ps 5710 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens and thy truth unto the clouds. Ps 5910 Your great mercy will prevent God shall let me see my desire upon my enemies.
Daniels life and deliverance from captivity is one of the best illustrations of how God would allow the testing of his servants faith in order that he would prevail and come out strong and the Lord would receive praise. God shows that he loves and cares for his obedient servants. Daniel would not compromise or bow down to the idols so he offered his petition to the Lord in Dan 94 proclaiming him as the great God who keeps his covenant of mercy and love. Truly as he prayed the Lord delivered him. The scripture proclaims in Dan1 9 (NIV) that Daniel had obtained favor and sympathy from the official.
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