Steadfast Love

 I read Psalm 136 today "...his steadfast love endures forever"

Love here is the Hebrew word checed [strong's # 2617] and is defined as:

▪︎steadfast love [translation most used]

▪︎faithfulness 

▪︎loyalty 

▪︎kindness 

In the entire OT it is used 245 times; 127 of those times in Psalms!

Checed is often used as a characteristic of God.  It is an essential part of His character.

When He appeared to Moses, God describes Himself as abounding in checed and keeping checed for thousands [Ex. 34:6-7]. His checed is associated with His covenant love for Israel. In the 10 commandments,  God describes Himself as showing checed to those who love and obey Him [ex. 20:6, Deut 5:10].

This description is echoed throughout the OT.

Checed is often described in terms of His mercy or compassion. 

▪︎In Numbers [14:18-19] when Moses was appealing to God to pardon Israel's sins, he appealed to His checed.

▪︎When the Israelites confess their sins in Nehemiah [9:17], they note God didn't forsake the generation that wandered in the wilderness because He abounds in checed.

▪︎Ezra [9:9] shows how God did not forsake the exiles but instead, extended His checed to them.

▪︎The prophets [Joel 2:13 & Jonah 4:12] encouraged people to return to God and they cited checed along with His grace.

In the Psalms checed is most prevalent.  The reader is asked to focus on checed in praise. 

The phrase "his checed endures forever " is often repeated as a chorus of praise. 

Checed is also something God desires in his people.  He desires it over sacrifice.

Here are several verses you can go to to continue studying this word checed >

Ps. 36:5, 59:17, 61:7, 89:1, 118:1-4, 136:1-26, I Chr. 16:34, II Chr. 7:, 20:21

There are so many more verses I could list but you can do that with this starter list.

Let me know what you learned [if anything] from this study.  I'd love to hear!