Grateful: Giving Thanks to God in All ThingsSample

For His Hesed Endures Forever

By Irene Sun

In Psalm 136, the phrase “His faithful love endures forever” is repeated over and over. In Hebrew, the phrase is made of two words: olam (“for to eternity”) and hesed. Due to the depth and vastness of hesed, different Bible translations render hesed differently.

CSB: His FAITHFUL LOVE endures forever

KJV: for his MERCY endureth forever

ESV: for his STEADFAST LOVE endures forever

NIV: His LOVE endures forever

In Scripture, here are four distinct features of hesed:

• Hesed is an act of faith, based on an established promise, a fulfillment of a covenant.
• Hesed responds to an urgent need of those who receive it.
• Hesed is a saving act toward a life that hangs on another person’s mercy.
• Hesed is a free and extraordinary act of generosity.

Hesed is God’s life-giving, unchanging, saving love. He does not “love us to death.” He loves us to life.

Hesed is the foundation for why God creates and the reason for why He saves. Hesed sets Yahweh apart from all other gods. It is at the core of His character. He is a God who keeps His word. He not only desires to save; He is able to save. Infinite love with infinite power. There is no one like Him.

Salvation, in this psalm and in the entirety of Scripture, is not merely to be saved from death. God’s people are saved unto God, to be in relationship with Him.

There is no God like Yahweh. He is the God of gods. He is the Lord of lords. He is set apart from all the other idols because of His goodness. Psalm 136 recounts the ways God displays His goodness.

Yahweh alone does great works. Yahweh alone created the great wonders. Not by might nor by power but by His understanding.

As said before, Yahweh is the destination of our salvation. We are not saved merely from danger, but we are saved to be with Him. We are saved to have a relationship with our Creator. We are saved to be in communion with our Savior and Friend. He is consistent, unchanging, and worthy of our trust. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He saved us. He is saving us. He will save us. Because of hesed.

Read Psalm 136 today, and praise God that “His faithful love endures forever.”