9/4/24
It did my heart good when, a couple of Sundays ago, I asked what repentance was, and several of you said shuv, the Hebrew word that means to repent or to turn around. I was surprised you remembered it!
You made me so happy! Now I can die in peace! Sooner or later. Hopefully later!
In the meantime, let’s learn some more! Here are three Hebrew words, a little phrase that you can use for all sorts of situations. It could be a short prayer on its own; it could be a word of hope for someone who’s having a difficult time; it could be an expression of gratitude to God woven into any prayer. However you use it, it’s a good little phrase to keep in your heart.
What are these three little words?
Ki le’olam chasdo.
Let’s start with the last word, chasdo: The “ch” is one of those Hebrew sounds that’s easier to say during allergy seasons. Think of it as sort of the sound of a wet “k” or maybe a harsh “h.” The “o” at the end is long, and means “his.” Chasdo without the “o” is a word you might remember: chesed, which means “steadfast love” or“loyal love.” So, together chasdo means “his steadfast love,” or maybe “his mercy” (depending on your translation).
Ki (pronounced like “key”) means “for” or “because”; le is a preposition that can be translated as “to” or “for”; and, olam means forever. By the way, there’s a little lift between “le” and “olam.”
Put it together and what have you got? Ki le’olam chasdo: “For his steadfast love endures forever.”
We find it in Psalm 136, the only true litany in the book of Psalms. Every verse ends with the phrase “for his steadfast love endures forever.” Whether in the temple, the synagogue, the early church, or in our church, the leader would sing the first line and the congregation would sing the response:
Leader: O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
All: for his steadfast love endures forever.
Leader: O give thanks to the God of gods,
All: for his steadfast love endures forever . . .
And the psalm goes back and forth like that for 26 verses! Why? Because the Psalmist is praising the greatness of a God “who alone does great wonders” (vs. 4). What wonders, you ask? There are two of them. The first is in verses 5-9:
5 who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 who spread out the earth on the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever . . .
Why did God create the universe? Why did God create the seas? Why did God create the sun, moon and stars? “For his steadfast love endures forever.”
But wait! There’s more! The universe isn’t the only wonder God creates! Read the next 12 verses – without any break, after praising God for creating the moon and stars, the psalmist sings:
who struck Egypt through their firstborn,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever . . .
Directly from Creation to Israel’s deliverance from slavery. These are the two wonders: the creation of the universe and the creation of a people for himself. The psalmist goes on to sing of God’s continued love, protection, and care for his people until the climax of verse 26: “O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
Why did God create the universe? “For his steadfast love endures forever.” Why did God deliver Israel? “For his steadfast love endures forever.” Why did God rescue them from their enemies? “For his steadfast love endures forever.” Why did God give them the land as their inheritance? “For his steadfast love endures forever.”
Doesn’t sound like Israel had much to worry about, did it? Not when they could rest in the divine love that lasts forever.
We live in a beautiful and an orderly world that we can depend on – we don’t have to worry about the sun rising or setting. Why? Ki le’olam chasdo: for his steadfast love endures forever! And the same God who created this stable, dependable world created his people to live safely in it. The story of God’s people is permeated with this divine love. Even when God punished his people, he still held out a promise of forgiveness and redemption.
Why? “His steadfast love endures forever.”
But wait! There’s even more! This same divine love that we read about in the Old Testament is pointing forward to the divine love that appeared in all its beauty when love took on flesh and was born in a stable.
God comes to us first and foremost in love. Not the sort of permissive love that lets us get away with murder (which isn’t love at all), but the love that is committed to die for us, forgive us, and even move into us through his Holy Spirit so we can become the children of God he created us to be. “He who began a good work in you,” Paul wrote to the Philippians, “will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6).
That’s God’s never-ending divine love. Ki le’olam chasdo: “For the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever.”
Blessings,
Pastor Terry